My Latest Obsession: Stranger Things

Hello, everyone and welcome to today's post. After Downton Abbey wrapped up there was a void in my TV watching life. And while there are a few shows I watched for distraction one had yet to really catch my attention - until now.

I'd heard plenty of good things about Netflix's "Stranger Things" and when I'd watched the trailer on YouTube it had kind of intrigued me because it seemed a little vague. I currently don't have Netflix so I didn't give much thought about watching it. But then I stumbled across the DVD box set at Target (which is pretty awesome because it the packaging looks like an old VHS tape) and I couldn't resist. I picked it up and then Denis and I proceeded to binge watch it and get totally addicted.

This has now become our new favorite show and while it's definitely not Downton Abbey it's just as entertaining and mind-absorbing a different way. It's been around since 2016 but I'm (of course) just joining the Stranger Things bandwagon because as usual I'm little late on things (hence the name of this blog). But now that I've been introduced to the Stranger Things world I can't wait to see Season 2.

So in honor of my newfound love of this show I came up 3 things I absolutely love about it >>>>>

1. The Setting

For those of you who don't know the show takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the early 1980s. From the outside the town looks like your everyday, average, American small town, but trust me, this is not the kind of town you'd want to visit. There's a creepy CIA/military type lab in the woods that's doing some pretty crazy experiments with this little girl named Eleven.

Personally, I still really liked the look of the show. It made me feel like I was watching an 80s movie - which is what the directors was going for. You can tell by watching the show that they worked hard to keep the look authentic and in my opinion they captured the feel and look of the 80s.

2. The Monsters

In the town of Hawkins there's this weird, humanoid monster that stalks the woods and snatches living things to feed on in this strange otherworld called the "Upside Down."

The thing is super creepy because it doesn't have a face - just a lot of mouths and rows of teeth. It's drawn by blood and kidnaps not 1 but 2 kids in Hawkins. And while the monster in the woods angle caught my attention I really liked the fact that the monster wasn't always the monster in the woods.

Meaning . . . sometimes the monster was Eleven - when her powers got out of control - and other times it was the mysterious Dr. Brenner at Hawkins Lab. He was just weird all the way around. The writers did a good job of keeping you guessing.

And while the show had a great storyline to me the story could not have come to life without the awesome cast, which is why my last favorite thing about this show is >>>>

3. The Characters

The characters of this show are definitely unique. I mean there's girl with telekinetic powers and a shaved head, can't get more unique than that. But other than Eleven there's a whole bunch of interesting people in Hawkins. Like the boys who hide and befriend Eleven: Mike, Lucas, and Dustin. They started out as ordinary geeky middle schoolers but by the end of the first season they're bonafide monster hunters. My favorite was Dustin because he was always the most logical and kind of reminded me of koala bear for some reason.

You couldn't have a show without these guys. I mean, if their friend, Will, hadn't disappeared in episode 1 none of this would have kicked off.

Then there's Jonathan and Nancy (who we all know are totally going to fall in love). They're not your average Romeo and Juliet - she's straight-laced and he's a bit of a social outcast - but they grow closer as they try and find her friend Barb and Jonathan's brother, Will. While tracking the town monster they learn some interesting things about each other.

Even the adults were pretty awesome. Winona Ryder plays Joyce, Will's mom, and while it may look like she's cracking up she turns out to be on to something. And as for Hopper - he's one of the coolest TV cops I've ever seen. He gets the job done even if he has to break into places or break someone's nose. He's one-of-a-kind.

All in all, this show is a must-see and I would totally recommend it to anyone who's looking for a show to escape into.

So, now that you know my favorite things about Stranger Things what are yours? Feel free to leave it in the comments below.

Until next time . . . .


XOXO,

Nellie