Top
10
Introduction
When "Stranger Things" debuted on Netflix in July 2016, few could have predicted the cultural phenomenon it would become. Created by the Duffer Brothers, this science fiction horror drama masterfully blends 1980s nostalgia with supernatural mystery, government conspiracies, and coming-of-age narratives. Across four seasons (with a fifth and final season in production), the series has evolved from a small-town mystery into an expansive exploration of parallel dimensions, psychic powers, and the enduring bonds of friendship against increasingly apocalyptic threats. This review examines Stranger Things as a complete narrative experience, analyzing its storytelling approach, character development, technical execution, cultural impact, and evolution across seasons.
Overall Narative Arc
Stranger Things begins as an intimate mystery focused on the disappearance of Will Byers and the appearance of a strange girl with psychokinetic abilities named Eleven. From these foundations, the story expands organically, revealing the existence of the Upside Down—a dark parallel dimension—and the sinister experiments conducted at Hawkins Lab. Each season broadens the scope while maintaining connections to the original mystery, gradually revealing the Upside Down's ecology, history, and the true nature of its primary antagonist, Vecna (formerly Henry Creel/One).
The narrative structure follows a pattern of escalating stakes: from the search for one missing boy to preventing interdimensional invasions threatening all of Hawkins. This expansion feels mostly natural rather than forced, though the later seasons occasionally struggle to balance the growing cast and multiple plot threads. The storytelling particularly excels when connecting personal trauma to supernatural threats, making the otherworldly elements feel emotionally resonant rather than merely spectacular.
Pacing and Season Structure
Each season follows a similar structure—introduction of a new threat, investigation, revelation, and confrontation—while adding layers to the overarching mythology. This formula provides consistency but occasionally feels predictable, particularly in the middle seasons.
Season 1 remains the most tightly constructed, with its focused mystery and lean eight-episode structure. Season 2 effectively expands the world but suffers from pacing issues, particularly the divisive seventh episode that takes Eleven away from Hawkins. Season 3 embraces a more colorful, action-oriented approach that sacrifices some of the show's earlier atmospheric horror but delivers satisfying character moments. Season 4, with its feature-length episodes spread across multiple locations, demonstrates ambitious storytelling but sometimes struggles with bloat and repetition.
Core Characters
The series' greatest strength lies in its characters and the chemistry between them. The core cast of children—initially Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will, later expanded to include Eleven, Max, and others—forms the emotional heart of the show. Their growth from awkward middle-schoolers to teenagers confronting both supernatural threats and ordinary coming-of-age challenges provides the series with its most compelling throughline.
Particularly noteworthy is the evolution of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who transforms from a nearly mute test subject to a complex young woman attempting to reconcile her extraordinary abilities with her desire for normalcy. Similarly, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) undergoes one of television's most satisfying character transformations, evolving from stereotypical jock antagonist to selfless protector and surrogate older brother to the younger characters.
The adult characters—particularly Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Jim Hopper (David Harbour), and later Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman)—provide emotional anchoring for the series, with their own substantial arcs that mirror and complement the younger characters' journeys.
Character Dynamics and Relationships
The supporting characters serve various narrative functions:
The shifting relationships between characters represent another strength, particularly as the core group fractures and recombines in different configurations across seasons. The romantic relationships, from the sweetly innocent pairing of Mike and Eleven to the more complex dynamics between Joyce and Hopper or Nancy and Jonathan, avoid falling into purely formulaic territory.
Found family becomes a central theme, with characters forming bonds based on shared trauma and mutual protection rather than biological connection. The friendship between Steve and Dustin stands out as particularly well-developed, while the sisterly relationship that develops between Eleven and Max in Season 3 provides some of the series' most emotionally resonant moments.
Antagonist
The series' antagonists evolve effectively from abstract threats to more personified villains. The Demogorgon of Season 1 operates as a largely instinctual predator, while Season 2's Mind Flayer demonstrates greater intelligence and malevolence. Season 3 introduces the "Flayed"—humans possessed by the Mind Flayer—bringing a body horror element and personal stakes to the threat.
Season 4's revelation of Vecna/Henry Creel/One represents the most significant evolution, providing a humanoid antagonist with clear motivations and a personal connection to Eleven. This transformation from abstract cosmic horror to a specific villain with comprehensible goals marks a significant narrative shift, trading some of the earlier seasons' Lovecraftian mystique for more conventional hero-villain dynamics.
Technical Elements
Visual Style and Direction
Stranger Things maintains a distinctive visual identity across seasons while allowing for evolution. The early seasons embrace a muted palette with heavy shadows reminiscent of early Spielberg and John Carpenter films. Later seasons, particularly Season 3, incorporate brighter colors and more dynamic camera work reflecting the characters' adolescence and the shifting time period (from 1983 to 1986).
