Disclaimer: I typically avoid TV shows or movies of the sci-fi, thriller or horror genre. For “Stranger Things,” however, I made an exception.
After just the first episode, I was instantly impressed by how compelling the show was. So compelling, in fact, that I watched all eight hour-long episodes within a day. It wasn’t just the suspense that drove me to click “play next episode” over and over again – it was my attachment to the characters.
“Stranger Things” is a horror-science fiction Netflix original show. Set in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in 1983, it follows the mysterious disappearance of 12-year-old Will Byers as his friends, family and the people of Hawkins attempt to find him, ultimately uncovering supernatural secrets and governmental conspiracies.
But what drives this show is not the suspenseful moments or the slow IV drips of information revealed throughout (although that doesn’t hurt). It’s the emotion behind the characters battling their demons – supernatural and otherwise.
Winona Ryder as grieving mother Joyce Byers in frantic search of her son is arguably the best performance of the show. Ryder’s ability to make yelling at a flickering pair of Christmas lights not only believable but also emotionally stirring is precisely what makes “Stranger Things” so remarkable.
Not to mention newcomer Millie Bobby Brown’s performance as the elusive Eleven, a young girl with a shaved head who we first meet barefoot in the woods sporting a tattered hospital gown. Brown’s subdued performance helps Eleven remain just as mysterious as our first impression of her, conveying feeling with very limited dialogue.
Then, of course, there’s the endearing “E.T.”-inspired group of Will’s friends – Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) – who ride around on vintage bikes and go to extremes to uncover the mystery behind their best friend’s disappearance with the help of Eleven. Their scenes are just as delightful as they are sharply affecting, leaving us no choice but to root for them as their longing to find Will swells larger with each episode.
Other noteworthy performances include: David Harbour as Police Chief Jim Hopper, whose investigation into Will’s disappearance is largely staked in the prior loss of his own daughter. Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Mike’s perfectionist older sister who inadvertently lands herself in the middle of the mystery with Jonathon Byers (Charlie Heaton), the offbeat older brother of Will. And the list goes on. And on. And on.
Whether its Ryder’s touching performance as a mother who just wants to find her son, Brown’s performance as an alienated, lonely young girl or Habour’s performance as a man haunted by his past finally given a second chance, “Stanger Things” expertly familiarizes these characters as they uncover the truth.
Yes, “Stranger Things” is steeped in horror and sci-fi, but its narrative spans far beyond the pigeonholes of its genre. Yes, Will Byer’s vanishing is supernatural, but the wake of his disappearance is grounded in real humans grappling with real emotions. And that’s what keeps you wanting more.
