[Netflix] Stranger Things

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dragonfliet

I write stuffs
Apr 24, 2006
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This show was nearly perfect, and I think that there are three main reasons it worked so well.

1) The tone. The show was able to feel like a lighthearted kid-driven movie (ie: ET, Goonies, etc.), a depressing, distressing look at what losing a child does to you (through the mom and the sheriff), AND have the creeping dread of uncertainty that a monster flick gives you (until the end, which is more actiony, and losing a lot of the terror). And it blends all of this into a consistent tone that feels both tenuous (you're not sure who might die), and yet inviting.

2) Characters talk to each other. Not all of the time, but characters in this show, when they learn new information, don't immediately HIDE the information from other characters. They may not always volunteer things (the kids tend to talk to the kids, the teenagers to the teenagers, etc.), but when they butt up against others, they talk. This means that the show doesn't revolve around people being dumb and doing everything on their own. This isn't the entire show, but as a general rule, people communicate like people, and not plot devices (and for a show with this many plot points, this is a big deal). And without spoiling things: Steve is the fucking best example of a show grappling with its characters, and using communication to really complicate things.

3) The acting. Holy crap. Wynona fucking KILLED it as a mother who is losing it, but stays in control for her children. The Sheriff manages to be both a loser who has given up and a total badass, through some very subtle acting. And the kids. Wow.

Honestly? I'm terrified of the second season. I'm afraid it will either become really explain-y, digging into HOW everything works, or it will devolve into bad twin-peaks ripoff land. The show as it stands was about a normal small town where something weird goes down, and people rally to deal with it. If things just keep getting weirder, it will become about a group of grizzled veterans fighting the paranormal, and will probably lose steam pretty quick. The explain-y thing is pretty obvious why it would suck.

Still, I hope I'm wrong and they can capture lightning in a bottle a second time.
 
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This show was nearly perfect, and I think that there are three main reasons it worked so well.

1) The tone. The show was able to feel like a lighthearted kid-driven movie (ie: ET, Goonies, etc.), a depressing, distressing look at what losing a child does to you (through the mom and the sheriff), AND have the creeping dread of uncertainty that a monster flick gives you (until the end, which is more actiony, and losing a lot of the terror). And it blends all of this into a consistent tone that feels both tenuous (you're not sure who might die), and yet inviting.

2) Characters talk to each other. Not all of the time, but characters in this show, when they learn new information, don't immediately HIDE the information from other characters. They may not always volunteer things (the kids tend to talk to the kids, the teenagers to the teenagers, etc.), but when they butt up against others, they talk. This means that the show doesn't revolve around people being dumb and doing everything on their own. This isn't the entire show, but as a general rule, people communicate like people, and not plot devices (and for a show with this many plot points, this is a big deal). And without spoiling things: Steve is the fucking best example of a show grappling with its characters, and using communication to really complicate things.

3) The acting. Holy crap. Wynona fucking KILLED it as a mother who is losing it, but stays in control for her children. The Sheriff manages to be both a loser who has given up and a total badass, through some very subtle acting. And the kids. Wow.

Honestly? I'm terrified of the second season. I'm afraid it will either become really explain-y, digging into HOW everything works, or it will devolve into bad twin-peaks ripoff land. The show as it stands was about a normal small town where something weird goes down, and people rally to deal with it. If things just keep getting weirder, it will become about a group of grizzled veterans fighting the paranormal, and will probably lose steam pretty quick. The explain-y thing is pretty obvious why it would suck.

Still, I hope I'm wrong and they can capture lightning in a bottle a second time.

All very well and thought out points. I could not agree more with you on this.
 
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