A New Standard: Stranger Things

For the blog this week I will be talking about Stranger Things season 1. Season 1 gives us something that we have never seen before with a unique story, dramatic and lovable characters, and a whole new world. The story follow a group of kids: Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will and what happens when the Dungeons and Dragons Demogorgon becomes real.

The title of the first episode of the series tells you the main premise of the show: Episode 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers. With Will being missing we are introduce to my favorite character of whole show, Hopper. Hopper is the chief of police in Hawkins, and is the head of the search for Will. We are also introduced to Will’s mother, Joyce, who shows that she will find Will no matter what she has to do. Even going into the Upside Down.

The Upside Down is a new environment that I had never heard of before until viewing season 1. The Upside Down is a reverse world in which all of the buildings are there but they are all overgrown with an odd plant life. Almost looking like there are tentacles of some larger being all over the ground. In this space the Demogorgon can travel and hunt as it pleases, as well as enter the real world, because it attracted by electricity.

Then there is Eleven. Eleven is one of, if not ,the biggest bad asses in all of entertainment. Eleven has telekinetic powers so she is the muscle of the search party. He backstory also helps show why she is the way that she is. She has been experimented on for her entire life, like the other 10 before her. Her abilities have been perfected though, unlike her brothers and sisters. Lastly, at the end of the series, she sacrifices herself to save the rest of the group and kill the Demogorgon.

Season 1 of Stranger Things show how relationships can prevail against any enemy or struggle and that all ups come with downs. Mike finally got his friend back, but at the loss of Eleven.

I Would Definitely Stay: Episodes 1-4 of Stranger Things

  The poster child of the Netflix originals is the show Stranger Things. Part of the appeal is nostalgia; like Happy Days before it, the show is set in the childhood of the now middle-aged crowd. This group looks fondly at this period in their lives, a sentiment reflected in the warm yellow-tinted lighting and the soundtrack of 1980's Top 40. Another part of Stranger Things' appeal is the variety of elements to attract a variety of viewers. While some may find the teenaged love triangle charming, others may be more fond of the camaraderie between the boys or the overlying mystery.

     For such a good show, it does have some flaws. One element that I believe is lacking, while this may be intentional, is the characterization. Mike's parents are meddling yet ineffective, Hopper is the bored and jaded hometown police officer and the boys are far too nosy for their own good. Despite this, some characters stand out as very genuine in their roles.  Winona Ryder's character, Joyce Byers, is so over the top as the hysterical mother that the wrong person would make her seem like she was chewing the scenery. However Ryder's portrayal makes the viewer feel for her every second she is on screen, even if her actions are as ridiculous as talking to a ball of Christmas lights. Another character that stands out is Eleven played by Millie Bobbie Brown. Many child actors are stiff and awkward, yet Brown says so much with her facial expressions and body language that one can hardly notice that she says only a handful of words in the first four episodes. It is possible that the reason that there are so many cliches in the show to begin with is setting up for character development. While I do not see the main children changing very much, it is possible that the sheriff will become a more open and tolerating person, a development I believe we see the seeds of this development when he questions whether or not the corpse in the morgue is real. The possible destruction of these archetypes is intriguing and I think this will keep me watching the show.

     Another flaw was is the occasional emotional cop-out. For example, at the end of episode 3 Will Byer's body is found. At the end of episode 4, the body is found to be fake and status quo is re-established. I personally had to go back through and see if anything else major had happened in the episode, and at this point, I feel like the episode was just filler. While some character development did happen with Hopper and a relationship between Jonathan and Nancy began to blossom, I believe these moments could have easily been placed in another episode without much conflict. The discovery that Will might be alive would have elicited more emotion if the reveal had happened a few episodes later when it would have had more impact on the plot. All in all though, I think that Stranger Things is worthy of the hype it has received and I am glad to have watched it.

