Stranger Things – Season 1 Review

Set in the town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, a young boy named Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappears into thin air and the search for him that includes Will’s best friend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), leads to top-secret experiments and a strange little girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in the woods.

It may be hard to believe, but it has been six years since the release of the first season of Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers‘ show was an immediate success, racking up some incredible streaming numbers, and getting terrific reviews from audiences and critics alike.

Because of how immensely interesting the world of Hawkins is, as well as the intriguing characters that we love to watch grow throughout the show, the series has gone on to have three seasons, with a fourth one on the way this spring, followed by a fifth and final season down the road.

So because of this, I figured that now would probably be a great time to revisit the whole series. I haven’t seen the first season in its entirety since it came out. I’ve actually never rewatched a season of Stranger Things, and doing so now was an incredibly rewarding feeling.

I was able to pick up on small details that I had not noticed the first time around, and I was also able to appreciate things a lot more knowing where certain things would lead in future seasons. Whenever a show is outrageously popular, it can be a little bit annoying to have to hear about it all the time.

It’s one of the reasons why so many people I know have still yet to watch Squid Game. But I assure you that if you have not seen Stranger Things, then you’re missing out on one of the best shows ever made. The Duffer Brothers ensure that every single episode is filled with scares, humor, and emotion, while also giving plenty of character development to literally everybody along the way.

Seriously, the character development throughout the course of this series is some of the best that I’ve ever seen. In just forty minutes or so, the talented writers team pack one heck of a punch. One minute you’ll be totally sucked in to the story of missing boy Will Byers and what happened to him, and then the next, you’ll find yourself wiping away a few tears, whether it be from crying or laughing at something you just saw.

This show perfectly encapsulates 1980s nostalgia, from the clothes, hair, dialogue, and even right down to the opening intro sequence, which is one of my favorites in television history. As soon as I hear that first note, I get shivers up my entire spine. It’s a thing of beauty, and Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon deserve all the praise in the world for it.

But aside from the extremely talented group of people behind the camera, the folks in front of it are also phenomenal. Finn Wolfhard is a delight in the role of Mike Wheeler, a nerdy kid who just wants to do the right thing, even if there will be some consequences along the way.

Gaten Matarazzo is absolutely hilarious and lovable as Dustin Henderson, a boy that’s similar to Mike but eventually goes on to have one of the best character arcs in the show. Millie Bobby Brown has since become a household name thanks to her performance here as the mysterious Eleven, and it’s not hard to see why.

The young actress shines in the role and manages to portray Eleven as a friendly face whenever she needs to be, but is also able to flip the switch instantaneously, becoming a fully-fledged monster when the time is right for it.

But easily my favorite star in front of the camera here is David Harbour as Jim Hopper, who is one of my all-time favorite television characters. In just one season alone, we learn a whole bunch about Hopper’s backstory, which is absolutely heartbreaking to say the least.

He is such a well-rounded character, and one that will make you hold your sides from laughing so hard. But he’s not just a funny character – he is one that is multi-layered, and that continues to be the case as the show goes along.

Many people have complained that after the release of this first season, Stranger Things became less of a horror show, and more of a thriller with a ton of comedy thrown into the bag. And while I think that may be a little true, it’s not something that bothers me because the great writing, world-building, and excellent character development never went away. The Duffer Brothers’ show is most definitely going to stand the test of time.