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Stranger Things (2016)
Stranger Things - Full Series Review
Stranger Things is rife with references to American pop culture of the late Seventies and early Eighties. If someone is not well-versed in the movies, music and other media of that era, then they are not the target audience. Regardless, I would recommend the show to anyone because it's worth finding out if it's a show for you. I have hardly ever met someone who only liked Stranger Things "a little." Usually, if someone enjoys this show, they enjoy the hell out of it.
The show's scene-to-scene writing has become exceptionally stronger in some areas and disappointingly weak in others over the course of three (and counting) seasons. Some uninteresting, repetitive dialogue and flashbacks betray that someone at the table doesn't trust the audience to understand everything without being helped along, even though all the core concepts of the story are relatively popular tropes. Meanwhile, the characters grow in unexpected, pleasing new ways. Each season's flaws have become progressively more noticeable (especially if you are someone who enjoys re-watches) but this has not kept the show from being entertaining, broadly speaking.
Stranger Things has never failed to tug at my heartstrings, but the most recent season's conclusion is cause for teary eyes. It's an ending that could have felt too similar to the ending of Avengers: Endgame, given the timing of its release, but in fact it stands very well on its own. And that's the most remarkable thing about the whole show: no matter how much it borrows from other material, the creative team manages to weave every strand into an artwork that feels unique and is a joy to watch.
Quite by accident, the last two seasons have coincided with the occurring of difficult situations in my personal life, and the show's themes of moving on from great trauma and loss have been a comfort. I think a lot of us have a show like that, and I think it's a beautiful thing.