As someone who was born too late to remember anything from the 90s, let alone the 80s, I have always felt cheated. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade my I-Can't-Remember-A-Time-Without-IPods childhood for anything, but I'm technically considered a millennial, yet I have never felt connected or nostalgic about the same things that the elder half of my generation has. My first introduction to the Star Wars franchise was the special edition DVDs. I hadn't heard of comic books until the X-Men movies were released. Phones have always been wireless, no one rides bikes without a parent, and kids go to the mall for adventures. ET, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Gremlins, Aliens, the Princess Bride and The Goonies were already considered classics by the time I came into this world. What I'm saying is that I don't relate, at all, to the life of an average suburban kid from the 80s.

So when Netflix released Stranger Things, I finally understood why adults look back on the 1980s with such reverence. Stranger Things is set in 1983, in a small town in Indiana, and centers around the disappearance of a young boy, Will Bryers, and the strange (for lack of a better term) things that surround the town and Will's friends and family. The majority of the main cast are kids, a group of three best friends who are determined to get Will back, and a mysterious and powerful young girl who goes by the name Eleven.

And the show never lets you forget that it's set in the 80s; from the clothes, to the amazingly cliched government agents, to the bond between a boy and his extraordinary friend who barely talks, the show is practically ET. Except, it's also The Thing. And that's what makes this show so great: it's hard to effectively describe and categorize it, because it is so many things, while at the same time, completely refreshing and unique. If forced, I would categorize the show as "sci-fi/fantasy" but it's also a thriller, a crime drama, a mystery, a horror, and, at the heart, a coming of age story.

The story is wrapped up nicely in eight episodes, and while there is room for a new season, one can watch this show right now and feel satisified at the end. A lot of times, with sci-fi franchises, the rules of the world aren't always fully explained, and compelling mysteries are brought up, only to never be answered (*cough cough*: Lost). Stranger Things does a pretty good job of breaking this pattern, without actually spelling everything out for the audience like we're morons. In particular, I love how they address the importance and relevance of electricity and lights in relation to some of the disturbances.

So the basic plot is simple enough and there are no glaring structural problems with the mythology of the show. What about the characters? Kid actors are notoriously known for ruining film, but the young actors in this show are an absolute treat. There's a tendency for all of them to be a bit loud when talking, which can be a little annoying after a while, but if you think about it, kids are also just naturally loud, especially in high-stress situations like the ones these characters face. I can forgive the almost-constant yelling, because I loved the dynamic the main gang had with each other. It was very believable that these group of boys grew up together in the same small town, that they've been friends for years, and that they've had many (albeit less deadly) adventures before this. My favorite character from the group of boys has to be Dustin, aka "Toothless". He's the biggest nerd, he's obsessed with superheros, and he's always focused on the mission: staying together and saving Will.

The other characters are interesting as well. The storyline focusing on Nancy, the elder sister of one of Will's friends named Mike, and Will's older brother, Jonathan, is fun to watch develop, even if they make questionable decisions. People have criticized Winona Ryder's performance as Will's mother, Joyce, but I found her character to be believable, sympathetic and compelling. She plays the mom going crazy very well, and David Harbour's suffering yet stoic Chief Hopper balances out her neuroticism with clear-headed determination to find Will.

There are lots of things one could talk about when discussing Stranger Things, but it's hard to do so without spoiling anything. I wouldn't say the show is shocking, but it's best to watch the story unfold like the characters do: knowing nothing and questioning everything.

This is definitely a Netflix original to remember, and it's probably the best season of any Netflix show this year (yes, even better than that amazing and impactful Orange Is The New Black Season Four). I highly recommend you watch it, even if you're not a big fan of horror and/or are a big scaredy-cat. I had nightmares after watching Sign and Cabin In The Woods is probably the scariest movie I will ever watch, but just close your eyes a few times an episode, and enjoy the rest of what it has to offer. I give this season of Stranger Things 9.3/10, because I did get a little fatigued after episode five. A short youtube break later, and I was ready to finish it.

Happy bingeing!