Could ‘Stranger Things’ Be Netflix’s Next Big Thing?
As far as their original content goes, Netflix are pretty much nailing it.
Orange is the New Black, House of Cards and Making a Murderer have all been huge hits, with lesser-known shows Narcos, Love, Daredevil and Master of None no less brilliant, and no less deserving of attention.
Their latest show - 80s set sci-fi Stranger Things - is unlike anything that they’ve ever done before, but looks like it could be on the verge of attaining mainstream success…
So, what’s it about? It’s about a young boy (called Will) who - heading home after an evening of playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends - mysteriously vanishes into the night. As his frantic family, the local Police Chief and various search parties set out looking for him, his friends - on an elicit search mission of their own - stumble across a girl. She doesn’t speak much, offers her name only as Eleven, and seems to know something about Will’s disappearance…
Was she involved in it somehow? Well, without giving too much away, it’s very quickly implied that whoever took Will also had Eleven, only she somehow managed to escape.
So it’s like a crime thriller? It’s more of a mystery, with a big supernatural element - the very first scene of the show is an Alien-esque nightmare, something not all that human chased Will through a forest shortly before he disappeared, and Eleven seems to have abilities beyond what’s normal for a pre-teen girl.
Plus, there’s some shady government officials doing sinister experiments in the woods…
It sounds pretty scary… In places, it is, although if you hate horror, don’t be dissuaded. Stranger Things is basically The X-Files meets Stand By Me, so - alongside the jump scares and the supernatural nightmares - there’s a lot of fun in there too.
Will’s geeky mates - Lucas, Mike and Dustin - are impossible not to like, and their naive determination to find their missing friend is straight out of a Steven King novel: it’s heart-warming, spirited and pretty damn gutsy.
Okay. And what else makes Stranger Things so special? The story-telling is slick. While there are plenty of TV series nowadays that have a good season premiere, a good season finale, and then 22 episodes of filler in between, Stranger Things is just eight episodes, and every single one of them is gripping.
There’s also plenty going on to keep audiences captivated. Aside from the search for Will, there’s an unconventional love triangle between Will’s misunderstood older brother Jonathan, the attractive (yet studious and sensible) Nancy Wheeler, and her popular high school boyfriend Steve.
There’s flashbacks, which help clear up Eleven’s mysterious past, and a lot of powerful scenes with Will’s desperate mother (played by Winona Ryder), who believes that her son is alive, and trying to communicate with her…
Have you watched Stranger Things? Let us know what you think of it in the comments!
Image Credits: Netflix