# Stranger Things **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183 "2016-07-18T03:12:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/61 "2016-08-24T16:46:36Z")
And another interview hitting a lot of interesting points: [http://www.npr.org/2016/08/19/490671346/stranger-things-creators-on-barb-eleven-and-how-glitter-delayed-production](http://www.npr.org/2016/08/19/490671346/stranger-things-creators-on-barb-eleven-and-how-glitter-delayed-production) It’s interesting that the reason it feels like a mashup of specific period movies, homages, tropes, etc. is that the original pitch was _exactly that_: > [@](#): > > **On the trailer they made to pitch the show** > > Matt Duffer: I think it was around 30 different movies — a lot of them were from the '80s, but not entirely from the '80s — movies that we cut together to kind of tell the story of the show. But it was cool because we had a lot of shots from E.T., but we scored it with, like, John Carpenter synth music. So I think it helped us figure out what the show was going to feel like, and I think it helped Netflix, you know, and other companies and producers understand what we wanted to do with the show. > > Ross Duffer: To us, actually, this stuff — it didn’t feel like this hodgepodge. It all felt like a whole when we all put it together and we put the music over it. And I think the reason is that the Stephen King stuff, the John Carpenter stuff, the Spielberg stuff is all just about these small towns and these very ordinary people. And so when we actually put it together and the music gave it this sort of slightly edgier tone than, you know, than the John Williams music, it sort of tied all these ideas together. And … that was a relief to us because we realized that this thing might work. They also talk about how the designer approached the early 80’s setting with subtlety and realism, Barb, and despite being a great actor the girl who plays Eleven is really a little girl. Cool stuff. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/62 "2016-08-25T14:14:21Z")
I was in love with the series as soon as Jonathan started playing The Clash for his little brother. Parts of it were eerily similar to my childhood. Can’t wait for season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/63 "2016-08-25T15:18:36Z")
I enjoyed this. But I love me some 70s-80s era Stephen King, and this played like an homage to him, along with so much other pop culture of the early 80s I remember well. I did question a lot of the plot points, but decided to just shrug and enjoy. Nice summer series. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/64 "2016-08-25T17:05:35Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > I was in love with the series as soon as Jonathan started playing The Clash for his little brother. Something I didn’t pick up on myself, but heard mentioned on a podcast (“Still Untitled” with Mythbuster Adam Savage and friends): There are three different instances where someone at the Byers house goes out of the house and gets in their car to leave, but then pauses and gets out of the car and returns to the house. Joyce does it. Hopper does it. And Steve does it (and ends up helping Nancy and Jonathan fight the monster.) The song that Jonathan plays for Will, and that the other kids hear Will singing through the radio: “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/65 "2016-08-25T19:00:38Z")
I would like to know what happened to children One through Ten… ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/66 "2016-08-25T20:27:38Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Something I didn’t pick up on myself, but heard mentioned on a podcast (“Still Untitled” with Mythbuster Adam Savage and friends): > > There are three different instances where someone at the Byers house goes out of the house and gets in their car to leave, but then pauses and gets out of the car and returns to the house. Joyce does it. Hopper does it. And Steve does it (and ends up helping Nancy and Jonathan fight the monster.) > > The song that Jonathan plays for Will, and that the other kids hear Will singing through the radio: “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” :dubious: Very clever. Not my favorite Clash song, but it fits. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/67 "2016-08-25T20:35:47Z")
Have just finished watching episodes 3 and 4 last night. Can’t watch more than 2 eps in a night because scary. Love it so far but need to space it out. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/68 "2016-08-26T13:43:09Z")
I finished watching it last night. Fantastic. I loved the homages. I also loved the actress who played Eleven…she has a very evocative face, and I could tell just from her eyebrows that she couldn’t get in touch with Will and Barb (right before the bathtub scene.) I liked how Steve stepped up and ran back in the house. I could see from the outside it appears Joyce and Hop were losing their minds. I want season 2. One question…are the Duffers joined at the hip or something? Because I noticed a couple of credits that said “Directed by the Duffer Brothers.” No individual names, which caught my attention. ---
**Author:** ![Chihuahua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@Chihuahua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chihuahua)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/69 "2016-08-26T15:15:43Z")
I just finished it. The whole thing was excellent, right up until the ending. The ending was okay, but unexceptional. Not bad at all, just average rather than extraordinary. It felt very risk-averse. The series as a whole successfully reproduced the look and feel of an 80’s movie but did not elaborate upon it, deconstruct the tropes, or subvert expectations. My wife and I were debating the nature of the ending. She insists that the unresolved scenes are the set up for the next season, which will be a direct continuation. I disagree. I interpreted it as one of those ambiguous “Twilight Zone” kind of endings. Hinting that the monster is still alive or may return is a pretty common horror trope, so I see no reason that every single plot point has to be completely resolved. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/70 "2016-08-26T18:04:50Z")
I enjoyed it very much with the exception of Natalia Dyer’s physical appearance. Some may think it crass to raise here, but when she was pushing a wheelbarrow or being grabbed by the arm by the Sherrif or running; I was entirely in work mode. I hope she’s getting some help from people who care about her. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://i.imgur.com/lk7xbLQ.jpeg?fb "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/jVxMe) MiM ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/71 "2016-08-26T19:15:22Z")