Stranger Things to a teacher

Two days ago, I just finished watching the last episode of season two of Stranger Things. I have to say that watching this series on Netflix is one of the most interesting adventures which I decided to do since I have studied university in the US. Today I am going to write a blog to my high school’s English teacher in Vietnam to recommend that she should watch this movie.
Because my teacher is a fan of a horror movie so that why she must watch Stranger Things. Although Stranger Things cannot compare with famous horror movies like Insidious, The Conjuring, or the Excorsist, it still creates its own style. The first outstanding element in Stranger Things is its sound effect. Everybody has to agree that besides images, the sound effect is very important in describing the horror movie. Because the main purpose of the horror movie is to scare people with haunted pictures and sudden sound. The technique which the filmmakers use in this film is that before the sudden sound, everything will be completely quiet. The audience cannot detect any sound. Then suddenly, “bang,” a loud sound will make the audience startled.  In horror movie, the professionals call it as a jump scare. In addition, creepy music from the movie and creepy sound from the “Things” is quite unique. Many filmmakers have produced horror movies based on monsters, aliens, or something ugly which people have not ever seen before. Although Stranger Things is produced later than those movies, the sound of the “things” is still unique which means the filmmakers did not copy it from the previous movies. Secondly, the way that the filmmakers establish the “things” is really terrifying. The filmmakers were really clever because instead of creating monsters which were exactly similar, they created monsters with a different outlook. From a tiny one like a hamster to a ginormous monster. Furthermore, with a mouth which is full of teeth and can open like an “X” word and a slimy and nasty body, the “things” can become a nightmare to everyone who is afraid of creepy creatures.
However, although the film is a horror genre, it still conveys a priceless lesson to the audiences: a mother can do anything to her children. In the movie, when Will was missing, no one believed Joyce, Will’s mother, that Will was contacting with his mother through the light. Although everyone was still searching for Will, they did not believe that Will was kidnapped by a monster. Everyone thought that Joyce was crazy, but she ignored every rumor and continued to find her son. Finally, she found her son, but then she realized that the monster was inside him and used him as a spy in the real world. She did not give up on her son and continue to save him. At the end, she would sacrifice anything to protect her son and get rid of the “things” inside him.
In conclusion, I think you should watch this movie. The astonishing pictures and catchy sound will lead you to a whole new adventure which you cannot expect.

Not A Marvel Series

Well after tragically losing time do to my watching the show I'm going to make highlights on. I find myself writing this at two A.M. After watching my way through all of the Marvel Netflix shows, I decided I had to do something totally different. So naturally I chose the show that everyone is always talking about, Stranger Things.

Stranger Things is the horror, thriller, suspense show that people won't stop talking about. It doesn't matter if you've seen it or not, someone has definitely spoiled things for you. It is a show that is kind of funny to write about. The best way to watch the show is to go in as blindly as possible. Minor spoiler warning ahead.

The show is set in the 80's, in a small town, with a mysterious government operation set up near it. The plot really gets kicked off when a boy named Will goes missing. Soon after some of Will's friends (I'm just going to call them the Loser's Club), find a girl with telekinetic powers going by the name Eleven. The show clearly draws inspiration from a lot of government conspiracies, most of them outright stated. This is always a good idea in my mind, it makes the story slightly closer to home while adding intrigue and an alien feel, all at the same time.

I really don't like talking about actors, but the kids in particular are well written and acted. I've never been a huge user , or advocate of them as a child, but kids swearing is so natural. I can't stand it when kids in movies are angels, naive, and stupid, it just isn't right. Kids are actually quite smart when they put their minds to things, and more than that, they are devils at times.

Big thing I want to talk about is a slight thing I've begun to notice after my three episode session of the show. This movie seems to have an obsession with doubles, and counterparts. The monster, is referred to as the Demigorgon. I do have a knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons, and I can tell you that the Demigorgon in universe has two heads. There are two worlds, I've picked up on the fact that the other world is basically a copy of ours. The research lab is doubling as a company and a government conspiracy. Of course Eleven, two ones, same way forwards and backwards.

