Topic #2, Television Show/Streaming Video Series
Warning: The following blog post contains spoilers for Stranger Things. Read at your own risk.
I just recently started watching Stranger Things on Netflix. Like everyone else I've heard about the show for awhile now, but I never got around to watching it. Then when I did start watching I couldn't stop. I finished the first season in less than two days, and then started on the second season right away. First things first, here's the imdb page for anyone who wants the premise of the show and the cast list. If I had to pick one genre for Stranger Things to fall under I would say SciFy/Fantasy would be the best fit. For anyone who needs a season one recap, here you go
The episode that I'm going to be talking about is season two episode six, which is titled: Chapter 6: The Spy. The episode starts with Will being rushed through a hospital on a gurney while he screams. For those that don't know, the previous episode ended with him collapsing and freaking out, as per usual. Will is sedated by doctors and the scene cuts to Dustin and Steve riding in a car, an odd pair to be sure, but Dustin couldn't get a hold of anybody else. He takes Steve to where he locked up Dart, the growing demagorgan, in a cellar. They discover that Dart tunneled out and they have no idea where he could be. There's a shot of the forest and then a loud demagorgan growl before the opening credits play.
The first scene after the opening credits is creepy men in suits breaking into the Byers home and taking pictures. If there's one thing this show has never lacked, it's creepy men in suits. It then cuts to Jonathan and Nancy sending out their watered down evidence tapes to the media. The two teenagers have some very clear sexual tension, although they both adamantly deny it and try to hide it. However, they weren't very successful because they end up making out and then going to bed together. Hormones: 1 Brain: 0.
Meanwhile, Lucas finds out that Dustin has been trying to talk to him over the walkie talkie all day but his little sister turned it off because it was annoying. Lucas calls Dustin on the radio and Dustin tells him to meet him and Steve at the broken down bus. Before he goes, Lucas stops and picks Max up to prove to her that he wasn't lying about everything he told her in the previous episode. While Steve and Dustin set a trap for Dart, they talk about girls and Steve gives Dustin advice on how to win Max over, but it seems like Lucas is trying to win her over too. In a typical middle school boy fashion, Dustin is mean to Max to show her that he likes her. Shocker.
Back at the hospital Will has woken up but he's having memory problems. He doesn't remember anyone in the room except for his mom and his friend Mike. The doctor does a test involving a tentacle looking thing and a blow torch, then tells Mrs. Byers that Will has an intelligent virus inside of him that is able to communicate to him. The doctors look at a brain scan and then have Will look at the pictures that the creepy men in suits took from the Byers' house. Will points out what appears to be the heart of the virus on the makeshift map covering the house in the pictures.
Jump back to the bus and the trap for Dart. After fortifying the bus and laying raw meat out as bait, the four kids just wait for action. Lucas and Max sit on top of the bus and have a deep conversation until they're interrupted by the sound of a demagorgan. It won't take the bait so Steve goes outside to be human bait. Of course it's foggy and dark out, also. Suddenly there isn't just one demagorgan, there's a bunch. Steve runs back inside the bus and slams the door. Just when it looks like they're going to find a way inside, all of the demagorgans leave.
The scientists in the big puffy suits are looking for the heart that Will pointed out but they don't see anything. Then fog comes rolling in even though they're underground. It cuts to Will apologizing to his mom, saying that "it" made him, and that it's a trap and it's too late. All of the men in puffy suits die. Will tells his mom she should leave now because "they're" coming. The screen shows a demagorgan climbing out of a pit, there's a loud growl, and the end credits roll.
Now, let's look beyond the story line of the show. The first word that Stranger Things brings to mind is nostalgia. It's set in the 80s, and pays homage to film from that time. Because of the nostalgia factor, anyone who grew up in the 80s is a perfect target market for Stranger Things. I think that a lot of shows out there try to play to our nostalgia because of how powerful it can be in making someone a fan. Most people romanticize their past and the simplicity of their childhood, so anything that reminds them of those good times will be more likely to catch their attention. Shows are constantly making references to the 70s/80s/90s, but Stranger Things definitely takes it to a new level, and I like that. One thing that I've noticed watching the show is that it is full of 80s stereotypes. Steve is a stereotypical 80s teenage god, right down to the flowing hair. All of the kids ride their bikes everywhere. disagreements are settled quickly with fist fights. Without these stereotypes I don't think that the viewers would feel as nostalgic while watching the show.
I don't follow any Stranger Things social media accounts, but I don't feel that I need to. With how popular the show is I don't need to follow them on Facebook to know when the new season is coming out, because everyone I know is talking about it.
