Few shows have been recommended to me quite as much these last few years as Stranger Things. It’s become such a popular show, and so many people close to me kept telling me how it would be right up my alley. From everything I’ve seen about it, I figured it would be, but for whatever reason I just kept pushing it off. Now, three years late to the party, I’ve finally joined the craze. I finished season 1 (and am about halfway through season 2 at the time of writing), and I absolutely loved it.

One of the main draws to the show is that it’s set in the 1980s, and so it brings out a lot of those nostalgic feelings of the era for people. It’s weird to me that I get nostalgic for the 80s since I was born in the 90s, but I always just really liked the aesthetic of the era, and that’s captured perfectly here.

Anyway, set in the 80s, we are introduced to a group of four kids in a small town. One night, on his way home, one of the kids goes missing. It now becomes a huge mystery on what happened to the kid, Will Byers, and where he is. The kids, along with some other family members and the local sheriff, start to investigate what happened to Will, and they find that strange things are happening in their town.

This is completely sci-fi/fantasy, so you have to be into that to fully appreciate the show. Also, its main appeal isn’t just to capture the 80s, but 80s horror movies specifically. This was probably why the show was recommended to me so often, and the main reason why I think I’m so into the show. The show is very much grounded as a 2010s show in terms of character development and everything, but it also always gives you that feel that these characters are straight out of the 80s. I found the mystery to be really compelling, and the world that the showrunners built here is fascinating.

Still, I think the best thing about the show, like any good show out there, is the characters. I was mainly drawn into this because I heard the cast of kids is so great, and they definitely are, but all of the other characters are amazing too. One example of this is Nancy, who is the older teenage sister of one of the kids. I really didn’t expect Nancy to be as crucial to the show as she is, but she’s very well fleshed out and one of my favorite characters. She could have easily been a simple side character, but she’s part of the plot in a way that feels really substantial. I also didn’t expect to like the sheriff, Hopper, as much as I did, but he’s fantastic. Still, the kids are probably the most fun to watch. Aside from the missing kid, Will, there’s Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and a new girl with psychic powers that shows up, who doesn’t have a name and is instead just called Eleven. These kids are a lot of fun, and I find myself enjoying the show the most when following their journey.

Whenever something is as popular as Stranger Things is, I don’t really feel like my input is adding much to the conversation, since everyone else is already saying everything I am. People have been saying how great this show is for 3 years now, so me being late to the party and isn’t contributing much that’s new here. Still, I just wanted to mention that I’ve finally given this show a chance, and I’m so glad that I did. I have so much fun with it and think it’s really addicting.

4.5/5