I'm not sure how correct any of this is, but I'm quite certain the monster and Eleven are one in the same. Whenever the monster appears or Eleven uses her powers, lights begin to flicker, and electronics stop working. Also a few scenes of theirs have some parallels in what they do and the way scenes are shot. I'm not saying they're the same thing, but they're definitely connected. Although this may be obvious to some I felt like it was worth mentioning.

I do like this show. I do recommend it, I'm not sure if the show is trying to say something or if I'm over analyzing again. But seeing as duality is already showing to be a constant theme, we can make the assumption that I am correct. It will be next week before I can verify my guesses, but I actually do for once plan on watching this all the way through.

Stranger Things

Dad,

It took me a long time to decide which show I wanted to write about this week, because I knew you’d be reading it. As I sat there pondering, a recommendation came to me from the last place I ever expected to receive one: in our basement talking with Luke Shawhan. He thought I would enjoy Stranger Things. I had been avoiding hopping on this bandwagon for so long, but I finally caved and decided to watch this show that had captivated all of my peers (and apparently Mr. Shawhan).

I’m going to give you a quick plot summary that I pulled from Wikipedia, because there was honestly so much going on that I couldn’t think of a good way to summarize it: “Stranger Things is set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the early 1980s. The nearby Hawkins National Laboratory ostensibly performs scientific research for the United States Department of Energy, but secretly does experiments into the paranormal and supernatural, including those that involve human test subjects. These start to affect the unknowing residents of Hawkins in calamitous ways.”

You know better than anyone that science fiction has never been my favorite genre. I avoid it at all costs, occasionally to your chagrin (think Star Trek). But as I watched this new show, there were a couple of moments that made me think that maybe, just maybe, science fiction isn’t the worst thing in the world.

First, I was really captivated by the number of plot lines that the show was following. It seemed like each character has his or her own detailed background and mystery to solve, which is relatively unique to this show. As I was watching a few of these plot lines unfold and become even more intertwined, I noticed that I wanted to watch more episodes in order to find the answers to questions that I had. I think that by making this show as detailed as it is, the creators ran a risk. If they made it simpler to follow, I don’t think they would be able to keep their audience captivated and hungry for more. But if they made it too difficult to follow, the audience would most likely find the show mentally exhausting and thus not an enjoyable thing to watch. In my opinion, Stranger Things has managed to find the perfect balance between complex and entertaining.

The second thing about the show that really interested me was the use of children as main characters. Normally, a science fiction show involving language and “scary” content would have mostly adult actors, but the main actors in Stranger Things are children. These kids do an incredible job of portraying material that is difficult to grasp, and I wish I was friends with all of them in real life. Regardless of acting ability though, I would like to ask the creators of the show why they chose to use children. Maybe it allows them to interest their audience in a way that most other shows can’t? Maybe they wanted to make the events that occur in the show even less relatable by having an age gap between the actors and the audience? Whatever the reason, the use of child actors has a profound effect on the show as a whole.

There are honestly a lot of other things that make this show an oddity, but for sake of your time and my word count, I think I’m going to conclude with those thoughts for today. Let me know what you think of these observations!