As already noted, Stranger Things is a mashup of a lot of 80s weirdness. I’m a little too young (and just a little) to get too nostalgic about most of the references. I’ve seem many of them, because I like sci-fi and the supernatural, but I didn’t see any of it in theaters. I thought it was a great mashup of the tropes that is more than the sum of its parts. Regarding the ending: [spoiler]My wife’s reaction to the end and the fact that some elements were left dangling or unresolved that were not obvious foreshadowing for season two is that the final D&D session against the Thessalhydra was a lampshaded acknowledgement of those elements (missing people other than Barb and Will). Invading realities such as the Upside Down coming to our world are a favorite trope of mine and I hope they don’t drop or gloss over what they implied in the finale. Silent Hill and the Delta Green take on Carcosa/The King in Yellow, with their realities that invade ours, are some of my favorite horror fiction.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/72 "2016-08-26T19:40:23Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I finished watching it last night. Fantastic. I loved the homages. I also loved the actress who played Eleven…she has a very evocative face, and I could tell just from her eyebrows that she couldn’t get in touch with Will and Barb (right before the bathtub scene.) > > I liked how Steve stepped up and ran back in the house. I could see from the outside it appears Joyce and Hop were losing their minds. > > I want season 2. > > One question…are the Duffers joined at the hip or something? Because I noticed a couple of credits that said “Directed by the Duffer Brothers.” No individual names, which caught my attention. I suspect that the credit is to prevent any issues over who gets credited first. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/73 "2016-08-26T19:44:48Z")
> [@HookerChemical](#): > > As already noted, Stranger Things is a mashup of a lot of 80s weirdness. I’m a little too young (and just a little) to get too nostalgic about most of the references. I’ve seem many of them, because I like sci-fi and the supernatural, but I didn’t see any of it in theaters. > > I thought it was a great mashup of the tropes that is more than the sum of its parts. > > Regarding the ending: > > [spoiler]My wife’s reaction to the end and the fact that some elements were left dangling or unresolved that were not obvious foreshadowing for season two is that the final D&D session against the Thessalhydra was a lampshaded acknowledgement of those elements (missing people other than Barb and Will). > > Invading realities such as the Upside Down coming to our world are a favorite trope of mine and I hope they don’t drop or gloss over what they implied in the finale. Silent Hill and the Delta Green take on Carcosa/The King in Yellow, with their realities that invade ours, are some of my favorite horror fiction.[/spoiler] Heh. what _Stranger Things_ reminded me of more that anything, was the animated kid’s show _Gravity Falls_. It, too, is a mash-up of tons of tropes (including, in one episode, D&D); it too is largely organized around the concept of a portal to another, evil dimension - though to be frank, the evil creature in Stranger Things is basically a mindless shark-like predator, while the evil creature in Gravity Falls - Bill Cipher - is basically a demon intent on destroying our entire freaking universe, and is a _lot_ more frightening - kid’s show and all. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/74 "2016-08-26T20:31:05Z")
> [@Made\_in\_Macau](#): > > I enjoyed it very much with the exception of Natalia Dyer’s physical appearance. Some may think it crass to raise here, but when she was pushing a wheelbarrow or being grabbed by the arm by the Sherrif or running; I was entirely in work mode. I hope she’s getting some help from people who care about her. > > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://imgur.com/a/jVxMe) > > MiM Damn…I knew she was slender, but this doesn’t look good. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/75 "2016-08-27T01:00:44Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > One question…are the Duffers joined at the hip or something? Because I noticed a couple of credits that said “Directed by the Duffer Brothers.” No individual names, which caught my attention. The Wachowskis do this too. There can be only one director credit, if there is a second they’re reduced to a co-director. They just made it one name to make it DGA “legal”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/76 "2016-08-28T13:25:16Z")
Wow. Amazing, just amazing. I was hooked by the first 10 minutes and I binged right through. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/77 "2016-08-28T13:32:16Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > I never played D&D but I played other games–how strict is D&D in the way of gameplay? Like what was exactly off about it? The specific “saving throw” question was asked. I haven’t played D&D in 20 years now, but back when I did play, the question about strictness wouldn’t really have made sense. No two groups I played with played exactly the same way. D&D is essentially a group of people sitting around a table telling each other a story. Pretty much all the rules are optional and it’s up to the dungeon master how to run the game. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/78 "2016-08-28T13:34:29Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The Wachowskis do this too. There can be only one director credit, if there is a second they’re reduced to a co-director. They just made it one name to make it DGA “legal”. The guild allows two people to be credited together as directors under certain circumstances, such as if they are a team who always work only with each other—not alone and not with anyone else—and share directorial duties equally. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/79 "2016-08-28T13:47:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Wow. Amazing, just amazing. I was hooked by the first 10 minutes and I binged right through. The opening credits did it for me. Outstanding stuff, loved it. Special shout out to the Tangerine Dream/John Carpenter-esque score, and putting Joy Division, New Order and Echo & the Bunnymen on the soundtrack just sealed the deal for me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183/80 "2016-08-30T23:49:00Z")
Watching it the second time through … The acting is just uniformly great, especially the little kids. And I particularly like Dustin and Lucas. Their bickering is just so realistic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things/760183.md?page=5)