I just finished watching the four seasons of Stranger Things that are currently out on Netflix and I was blown away. Because I watched the seasons in quick succession, this is a review of the show as a whole so far, rather than season by season.
I will keep this Stranger Things review as spoiler-free as possible, but as I am covering all 4 seasons there may be a couple of light spoilers.
The Characters
I am a huge fan of the horror genre, but my favourite TV, films and books all have great characters. No matter the stakes, the worldbuilding or anything else, if the characters are flat then I am bored.
This is not an issue with Stranger Things. Every main character, and even some side(ish) characters is fully fleshed out and has a unique personality that will make you either love them or hate them. El, Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Will are so well written and acted – it was these guys (mostly) that kept me watching episode after episode.
The fantastic thing about this show is that the characters are all very different, meaning they clash sometimes. These conflicts are complex and dealt with masterfully – nothing like watching a cheap, weekly soap opera (not there’s anything wrong with chilling out to something easy to watch!)
The Mystery
Season one of Stranger Things is essentially a mystery about a missing child, and other strange disappearances and happenings around the small town of Hawkins. It felt like a Stephen King novel – like It – and that’s no bad thing.
Through the four (so far) seasons, this mystery continues to be unwrapped slowly, but with enough pace so you don’t get bored. The interlinking of all the different mysteries is fantastic and there are a couple of twists you will definitely enjoy, gawking at the screen while you watch!
Conclusion to this Stranger Things Review
This is by far one of the best TV series I have watched in a long time. After watching I spent ages looking for the next thing to sink my teeth into, and I am still looking a few days later. Like the end of a good book, I’m in a bit of a “hangover” phase.
If you love good friendships, unknown and creepy villains, mysteries that draw you in from the start, and a bit of a scare but not too much, Stranger Things is the show for you. It took me a long time to get around to watching it and I am kind of glad about that because I got to skip waiting a week for the next episode! But now I wait for season 5 with everyone else… And I am so excited to see what they do with it.