With love from your favorite daughter,

Anna

Stranger Things

This weekend, Halloween approached and many people were excited for their beautiful, lovely, or even creepy costumes that they showed each other. This past weekend for me, besides hanging out with my friend, I watched the first episode of “Stranger Things” and wrote a blog post about it. When I chose to watch “Stranger Things”, I knew that this adventure would provide me with many unexpected and maybe even some dangerous experiences. However, you do not know what is waiting for you until you actually do it. Therefore, I was really enthusiastic to watch this show. In this blog, I will discuss horror elements of Chapter One: The vanishing of Will Byers.
The first episode started with a dark scene with the wind whispering. I began to watch the first episode at midnight; so believe it or not, I have already felt scary at the first minute of the movie. The filmmakers are really professional when combining the wind sound and the creepy music with the laboratory scene. Laboratory always makes the audiences visualize that something is really disgusting will jump out from the nowhere and kill the person in that scene. The scene in the movie happens exactly as same as the imagination of the audience. However, the filmmakers have predicted the audiences’ thought, so before that scene, they focused on filming the door without any sound. The effect of this trick is that the audiences may know that after this, there will be something comes out but they do not know when. Then, the door suddenly opens with a noisy sound. Be honest, I was panic, jumped out of my chair and paused the movie immediately. At that moment, I could hear the sound of my heart beating. It is really interesting that the thing comes out of the door is not an ugly creature. It is a scary scientist who tries to run away from anything. Once again, a legendary motive is used in this movie: trying to escape the creature by using the elevator. The filmmakers try to make the audiences think that the creature will grab the scientist from behind and drag him to it. Unfortunately, the catching scene, ironically, begins when the scientist entered the elevator and was ready to escape. What an unexpected way to begin the first episode.
Then in the scene when Will rides back home, it is really horrifying if there is something suddenly appears in the middle of the road. However, before that, the light from the bicycle turned off and then turned on in a few seconds, but this amount of time is enough to distract Will from the road. Then a dark, creepy, and unknown thing popped up. Will was scary and could not control the bike probably. He rode off the road and crashed. As same as another horror movie, Will ran home in frightening and called for help, but he could not hear anything from the opposite. He ran to the storage, loaded the gun and prepared to fight back. However, it was too late. Unlike the beginning of the movie which the scientist was caught when the creature was on the top of the elevator, this time the creature stood right behind him. The filmmaker can reveal the true identity of the mysterious living thing, but the camera only films the light bulb which is brighter and brighter. Then, bang Will disappear without any clue. The thing which the audiences know about this creature is his creepy voice.
The first episode only has two remarkable scenes but it helps me to make a decision: binge-watch this series now. Besides analyzing the horror element in this episode, I want to say one thing to my future family: if you can read this line, you have to know that do not be afraid of doing anything. You have to go with it, and maybe something bad will happens to you. However, sometimes, bad thing can become a good thing if you consider it as an experience.

Strangers Things to a Friend

If there’s anything that I like to share with my friends, it is my love of shows and movies that send chills up and down my spine.  It doesn’t matter how much a horror or scary show or film creeps me out, but they always keep me crawling back.  I have found that Stranger Things offers a great mix of dynamic character development, spine-tingling moments, conflict caused by mental distress, and uncertainty about the future and even the past.  The third episode specifically delves much deeper into Eleven’s past and the events that transpired.  Will’s mother, Joyce, has continued to descend deeper into the mental dissonance that Will’s disappearance has brought her.  All of these elements slowly compound into issues and conflicts that translate into tense and frightening moments that always get me excited.

Beginning with uncertainties that are the cause of much the excitement surrounding the show, Eleven’s past and her abilities, Will’s disappearance and how unpredictable it has made his mother, and the uncertainties brought up about the Hawkins National Library all add to the experience that so many Stranger Things fans, including me and my friends, enjoy.  Episode three presents many of the memories that Eleven has about her past and the trouble it has caused her.  Earlier in the series, one of Eleven’s memories presented two men carrying her away while she screamed after another man, calling him “Papa”.  In episode three, however, while she was being carried away by the same two men, before being thrown into a room, she was able to free herself.  Immediately after this, the man she called Papa came after her and consoled her,  In previous episodes, the audience was made to believe that he was a “bad guy”, but now that may not all be true.  Their relationship continues to be a source of excitement and uncertainty for me.  Next, Will’s mother, Joyce, has experienced emotional distress that has caused her to go to new lengths to find her son.  During episode there, she begins attempting to communicate with Will through lights.  Not only focusing on her actions, but the reaction that others have to her behavior is what causes most of the uncertainty and excitement for me.  In episode three, no one believes what Joyce is telling them about how she is communicating with Will and that she sees monsters coming out of the walls.  Her perseverance to continue searching, despite this, allows for the viewer to continually depend on her to be the one who will eventually find Will given that everyone believes that Will has died.  Lastly, the investigation of the Hawkins National Laboratory by Sheriff Hopper was a main focus in episode three.  Hopper begins doing heavy research into the lab and the secrets they may be keeping.  With the research, Hopper found that the Lab has performed research on humans, as evidenced by pictures of Hawkins Lab researchers with their lab subjects dressed in hospital robes.  With this, Hopper also found out that the research performed by the Lab was national government-sanctioned, meaning that any research they perform would be completely classified and that any truth may be extremely difficult to uncover.  As the search for Will continues, the tension that the town is wrapped up in only intensifies.  

