Released on July 25, 2016, Stranger Things is a Netflix original TV series.  The eight-episode mystery takes place in 1983. Three middle school misfits try to find their lost friend, Will, but instead find a girl with super powers, a government conspiracy, another dimension, and a grand adventure.  The show was a surprise success, and Season 2 is in production.  If you haven’t seen the show, watch the full season now so you are ready for Season 2.

Here’s what you will love.

1. The Genre

It’s not just a mystery. It has sci/fi, horror, and even some humor. The 80’s references are a great part of the show and are a really funny touch. To really sell the story of the show, the Duffer brothers created a mashup of about 30 different 80’s movies to tell the story of Stranger Things with music from John Williams, the man who composed the Star Wars music, tieing the whole mashup together. The whole show is flickering lights, eerie music, and Star Wars quotes. 

2. The Setting

The show really looks like it is set in the 80’s. From the clothes and haircuts, to Barb’s Trapper-Keeper, even the Walkie Talkies.

3. The Friendship

Stranger Things opens with four boys playing Dungeons and Dragons. On the way home from playing, Will disappears on his bike. The boys spend the rest of the series searching for their lost friend.

The main plot of the show is three friends looking for their missing friend, Will. While doing so, they stumble across a girl named Eleven. She’s a 12-year-old girl with telepathic powers and is also a runaway government secret. In flashbacks, we see how she was treated like both a test subject and a prisoner. While the boys and Eleven are looking for Will, the government is also looking for her. A poll on the Linganore Journalism Twitter, proved Eleven as the favorite character on Stranger Things.

5. Barb

Barbra Holland “Barb,” is also character who vanishes from the series in Episode 2. She is confirmed as dead when Eleven later sees her dead in the Upside Down. Many fans are mad that there weren’t many people looking for her or even worried about her. An interview at 2016 Television Critics Association, Ross Duffer confirms there will be more closure on Barb. He said “If there’s a Season 2, there will be some Barb talk. Don’t worry. She will not be forgotten so easily.”

6. Nancy, Johnathan, and Steve

A good show isn’t complete without a love triangle, and Stranger Things delivers. Nancy starts off liking the stereotypical bad-boy, Steve Harrington. Although when Nancy started to help Jonathan find his brother, Will. many fans, expected for them to end up together in the end. Steve has never liked Jonathan, so, of course this causes problems once Nancy starts hanging out with him.

7. The Monster

The boys are calling the monster a Demogorgon, a creature with two heads. One deceptive, which is like Eleven’s nature, and one destructive, like the Monster. A theory is that Eleven can somewhat control this monster. They are constantly in battle, but need each other to survive. But this means if Eleven is still alive for Season Two, so is the monster.

8. Joyce

Joyce is so dedicated to finding her son, she will do whatever it takes. This means setting up 10 boxes of Christmas lights all over her house to communicate with Will. Throughout much of the first episodes, Joyce is one of the only ones who believes Will is still alive.

9. Hopper

Chief Hopper seems like a very unlikely person to help and save the town, even as the head of the police.  As the series progresses, he becomes almost like a different person, trying to prove that Will is still alive.  Expect the unexpected from Hopper because Season 1 ended with some pretty strange behaviors.

10. The Music 

All of the music used in the show is from the 80’s (with the exception of the creepy theme song). The main focus is on Will, the missing boy’s, favorite song, ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash. The Stranger Things new eerie title screen song is now the ringtone of many (including myself).

11. Season 2

The show ended with a slight cliff hanger but definitely a lot of questions. Season 2 is confirmed with the same type of cryptic theme sequence but with all the names of the upcoming 9 episodes. The episode’s names are; “Madmax,” “The Boy Who Came Back To Life,” “The Pumpkin Patch” “The Palace,” “The Storm,”“The Pollywog,” “The Secret Cabin,” “The Brain,” and “The Lost Brother.” Many have already speculated about what the titles may mean. Hopefully, the second season will our answer our questions while still adding more. Three new characters are also being added with the names Max, Billy, and Roman.

Stranger Things is even better than all the hype it’s been getting, and a great series to binge-watch.