The immensely popular Netflix series Stranger Things recently released its last season, and the effect it has left on viewers has been lasting.
Stranger Things kicked off nearly ten years ago in July 2016 and immediately received acclaim from both audiences and critics from its first season, launching it into the sensation we know today. Set in the 1980s, the show draws many similarities and inspirations from the era’s films and music, giving it a nostalgic, creepy atmosphere.
There are many cast members in Stranger Things, but perhaps some of the most memorable are a group of adolescent boys played by notable actors such as Finn Wolfhard (Mike) who enjoy Dungeons and Dragons, a young girl with mysterious powers played by Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), and a high school jock portrayed by Joe Keery (Steve). While the cast varies in age all around, the majority of these characters and actors are around the same age as UVU students. Many of these students have grown up alongside these characters and actors, and it has consequently been a show that’s resonated with them for a long time.
So what else makes the show so special to UVU students?
One student expressed how even though they were never raised in the 1980s, the show “has this vibe that just makes anyone feel nostalgic for a time like that. It’s like a whole new world but it was really only several years ago.”
Another student brought up how “the 80s were honestly the perfect time to…take products of the time and make them scary. I mean, that’s why when it got big, it stopped using those things as frequently…I’m not a fan of where it goes. The start is when it was special.”
Students were divisive in what they had to say about the last season in general, sparking a lot of controversy on how it was handled.
“It was cool!” said one enthusiastic student. “People complain too much; that finale really [stuck] the landing for me. I cried at the end.”
“The first half started good,” another student expressed, “but it really just lost me in the second half.”
A third student added, “I think when the best part of your season is the series finale, there’s a lot more that could’ve been done.”
With the cost of each episode in this latest season reported to be as high as $60 million, it’s clear Netflix understands the value of their show and is seeking ways to maximize its potential. The company has since announced two spin-off shows of Stranger Things. One is titled “Tales from ‘85” and will be an animated show that focuses on events between seasons two and three. The other is a greenlit live-action show with new characters that has no other major details yet.
Our campus has a lot of things to say regarding Stranger Things. Although it’s a show that takes place in another time period, it has proven to be a show for the modern generation.