I do not watch Netflix often, but almost anyone, including myself enjoys an amazing story especially those involved with what may be supernatural such as Stranger Things.  The show very slowly unravels the disappearance of a child until unrest is spread throughout an entire town.  The uncertainty leads to elevated levels of excitement and anxiety about future events.  I for one cannot get enough of it and cannot wait to share it with you.  

Stranger Things, Pilot (The Disappearance of Will Byers)

Yep.

Now, this is actually a very good choice for two reasons. First off: The second season of Stranger Things is set to premiere only about a week from now, so this is very timely. Second, despite the popularity of the show and that my mom (who I'm writing this for) loves horror movies and the paranormal, she has not seen this show (though I hope to show her it during midterm break). So, mom, if you're reading this, let me introduce you.

If you're not aware about the plot, it's kind of hard to simplify without proper context. But let's try it anyway. Essentially, it's 4 different plots over one another: A kid by the name of Will goes missing under "mysterious circumstances" in Hawkes, Indiana. So, three friends of the kid go out to try and find him, and they come across a "weird" girl named Eleven that could possibly help them get to Will, Will's mother having to deal with the increasing mental stress of her son being missing, leading to numerous hallucinations(?), one of the 3 kid's sister and Will's brother trying to piece together what happened to Will, and the town's police chief thoroughly investigating into the case, with it having to greatly involve a "questionable" facility located nearby the town. To say any more would be spoilers. Basically, it's E.T., The Goonies, and St. Elmo's Fire mixed with Super 8 and Splice (if you remember or even know that movie).

And for you having been in your 20's during the 1980's, you'll be pleased to hear that this show takes a LOT of influence and style from 80's culture, but with authenticity (as far as I can tell), rather than just a nostalgiafest solely to celebrate the 80's. Really, the time setting is just a way for the story to be told in a simpler time, which would make the idea of going up against a....threat like this wouldn't be as scary if it was set in modern time, where things are a bit more complicated. But otherwise, there's a lot of stuff in here you'd expect out of 1984 like Dungeons and Dragons, The Clash, the Evil Dead, etc., along with all the fashions and vehicles used throughout the show.

Now, as for the part I have to write for the class (specifically, the part where I acknowledge or even praise a certain aspect of the filmmaking into a Netflix original, such as the cinematography, sound, etc.), what I like about Stranger Things in comparison with other horror movies on Netflix (and I would say most modern horror films, but that's generalizing. Go see It Comes At Night. It's fantastic), is that it's actually shot and paced like an ACTUAL well-made horror film (for the opposite effect, go watch the abomination that is #Horror). There's no shaky cam, little-to-no stupid things done for the sake of a horror film (like hiding in an abandoned house), and there's only like one REAL jumpscare throughout the whole franchise, which is paced perfectly. In fact, all the scary moments (or at least the moments that are creepy for the ambience) in this show are paced brilliantly, like the credits of "The Bathtub" (which is incidentally after the one jumpscare in the show). The scenes are near-quiet, save for some small environmental noises and an ambient soundtrack to back it up. And that intro music is just sublime.

On the whole, I very much recommend the show. In fact, I've already gone through the whole season within 2 days before, and I intend to rewatch it in lieu of Season 2 coming out soon. And mom, if you're reading this, I want to show the show to you when I get home for midterm break. Trust me, if you liked Super 8, you're going to love this.