The Upside Down remains one of television's most visually distinctive alternate realities, with its floating particles, organic tendrils, and decaying mirror-image of Hawkins. The practical effects work, particularly in creature design, deserves special recognition for creating memorable monsters that balance CGI with practical elements.
Direction across seasons remains consistently strong, with setpieces that effectively blend horror, action, and emotional beats. Season 4's "Dear Billy" episode, featuring Max's confrontation with Vecna set to Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," exemplifies the series' ability to create iconic visual sequences that resonate both narratively and emotionally.
Music and Sound Design
The synth-heavy score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein establishes an instantly recognizable sonic identity that has influenced countless productions since. The theme music and character motifs effectively blend nostalgia with genuine emotion, creating a soundscape that feels period-appropriate without being derivative.
The series' use of 1980s pop music evolves from occasional needle drops to more central narrative elements, with songs like "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "The NeverEnding Story," and most memorably "Running Up That Hill" becoming integral to character moments and plot developments. This integration of period music transcends mere nostalgia to become emotionally resonant storytelling tools.
Sound design, particularly for the Upside Down and its creatures, creates distinctive audio signatures that enhance the otherworldly nature of the threats. The droning ambiance and organic squelching sounds of the alternate dimension contribute significantly to the series' atmosphere.
Season 1: The Benchmark
The first season remains Stranger Things at its most focused and atmospheric. The mystery of Will's disappearance, the shadowy government facility, and the introduction of Eleven and the Upside Down create a perfectly balanced narrative that honors its influences without being dominated by them. The season's greatest strength lies in its restraint—the Demogorgon appears sparingly, the Upside Down remains mysterious, and the emotional stakes stay grounded in the search for one missing boy.
Season 2: Expansion with Growing Pains
The second season effectively broadens the mythology while deepening character relationships, particularly in its exploration of Will's trauma and the introduction of compelling new characters like Max and her brother Billy. However, the season struggles with pacing issues, particularly in its controversial seventh episode ("The Lost Sister") that interrupts the main narrative flow. Despite these issues, Season 2 concludes strongly with a satisfying confrontation at the Hawkins Lab and the Snow Ball dance that provides emotional resolution.
Season 3: Colorful Evolution
Season 3 represents the series' most significant tonal shift, embracing brighter visuals, more explicit comedy, and blockbuster-scale action. The Starcourt Mall setting provides a vibrant backdrop for coming-of-age narratives and Soviet conspiracies that expand the show's scope beyond supernatural threats. While some fans lamented the reduced horror elements, the season succeeds in evolving the series' aesthetics while delivering emotional payoffs for long-developing relationships, particularly Hopper and Joyce's near-romance and Steve's unlikely mentorship of Dustin.
Season 4: Ambitious Expansion
The most recent season divided viewers with its extended episodes (some approaching feature length) and geographically dispersed storylines taking characters to California, Russia, and Nevada while maintaining the Hawkins setting. The introduction of Vecna and the revelation of his connection to Eleven represents the series' most significant mythology expansion, tying together previously disconnected elements into a cohesive cosmology.
Season 4's strengths lie in its horror elements (returning to darker territory after Season 3's brightness) and emotional depth, particularly in Max's grief storyline. Its weaknesses emerge from bloated runtimes and sometimes repetitive plotting across the separated character groups. However, the season ultimately delivers some of the series' most memorable moments while setting up an apocalyptic final season.
Conclusion: The Power of Earnestness
What distinguishes Stranger Things in an increasingly cynical entertainment landscape is its fundamental earnestness. Despite dealing with monsters, government conspiracies, and interdimensional threats, the series maintains genuine emotional stakes grounded in believable relationships. The characters' love for each other—romantic, familial, and friendly—provides the true power against darkness.
This sincerity extends to the show's relationship with its influences. Rather than merely parodying or ironically referencing 1980s culture, Stranger Things engages deeply with the storytelling traditions it draws from, understanding what made them resonate emotionally. The series succeeds not just because it reminds viewers of things they loved, but because it creates new characters and situations that inspire similar attachment.
As Stranger Things approaches its conclusion with the upcoming fifth season, its legacy seems secure as one of the defining television experiences of the streaming era—a series that balanced nostalgic comfort with genuine emotion and fear, creating a world and characters that transcended their influences to become cultural touchstones in their own right.
Veirn.
Uncover the art and innovation of Gaming in our blog, where we explore Technology trends, Gaming Market structures, and the creative minds shaping the built environment.