All in all, I think that Stranger Things has been very successful so far. Rotten Tomatoes gives them an unreal rating of 94%. They call it "A love letter to the 80s classics that captivated a generation".
Sites used:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/15/16313790/stranger-things-season-2-posters-netflix
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/stranger_things
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYRNpxHShQ
The episode that I'm going to be talking about is season two episode six, which is titled: Chapter 6: The Spy. The episode starts with Will being rushed through a hospital on a gurney while he screams. For those that don't know, the previous episode ended with him collapsing and freaking out, as per usual. Will is sedated by doctors and the scene cuts to Dustin and Steve riding in a car, an odd pair to be sure, but Dustin couldn't get a hold of anybody else. He takes Steve to where he locked up Dart, the growing demagorgan, in a cellar. They discover that Dart tunneled out and they have no idea where he could be. There's a shot of the forest and then a loud demagorgan growl before the opening credits play.
The first scene after the opening credits is creepy men in suits breaking into the Byers home and taking pictures. If there's one thing this show has never lacked, it's creepy men in suits. It then cuts to Jonathan and Nancy sending out their watered down evidence tapes to the media. The two teenagers have some very clear sexual tension, although they both adamantly deny it and try to hide it. However, they weren't very successful because they end up making out and then going to bed together. Hormones: 1 Brain: 0.
Meanwhile, Lucas finds out that Dustin has been trying to talk to him over the walkie talkie all day but his little sister turned it off because it was annoying. Lucas calls Dustin on the radio and Dustin tells him to meet him and Steve at the broken down bus. Before he goes, Lucas stops and picks Max up to prove to her that he wasn't lying about everything he told her in the previous episode. While Steve and Dustin set a trap for Dart, they talk about girls and Steve gives Dustin advice on how to win Max over, but it seems like Lucas is trying to win her over too. In a typical middle school boy fashion, Dustin is mean to Max to show her that he likes her. Shocker.
Back at the hospital Will has woken up but he's having memory problems. He doesn't remember anyone in the room except for his mom and his friend Mike. The doctor does a test involving a tentacle looking thing and a blow torch, then tells Mrs. Byers that Will has an intelligent virus inside of him that is able to communicate to him. The doctors look at a brain scan and then have Will look at the pictures that the creepy men in suits took from the Byers' house. Will points out what appears to be the heart of the virus on the makeshift map covering the house in the pictures.
Jump back to the bus and the trap for Dart. After fortifying the bus and laying raw meat out as bait, the four kids just wait for action. Lucas and Max sit on top of the bus and have a deep conversation until they're interrupted by the sound of a demagorgan. It won't take the bait so Steve goes outside to be human bait. Of course it's foggy and dark out, also. Suddenly there isn't just one demagorgan, there's a bunch. Steve runs back inside the bus and slams the door. Just when it looks like they're going to find a way inside, all of the demagorgans leave.
The scientists in the big puffy suits are looking for the heart that Will pointed out but they don't see anything. Then fog comes rolling in even though they're underground. It cuts to Will apologizing to his mom, saying that "it" made him, and that it's a trap and it's too late. All of the men in puffy suits die. Will tells his mom she should leave now because "they're" coming. The screen shows a demagorgan climbing out of a pit, there's a loud growl, and the end credits roll.
Now, let's look beyond the story line of the show. The first word that Stranger Things brings to mind is nostalgia. It's set in the 80s, and pays homage to film from that time. Because of the nostalgia factor, anyone who grew up in the 80s is a perfect target market for Stranger Things. I think that a lot of shows out there try to play to our nostalgia because of how powerful it can be in making someone a fan. Most people romanticize their past and the simplicity of their childhood, so anything that reminds them of those good times will be more likely to catch their attention. Shows are constantly making references to the 70s/80s/90s, but Stranger Things definitely takes it to a new level, and I like that. One thing that I've noticed watching the show is that it is full of 80s stereotypes. Steve is a stereotypical 80s teenage god, right down to the flowing hair. All of the kids ride their bikes everywhere. disagreements are settled quickly with fist fights. Without these stereotypes I don't think that the viewers would feel as nostalgic while watching the show.
I don't follow any Stranger Things social media accounts, but I don't feel that I need to. With how popular the show is I don't need to follow them on Facebook to know when the new season is coming out, because everyone I know is talking about it.
All in all, I think that Stranger Things has been very successful so far. Rotten Tomatoes gives them an unreal rating of 94%. They call it "A love letter to the 80s classics that captivated a generation".
Sites used:
https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/15/16313790/stranger-things-season-2-posters-netflix
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/stranger_things
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYRNpxHShQ
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