Stranger Things

Hi Mike! I watched the first episode of Stranger Things where you have a central role. I’d like to chat with you today about how the writers have written your character. Your town is in Indiana, and for those who live outside of Indiana, it sets up as a seemingly mundane location. I think the time frame in which you are living also helps dictate your character. With it being the late 80s there are some technological advancements, as far as tvs and phones, but not an overbearing amount. Your parents still control your tv usage, as many in that time period did, so you spend your free time with your friends playing Dungeons and Dragons, reading the Lord of the Rings, biking around town, hanging out with your teacher to form your own AV club, and playing in the forts you made. This simplicity lends itself to creating your character, a normal nerdy kid in grade school. I believe this helps set up the suspense part of the show, how you are a normal boy, in a seemingly normal family (a mom who really runs the household, a boy crazy sister). And then the unthinkable happens, your best friend, Will, disappears.

Right before Will leaves your house, he tells you that the roll was a seven, and that the Demogorgon got him. There is an intense and deep look shared between the two of you, not something that you would normally see from two grade school boys.It is quiet as you pause and consider what he is saying, which again is not typical habits of grade school boys. Both of your eyes are very prominent, and large. The usage of the number seven was intriguing to me, as you can tell from the number, it is from a larger die or two dice. After completing the episode, I would have expected this number to be eleven, not seven.

After class, you head to see your new AV equipment. You all are exceptionally excited about it, regardless of the disappearance of Will. Later on, after you discover he’s missing, the use of the radios between you and Lucas to come up with your plan to go search for Will ties back in with your AV club interest, as well as symbolizing growing up and not taking the answer of no from your mom. I’m not sure if the usage of the bikes serves a purpose for your character, except maybe to help leave a clue as to where Will disappeared. I suppose it could relate to the fact that kids in your time period worshipped their bikes, and most movies and shows set back then also have all children on bikes. In the principal’s office you refer to an area that Will takes home as Mirkwood. For those familiar with the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, the name alone suggests how you view the area, even after we get a glimpse of it when Will vanishes.

Overall, I think your character development will come a lot from your backstory and how the writers set up your surroundings.

Stranger Things Episode 2

In the second episode of Stranger Things, the directors made a point to emphasize the mental condition of each character, how their mental state affects how they interact with their surroundings, and how their mental state affects how each character interacts with one another.  The first episode, while it was a pilot, surprisingly offered much to the development of each character and the second episode followed much in suit.  While watching, the mental state of four key characters were built upon or explored, these characters include Eleven, Mike, Joyce Byers, and Will’s older brother, Jonathan Byers.  It is interesting to see how the similar events that each character experiences affects them differently.  

Beginning with the interaction between Mike and Eleven and how Eleven’s mental development is explored throughout the second episode, the viewer is able to learn a substantial amount of information about Eleven, which gives clues as to why she behaves the way she does.  First, the almost immediate difference between how Eleven interacts with Mike as opposed to Benny, in the first episode, is significant.  Eleven, seemingly, is much more open to using her words and speaking with Mike, although she and Mike just met.  Additionally, when Mike and Eleven are introducing each other, before Mike goes off to bed, Eleven returns Mike’s “goodnight” by saying goodnight to him.  Continuing, when Mike asks Eleven what danger she is facing, Eleven responds by telling him that there are dangerous people involved.  It is important to recognize that in episode one, Eleven’s interaction with others was extremely limited, and as a result, this communication between Eleven and Mike should be seen as fairly significant.  Lastly, exploring Eleven’s mental psyche, the directors allow the viewer to see inside her mind and memories.  In an attempt to hide Eleven from Mike’s mother, Mike pleads to Eleven and asks her to hide in his closet.  She does so reluctantly, and while Mike is away, Eleven has a severely scarring flashback of her time in the “mental facility”, as the viewer knows it at this point.  She is seen being carried away by two men and then thrown into a enclosed space where the door is quickly shut, trapping her in.  This episode gave the viewer much insight as to who Eleven is by developing her character and sharing her thoughts and how those thoughts affect her interactions.  

