TV show review: ‘Stranger Things’

“Stranger Things,” the critically acclaimed Netflix original, is a television show where the phrase “Stranger things have happened,” could probably trace its origin.

The show, created by the Duffer brothers, is set in 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana. Overall, reviews for the show have been glowing. However, there may be some people who still need convincing. Here are some answers to your potential drawbacks.

“Stranger Things” is not realistic.

“Stranger Things” is a television show set in the 1980s and steeped in science fiction. One of the characters in the series is a literal monster. Watching a show like “Stranger Things” means willingly suspending your disbelief. Other than the effects, there have also been commentaries on the internet about certain anachronisms within the series, specifically from College Humor’s YouTube channel. For me, the anachronisms don’t take away from the suspenseful, intriguing series; they are minor at best. Something that is realistic in the series, however, is the diverse qualities of the characters. In particular, the character of Dustin Henderson, played by Gaten Matarazzo, has cleidocranial dysplasia — a condition that affects the development of bones and teeth. This is one characteristic that hasn’t been widely portrayed in the media before.

“Stranger Things” is too scary.

Everyone knows his or her preferences in regard to entertainment. If watching “Stranger Things” is too scary for you, then that is fine. However, “Stranger Things” is spooky in an ’80s film sort of way. The watcher knows everything going on is fake — and can obviously tell by the effects — but the suspense that the setting and darkness give to the story keeps watchers on the edges of their seats. To be fair, “Stranger Things” is more trippy than scary. I will admit parts of the series are difficult to watch but not totally horrific. The amount of gore in the series is limited to what most people would consider excessive. I would recommend watching it during the day, or at least with lights on. If you are worried about it being too scary, I would not recommend binge-watching it until 5 a.m.

“Stranger Things” is too complicated.

This drawback may actually be correct, but just because something is hard to understand doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a try. “Stranger Things” is confusing and cloudy at times, but can’t all great stories be that way? Yes, the series gives you more information than you can handle at first, but “Stranger Things” slowly explains most of what you watched, even up until the last episode. Yet, what I love most about “Stranger Things” is its ability to answer watcher’s burning questions without really giving an answer at all.

I won’t spoil the ending of season one for you. However, a lot of questions were left unanswered, which prompted an unending waterfall of what-ifs for me. I do have hope the Duffer brothers will make season two just as amazing and mind-bending as the first; they can suspend my disbelief anytime.