A Few Questions After Watching STRANGER THINGS…(SPOILERS)
Stop what you are doing and watch the Netflix Original Series Stranger Things. Seriously call in sick, get a baby sitter, order in dinner, put down the iPad and mow the grass another day, these are eight hours that will not be wasted. Written and directed by Matt & Ross Duffer, Stranger Things is a love letter to the films, books and music of the eighties. If you are in your 30’s this is prime nostalgia, I dare you to not think of of Spielberg’s E.T. or Goonies. The title, font and design conjure up Stephen King’s Needful Things and the intro music is straight out of Tron! This seriously took me back to my childhood. But it’s not just the style that is totally stellar, Stranger Things is a wonderful story! In the first ten minutes of Episode One you have an experiment gone wrong in a dark and menacing laboratory, young friends playing D&D in a basement, a boy disappearing on a lonely dark road and a mysterious girl screams into focus in a hospital gown. Hooked? But after watching all eight episodes in one day I have some questions, some serious and some silly, and I can’t wait for Season Two! Here they are in no particular order and PS… If you haven’t watched Stranger Things, stop reading, and GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!
If you are in your 30’s this is prime nostalgia, I dare you to not think of of Spielberg’s E.T. or Goonies.
1. What Happened To Eleven? Where did that girl go? Was she “The Flea” and that’s how she knew about the Upside Down? Did she dematerialize back to the Upside Down? Is Sheriff Hopper leaving those Eggos out in the woods because she’s alive or because he’s trying to bring her back from the Upside Down? Did she kill the monster, or just send it back to the Upside Down? Is she dead? If so, what a sacrifice and who is Mike going to take to the Snow Ball? Personally I think we will see Eleven again which brings me to my next question…
2. Where Are Numbers One Through Ten? Did Eleven have brothers and sisters that we will learn about in future seasons? Hawkins National Laboratories is obviously shady and Eleven can’t be the first kiddo they ran experiments on. What were they initially doing in that lab and in the Upside Down? I believe they happened upon the monster, so what was their goal before they made first contact? Are Numbers One through Ten stuck in the Upside Down? And is Papa, Dr. Martin Brenner, dead? (PS… Matthew Modine, what have you been up too since Memphis Belle? I’ve missed you!) The acting in Stranger Things is wonderful, the adults are great but the stars of the show are the kids especially Dustin Henderson!
3. How Does Dustin Know So Much About Magnets? Or better yet, why aren’t the other guys wise to how magnets work? When will Dustin get those two front teeth? When he pops his arm for the bullies I can’t help but think of Chunk and the Truffle Shuffle in Goonies. Young Gaten Matarazzo, Dustin, is an instant hit and I can’t wait to see him in Season Two. These boys and their friendship are what Stranger Things is all about. Also should we all start playing Dungeons & Dragons so we can learn about science and parallel universes? The rules these five live by, “Friends don’t lie, and friends don’t break a promise.” are lessons for us all. And speaking of those friends…
4. What’s Happening To Little Will Byers? Is it just me or did anyone else think of Ron Weasley puking up slugs in the last minutes of Episode 8? What are the lasting effects of living in the Upside Down for so long? How did he live in the Upside Down for so long if his mom and Sheriff Hopper were only in there for a few minutes and they had to be in full suits? Didn’t that lab guy say the air was toxic? Is Will Byers going to turn into a monster? Is that what happened to Eleven’s predecessors, One through Ten? Are there more monsters in the Upside Down? Did the monster feeding on the deer remind anyone of Lord Voldermort feeding on the unicorn in Sorcerer’s Stone? I’ve digressed and obviously I need to read some Harry Potter. I’m so glad Will is alive but I’m so sad we won’t see any more of Barb’s sweet sweet style. #RIPBARB
5. Why Is Nancy With Steve At The End Of Episode Eight? What about holding hands with Jonathan? Does Steve have a heart of gold but he’s tempted by popularity, or is he just a jerk? And Where can I get a Christmas sweater like Steve’s? Are Mike and Nancy’s parents that thick? (It seams their father is pretty dense.) How do you not know that a whole human girl is living in your house for a week? If we compare Stranger Things to Goonies or E.T. they all have the adolescent, teen and adult segments that make it feel like a complete story. So Nancy and Barb, Steve and Jonathan are just the current interpretations of Andy, Steph, Brand and Troy. They get caught up in the younger brother’s business and fall into a love triangle. PS… I totally pictured Martha Plimpton the first time I saw Barb.
Honestly I have more questions but I will leave them in my noggin. Oh, Stranger Things is one of those rare stories that you wish you could watch or read for the first time, every time. Be just as scared by the suspense and the monster, smile just as wide when Eleven teaches the bullies a lesson, and marvel at how Will’s mom, Joyce, played beautifully by Winona Ryder, learns that her boy can communicate through Christmas lights. On that note I’m going to watch it again, see what I missed and come up with a whole slew of theories for Season Two. What questions are you left with after Season One of Stranger Things?