Next, exploring the mental interactions and development of Ms. Joyce Byers was a focus of this episode.  From the moment Ms. Byers recognized that her son, Will, was missing she was thrown into an apparent, but very much expected,  downward spiral.  First, while explaining to Sheriff Hopper the mysterious phone call she received the night before, emotion pours out of Ms. Joyce out of fear of what may have happened to her son, Will.  She explains that she distinctly recognized her own son’s breathing through the telephone and also recognized that he was in danger.  At this point, her desperation to find her son is growing quickly, especially going as far as to claim that she can differentiate her own son’s breathing through a telephone.  Next, further delving into her desperation, Ms. Joyce is shown going to the local market that she works at in order to buy a new telephone since her previous one shorted-out.  As she goes to check out the phone, her boss rings her up and asks for payment as expected.  In her haste, Ms. Joyce explains that she has loyally worked at the store for a decade and pleads with her boss that she absolutely needs the phone and a pack of cigarettes.  It is clear to the viewer that Ms. Joyce is facing much mental dissonance as a result of her son’s disappearance and she is beginning to go the length to find any way she can to communicate with him.  

Continuing with Will’s older brother, Jonathan, the viewer is beginning to see how Will’s disappearance affects him and the directors also allow the viewers to see how Jonathan interacted with Will before he went missing.  Early in the episode, Jonathan is seen posting flyers of Will’s missing person posters around the local high-school.  As typical as this seems, it is important to recognize that the first episode depicted Will to be upset about his brother’s disappearance, while this episode shows him taking steps to find him.  Later in the episode, the viewers get to see a flashback of a time before Will went missing.  The shot was of Jonathan and Will listening to music together in their room while their mother argued in the kitchen.  In order to block out the sound of their mother, Jonathan gets up and shuts the door.  This keys the viewer in on the close brother-brother relationship that exists between Jonathan and Will despite Jonathan’s aloof personality when it comes to his peers in high-school.  This episode made it clear that Jonathan only had good intentions when it came to his brother, which can lead viewers to conclude that Will’s disappearance has a distinct effect on Jonathan and his mentality.  

The second episode is crucial in further opening up the characters and exploring who they are.  Eleven, a fairly mysterious child, was explored largely through her mentality and memories.  In contrast from episode one, the viewer may have never learned much more about her obscure past if it was not for how she remembers it.  Ms. Byers, clearly troubled, is seen as slowly descending further into desperation and the actions she takes in future episodes will strongly influence her character for the remainder of the season or until she finds out exactly what happened to Will.  Jonathan, even while struggling with his brother’s disappearance, continues to move forward in his search, which leads to his development as a character.  While the actions and physical appearance of each character is crucial for their development throughout the series, it is important to acknowledge that how they think and remember largely affects their actions and motives.  

Stranger Things

Not being much of a Netflix viewer myself, I was excited to get started with Stranger Things, a show that was recommended to me by a few friends.  Going into it, I knew that the story would be based around a group of children trying to solve some issue.  Immediately, the director made it clear that suspense and high tension were going to be major focus points for the show.  An interesting pattern that I noticed was the director's interleaving of shots that are more lax and joyful with scenes that presented imminent danger, foreboding, or distress.  Lastly, the initial presentation of rather dynamic characters and the relationships between them was markedly noticeable even for just the pilot episode.  The directors of Stranger Things made a noticeable effort to capture the viewer's interest, fully utilizing every character and every shot to further the plot and lay foundation for future episodes.  

Beginning with the sharp contrast between shots that presented a more joyful mood and shots that stemmed from tense moments, the director’s use of mixing them together and allowing them to help explore different scenes is extremely noteworthy.  The episode begins with a lab scientist being chased by an unknown creature, which sets the tone for the show.  The very next shot depicts the main protagonists playing a board game together.  This scene is then followed with one of the main protagonists biking home from playing the board game at his friend's house; however, he is then chased by perhaps the same unknown creature that chased the scientist and then disappears.  This alternation of moods from scene to scene continues throughout the remainder of the episode.  As I continued watching and recognizing this pattern, it gave me a noticeable sense of foreboding as if I already knew something terrible may happen, yet the directors kept it obscure enough so that I did not know exactly what might happen.  This seemingly simple mood dynamic in the show allows the viewer’s mind to imagine and think about what will happen next, thus leading to elevated levels of excitement throughout the episode.  

