I watch a lot of Netflix. I find it easy to blame it on my major: I need to stay up to date on new and current media, including Netflix originals that are blowing traditional film and TV out of the water. But really, I just love to binge-watch. I’m sure this is a known thing about me. Since July, people would bring up Netflix original Stranger Things in conversation and would be blown away when I told them I hadn’t even started it yet. There has been so much hype about it on social media, and you can’t go on Facebook, Reddit or Instagram without seeing a Stranger Things meme. The show appeals to many different audiences and has honestly become a phenomenon to me. As someone who is not that interested in sci-fi, I kept putting off starting this show because I honestly didn’t know if I would like it. But alas, this week I had a day off and I got sucked into the Stranger Things hole. By the second day I was up to episode seven, and I’m about to watch the last episode. Seeing it blow up on social media, I took a deeper look at the series and made a comprehensive (and, as a fan, definitely biased,) list of why Stranger Things is so damn good.
1. There are endless makeshift Halloween costumes for it.
Got fake blood and a blue sweater or a pink dress? Bam. You’re Eleven. Have Christmas lights laying around and a black marker? Write the alphabet on your chest and wrap them around you and you can get in contact with Will.
2. There’s a character for everyone to relate to.
If you’re the smart friend constantly having to reel everybody in, you’re Dustin. If you’re the friend who gets caught up in your crush and kind of puts everyone in danger, you’re Mike. If you’re the good kid who just wants to have fun but realizes being rebellious is too much for you, you’re Nancy. And if people are looking at you like you’re crazy all the time, you’re Joyce.
3. It’s so quotable.
When you’re just not having anything in the morning:
When you’re not into everything everyone else is into:
And if Donald Trump wins the election:
4. It reminds you of the unadulterated curiosity and bravery that comes with being a kid.
When the gang goes out on adventures that us jaded adults might never have the bravery to go on. They remind us that friendship means everything and fear will only hold you back.
5. You can binge-watch without getting tired of the theme song.
Have you ever watched a show so much that the theme song drives you crazy? That won’t happen with Stranger Things.
6. You feel connected to other people who love it as much as you do.
Obviously they have great taste in television, and those are people you want to keep in your life.
7. It’s all cohesive.
The music, the opening titles, cinematography, the storyline and general art style all come together quite well. There’s a running theme and you can feel that not only from the start, but all the way through.
8. It’s truly the romanticized 1980’s we all want to live in.
The clothing. The way that everyone acts. The way that high school works and the things that teenagers do for fun. These all are a vintage connoisseur's wet dream. I’d kill for Eleven’s killer blue windbreaker. Not to mention the flashbacks we get to Stand By Me (which came out in 1986) when Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Eleven set out to find the portal.
9. Everyone wants to be or be friends with Eleven.
She’s cool, (mostly) calm, and collected. She gets right to the point, and cares about her friends. She’s loyal and has a love for frozen waffles. Oh, and she casually can control things with her mind. No big deal.
