Stranger Things (60)
I reviewed this show on my first watch. I caught up with season 1 in 2017 and reviewed seasons 2-4 as they came out.
Stranger Things is a weird phenomena of a TV show. The first season felt like an ode to the 1980s, packing the story chock cull with 80s references that both served as nostalgia for the older watchers who lived through those days, and as an excellent period piece for the younger viewers who never lived in the 80s. This first season had lightning in a bottle and exploded with popularity because so many people were fascinated by its setting and style. I thoroughly enjoyed that first season for what it was; it never threatened to be an incredible story, but it did exactly what I wanted it to do. But then the show continued on afterwards. The follow-up seasons never managed to achieve what made season 1 so much fun, and it was clear that lightning only strikes once when it comes to 80s nostalgia. Season 2 felt like it was missing something, and season 3 felt like it was missing a whole lot of something. But with season 4, Stranger Things unexpectedly reinvented itself in a few ways and it produced a season that was a whole lot of fun and felt fresh, even if it still did not come close to reaching the highs of season 1. With season 5 announced as the final season, I'm excited to see if Stranger Things has another trick up its sleeve like it did with season 4, or if it will forever be remembered as a one-hit wonder that failed to capture greatness after that first season.
Stranger Things is a weird phenomena of a TV show. The first season felt like an ode to the 1980s, packing the story chock cull with 80s references that both served as nostalgia for the older watchers who lived through those days, and as an excellent period piece for the younger viewers who never lived in the 80s. This first season had lightning in a bottle and exploded with popularity because so many people were fascinated by its setting and style. I thoroughly enjoyed that first season for what it was; it never threatened to be an incredible story, but it did exactly what I wanted it to do. But then the show continued on afterwards. The follow-up seasons never managed to achieve what made season 1 so much fun, and it was clear that lightning only strikes once when it comes to 80s nostalgia. Season 2 felt like it was missing something, and season 3 felt like it was missing a whole lot of something. But with season 4, Stranger Things unexpectedly reinvented itself in a few ways and it produced a season that was a whole lot of fun and felt fresh, even if it still did not come close to reaching the highs of season 1. With season 5 announced as the final season, I'm excited to see if Stranger Things has another trick up its sleeve like it did with season 4, or if it will forever be remembered as a one-hit wonder that failed to capture greatness after that first season.
Season 1 (62)
The Vanishing of Will Byers (66)
The Weirdo on Maple Street (61)
Holly, Jolly (63)
The Body (53)
The Flea and the Acrobat (65)
The Monster (62)
The Bathtub (66)
The Upside Down (63)
Season 2 (60)
Madmax (65)
Trick or Treat, Freak (64)
The Pollywog (61)
Will the Wise (67)
Dig Dug (57)
The Spy (64)
The Lost Sister (43)
The Mind Flayer (63)
The Gate (60)
Season 3 (57)
Suzie, Do You Copy? (48)
The Mall Rats (58)
The Case of the Missing Lifeguard (65)
The Sauna Test (63)
The Flayed (58)
E Pluribus Unum (45)
The Bite (47)
The Battle of Starcourt (68)
Season 4 (59)
The Hellfire Club (60)
Vecna's Curse (54)
The Monster and the Superhero (60)
Dear Billy (66)
The Nina Project (50)
The Dive (58)
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (67)
Papa (65)
The Piggyback (55)
The Vanishing of Will Byers (66)
The Weirdo on Maple Street (61)
Holly, Jolly (63)
The Body (53)
The Flea and the Acrobat (65)
The Monster (62)
The Bathtub (66)
The Upside Down (63)
Season 2 (60)
Madmax (65)
Trick or Treat, Freak (64)
The Pollywog (61)
Will the Wise (67)
Dig Dug (57)
The Spy (64)
The Lost Sister (43)
The Mind Flayer (63)
The Gate (60)
Season 3 (57)
Suzie, Do You Copy? (48)
The Mall Rats (58)
The Case of the Missing Lifeguard (65)
The Sauna Test (63)
The Flayed (58)
E Pluribus Unum (45)
The Bite (47)
The Battle of Starcourt (68)
Season 4 (59)
The Hellfire Club (60)
Vecna's Curse (54)
The Monster and the Superhero (60)
Dear Billy (66)
The Nina Project (50)
The Dive (58)
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (67)
Papa (65)
The Piggyback (55)