Stranger Things

Stranger Things is an American science fiction-horror web television series created, written, and directed by the Duffer Brothers.

Summary
When Joyce's 12-year-old son, Will, goes missing, she launches a investigation into his terrifying disappearance with local authorities. As they search for answers, they unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries involving secret government experiments, unnerving supernatural forces, and a very unusual little girl.

Why We Should Be Friends With Them

 * 1) Well-done character and story-development in each and everyone of the show’s episodes.
 * 2) Likable, relatable and/or interesting characters, especially Mike (an intelligent and conscientious student who is committed to his friends), Lucas (a boy who was initially wary of Eleven before befriending her and is very skilled with the use of a slingshot, which the party calls), Eleven (a quiet and stoic girl born with telekinetic powers who was subject to experimentations in a national laboratory), Dustin (a boy with arguably the most extensive knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons in the boys' party, particularly the monsters, as well as a crush on Nancy Wheeler), Steve (a popular student who developed a relationship with Nancy and antagonized Jonathan Bryers at first) as well as many more.
 * 3) Amazing, well-done and terrifying special effects.
 * 4) Very original writing for a Netflix television series, which it gives out really dark, but awesome episodes!
 * 5) Flawless acting and great casting choices from each of the cast members.
 * 6) It also began and kicked off the careers and debuts of many child actors, like Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown etc.
 * 7) Many of the characters have shown to share great chemistry with each other, especially the child and teenage characters.
 * 8) Brilliant and amazing soundtrack by Kyle Dixon.
 * 9) The Upside Down (from season 1) is a very creepy and bone-chilling world.
 * 10) A splendid amount of funny, scary, suspenseful, heart-warming and serious moments, all very-well paced. The show can also have a few creepy X-Files-type vibes here and there.
 * 11) A wonderfully creative and original plot for a television series about a young boy going missing and mysterious monsters from a parallel dimension attacking a small town. It's also helped by the fact that the series' story expands and grows as it continues.
 * 12) Shawn Levy and the Duffer Brothers have shown to have amazing skills as directors and executive producers.
 * 13) An accurate and well-done setting for the 1980s.
 * 14) Excellent cinematography.
 * 15) The Mind flayer is a very interesting and terrifying villian.
 * 16) Mark Steger does a nightmarish and astounding performance as the Demogorgon. And that's just one of the phenomenal acting performances in the show (as previously mentioned in WIR# 5).
 * 17) The episodes are well-paced and thought up. They also range in runtime depending on how long they must be in order to properly keep the story of the show flowing and developing (for example, the series finales often last as long as an hour or more).
 * 18) Being set in the 1980s, the show has a couple of nice throwbacks and references that are from the 80s era, like how Mike, Lucas, Will and Dustin dress up like the Ghostbusters.
 * 19) The song, “Friend’s Don’t Lie”, is well-sung.
 * 20) The wardrobe is an awesome embodiment of what 80s fashion looks like.
 * 21) Vecna is an extremely terrifying villain not just for what he does, but the fact that he was just like El, with the same powers and he was misunderstood and taunted. He helped El, but then got revenge by doing something extremely disturbing.
 * 22) The twist that Henry Creel and 001 and Vecna are all the same person is extremely well done.  With foreshadowing from Victor Creel's memory (Henry Creel's father), Eleven's flashbacks showing 001 with similar powers to her, and at the end of Season 4 Volume 1 where he reveals his nature to Nancy makes all of these flashbacks fit together in a way that makes sense.
 * 23) The character development of Steve is critically acclaimed, going from stereotypical bully in Season One to fan-favourite in the other seasons.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Some of the characters are either unlikeable, bland, or mediocre, such as the bully characters, James and Troy, Jonathan and Will's father Lonnie Byers, Steve's former best friend Tommy H., his girlfriend Carole, especially Max's stepbrother Billy Hargrove and his father, Neil and Eleven’s bully, Angela. Not to mention, that Eleven used psychic powers to make Troy urinate in the gym floor, which is not only gross, but also unfunny, even if they got comeuppance for their actions they deserved.
 * 2) The scenes where characters are found dead in the upside down and the death scenes can be frightening to some viewers.
 * 3) In Season 2, while not bad, it did get a few mean-spirited scenes such as where Hopper punishes Eleven and she gets no TV or Eggos and she screams and breaking the windows in her house as a result.
 * 4) * Season 2 had many filler episodes but was a good overall.
 * 5) "The Lost Sister" was a pretty weak episode (if not the worst), but it could have been better.
 * 6) Barbara's death in season 1, while important, was considered one of the most controversial parts of the show.
 * 7) The running gag of Eleven craving Eggo Waffles, while memorable, is also hidden product placement.

Trivia

 * 1) In April 2018, the show sparked a controversy when a film director named Charlie Kessler filed a lawsuit against the Duffer brothers (the creators of the show) accusing them that they stole the idea from his 2011 film Montauk, which had a similar premise of a missing boy, a nearby military base, doing otherworldly experiments and a monster from another dimension, saying that he told them all about it at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. After an argument, a trial was scheduled to take place, but was withdrawn as Kessler decided that the Duffer brothers came up with their own ideas.
 * 2) The show was originally called "Montauk", and the first episode of the show "The Vanishing of Will Byers", was originally titled "The Montauk Pilot".
 * 3) The show has been renewed for a fourth season, which was released for Volume 1 on May 27, 2022 and scheduled for Volume 2, five weeks later on July 1, 2022. It takes place in 1986 during spring break.
 * 4) This show has been nominated for several awards throughout its run, and so far has won the most awards along with The Crown.
 * 5) Netflix reported that it was also one of the most watched originals of 2016, along with the first season of Fuller House and the fourth season of Orange is the New Black.
 * 6) There is a behind the scenes documentary series, Beyond Stranger Things, which shows viewers how the show was produced. It was released alongside the second season on October 27, 2017. It was the second behind-the-scenes documentary after 13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons, which was released alongside the first season of 13 Reasons Why.
 * 7) The show may be comparable towards Elfen Lied, considering both Lucy/Nyu and Eleven have supernatural powers.