Next, the way the directors went about introducing certain characters made them both memorable and increasingly interesting as the episode continued.  Beginning with the presentation of Chief Hopper, the camera pans through his house, first panning over a table covered with garbage and beer cans, then moving to a shot where he’s shown sleeping on his living room couch, and then moving to a shot, soon after he wakes up, showing him having a morning smoke on his outside deck.  Within the first thirty-five seconds of Chief Hooper’s debut, the audience has been giving enough evidence to conclude that he may not be the most inviting or wholesome character in the show; however, what makes him quite interesting is his development throughout.  Despite being depicted as quite a care-free character, Chief Hooper, who we come to find out is the chief of police of Hawkins, Indiana,  takes his job seriously and treats his duty with respect.  Most notably, soon after the search for Will, who went missing early in the episode, Chief Hopper and a few other policemen stumble upon Will’s bike.  Without any other clues, Chief Hopper’s first action thereafter was to go to Will’s home after deducing that Will may have been in danger and made the obvious decision to get home as fast as possible if moving by bike was not an option.  A few scenes later Chief Hopper finds another clue which leads him to immediately dispatch a search party to find Will.  This particular shot depicts a side of Chief Hopper that is sharply distinct from the Chief Hopper that was shown sleeping on his living room couch and then having a morning smoke to wake up.

Stranger Things  caught me by surprise with how quickly events spurred, how quickly tension manifesting, and the pace at which characters were developed.  Just from the pilot episode the show already had many things to continue building upon and methods of keeping the audience interested.  Once again, I personally do not watch much Netflix; however, Stranger Things  may be the first step I take.

Stranger Things

This week, I decided to finally sit down and watch Stranger Things, the extremely popular sci-fi drama starring Winona Ryder and break out star Millie Bobby Brown. In this show, we're taken for a ride from our real world, into the “Upside Down”, following a diverse set of characters of all age groups and personalities. I enjoyed watching the pilot episode so much that I kept going through the series. With a name like "Stranger Things", it seemingly has such a simple concept, a story about some strange things. Yet, when you dive deeper into it, you see that the name takes on a whole other meaning. When you think you've seen the strangest, there will always be stranger things that you may not be able to see, or even be aware of. With that, I was drawn into the weird concept and story of the show.

While watching, one of the main cinematic tools used in this show is the use of location. There may be minor spoilers ahead, so here is your first and last warning. Our story sets in the small fictitious town of Hawkins, Indiana, a seemingly quiet and ordinary town, in the mid 1980s. One of the more stranger things that occurs in the town is the existence of the Upside Down, a dark world that seems to parallel the town of Hawkins. Some points are more parallel than others. Will, kidnapped into the upside down, learns how to communicate with his mother through lights she hangs around her house. This puts an emphasis on the parallel worlds of Hawkins and the Upside Down. In the same sense Will’s mother first didn’t know if he was alive, to believing he was there and that it was possible to bring him home, viewers are able to figure out the mystery alongside the characters. Two of the other characters, Will’s older brother Jonathan and friend Nancy, eventually find a way into the upside down through a tree in the woods surrounding Hawkins. From an audience perspective, it causes us to be anxious for our characters, in that we know something they don’t, that there is a way out.

In addition, I found it interesting how we’re taken back to the 80s to set the story. The characters aren’t able to just text friends letting them know they’re safe, they can’t search up why strange things are happening. The kids in the show use walkie talkies for messages and are constantly worrying about their friends. Winona Ryder was one of the biggest names to be cast in the show, probably on purpose as she had been such a huge 80s star. All aspects help to enforce the idea of living in the past and add an exciting element for 80s movies fans, like myself.

Stranger Things I believe to be such a great show, as it has small elements from every genre: horror, thriller, sci-fi, and a little romance. That said, there is something in it for everyone, as long as you don’t mind being hit with the next stranger thing.