Stranger Things Debrief

*WARNING MAY BE SPOILERS*

Stranger Things have taken over our screens for the past ten years. That means that for a lot of us we have grown up with all of these different characters. Evolved with these characters from their outfits, hobbies, we’ve been there from the start. Here is Luna’s rundown of the series and the finale.

Firstly an explanation into the plot. This show is a science fiction story set in the eighties in Indiana. It follows a friendship group and their families as they uncover conspiracies into government experiments. When one boy in the group goes missing, secrets unravel and a powerful source escapes known as Eleven. 

Let’s talk about character development. Unfortunately we can’t go through all of the different characters so I’ve chosen some of my favourite characters. From start to finish, no shock to any girl out there is Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery. I felt Steve had the biggest shift within the whole series, to say that the Duffer Brothers rumoured that they were going to axe Steve out of the series after season one, it is crazy to think how different it could have turned out. I mean come on even the producers of the show loved Steve that much.The connection he forms with Dustin, played by Gaten Matarazzo, their alliance is heartwarming to watch and they have their ups and downs too as the season goes on. Let’s not forget that he is the only character that has no link to anyone, no siblings, no parents, just pure friendship. I feel like that says a lot about the character of Steve that he is willing to do anything for those kids and even willing to fight a skeletal lich, who is going to take over the world for them. Maturity and growth was constantly evolving through his character from being the self obsessed popular boy as time went by, he became humble and more open. Especially in the last volume you can tell the Steve that we know from the beginning is completely different to the Steve now. He reflects on his own relationship with Nancy in the past and how he wants it to be. That he would rather be her friend than not have her at all.  Which presented the guts to create an alliance with Jonathan, played by Charlie Heaton. It was nice to watch, even as someone who isn't particularly fond of Jonathan, I liked that they were both able to put their differences aside. Their jealousy that they have been holding throughout the whole journey and finally realise what’s most important and that’s Nancy.

Will, played by Noah Schnapp, was a big part of evolvement within the show. From start to end he carries all the burdens for the group and still trudges on to fight against Vecna. With what he describes as his “inner demons” we learn about his sexuality and how that has had an effect on his journey. It brings it back to the fact that, from the show being modern with an eighties setting, they bring the message it is nothing to be ashamed of and Will’s character represents that within that time and now. I thought he was going to possibly die at the end of the season and I’m glad he didn’t because it shows that even with those “demons” you live and carry on and they are not “demons” at all.  While watching I felt emotional and on edge for the majority of the final volume. But felt passionate as I was rooting for the group to defeat Vecna. There isn’t particularly a character that I don’t like within the group. It is always fun to see their different journeys and stories going on throughout. You are never just tied to one story of them leading to Vecna. In the last season you had the children with Henry, Steve and Dustin’s, then Will and Robbin’s. Then on top of that you had Max in the hospital with Lucas, you were never not fulfilled. It all came together. Everything happened at the right time. 

One thing I always look for in any book, show or movie is a villain that we love. A villain that is so bad that you love them, because they are so bad. Vecna was an exciting character, I was scared he was a threat. I genuinely didn’t know if they would be able to kill Vecna. He held power and you could feel the severity of the situation as if you were in Stranger Things yourself. He looked the part and his background created this dark aura.

It was emotional having that connection towards different characters and feeling like you’ve known them since the start. You became apprehensive to see who might leave the show till the end. As there were many rumours of Steve, Eleven or Will dying, you were waiting for this big thing to happen. Growing up with these characters as someone at a similar age, you felt seen and heard. Even though it is set in the eighties it is completely modernised to the life of being a teenager. You formed an emotional connection with certain characters because you grew up with them and it made it harder to see other characters go. And to let them go at the end of it.

My favourite season overall is season three. I thoroughly enjoyed Max‘s brother, Billy Hargrove, played by Dacre Montgomery, being a part of the storyline. He was not a nice character, let's be real.  He was aggressive, short tempered and all around not a nice brother to Max. But most of all he was Hawkin’s new heartthrob, everyone was obsessed with him. I enjoyed the whole Mindflayer storyline and the twists, it felt more of a horror than sci-fi.

I am a sucker for nostalgia, anything to do with throwbacks, I am there for it. This TV show is the one for that. There were so many things that I didn’t pick up on at first, but after watching it back again, you realise that films like Alice in Wonderland are all intertwined into the show. The outfits, the cars, the settings within the scenes made it feel exciting and it didn't feel rushed and done. All the details were intricate. You could tell that everything was thought through and I love to see cinematography where I can watch it again and find more things to love about it. And to be almost shocked at how cleverly done it is because I haven’t noticed it.

One of my favourite additions to this season was definitely the radio station, WSQK 94.5 FM ("The Squawk"). When Hawkins becomes split apart, it is created for the group to know when to go into the Upside Down. The secret messages were clever as viewers who can’t remember the details from the previous seasons were reminded of what had happened, it was a good way to refresh.

It wouldn’t be right to miss out the music. Every single season had it's own three prominent songs: The Clash: “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, Prince: “Purple Rain” and Kate Bush: “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”. Those three songs stood out and were perfectly picked out. It is easier to say now, but I couldn’t imagine anything else being used. It represented everything about that time it was filmed and the storyline of the characters. 

A theme I enjoyed the most is friendship. How special it is to them and seeing them grow up keeping it up all the way through even after losing people, changing and evolving. I felt Stranger Things isn’t a show that was made to delve into romance. Obviously, there are the staple couples Jonathan and Nancy, Max and Lucas and then Eleven and Mike. The connection between Eleven and Mike came into full force in the finale. Going back to my point of lots of different angles happening at the same time, you didn’t see a lot of their connection until the latest season. It bloomed in the early seasons which was a childlike romance. 

The only downside would be that within the last season, I felt that if I had not watched the other seasons again, it could be confusing. I would’ve forgotten half of the history that has been built up over the show. But that is the downside to having a show that has been around for ten years and waiting. Another thing is that there would be so much action and different stories in certain episodes you could lose your grip.

A new part within Stranger Things were the children Vecna took away. These new characters coming to play was fun and actually had a big impact even till the end. They brought humour, silliness and brought you back to where it all started. From the original group of kids still playing Dungeons and Dragons, biking everywhere, it took you back to the whole point of the show. It was a good reflection from start to finish.

A question I’ve been asked a lot from other people who know I’m a lover of Stranger Things was the ending. I was very content with the ending. Was it the big bang that I was expecting? Not really, the big moment that I was waiting for happened halfway through the episode and I had another hour to go. Looking back I understand that they can’t just give us a big bang and not give us any sort of closure. What their lives look like now. The second part of the finale gave you confidence to know that you’ve left those characters and they are okay and happy now. If you are a true lover of Stranger Things and you really connected to those characters, I think you wouldn’t want to walk away sad. I thought I was going to be ripped apart but it was more happy tears. The ending was deep and had a place of optimism of that person being lost, but still that they’ve found themselves by being lost.

If anyone is thinking of re-watching it and all doing it all over again, I would a hundred percent recommend, it made more sense. There’s always some tiny details that you miss.