“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”

A dangerous monster, a young girl with superhuman abilities, a tortured small-town cop, and a team of young friends ready to solve a mystery. This may seem like an outdated trope taken straight out of a 1980s horror movie, but it is actually the plot of Netflix’s new hit series Stranger Things. In episode one, the writers introduce the main protagonists right away: a group of 11-year-old boys named Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike. The boys are of course in the outgroup of their middle school, portrayed as the nerdy Dungeons and Dragons underdogs you automatically want to cheer on. These good feelings are interrupted when Will is taken by some kind of large creature while riding his bike home alone. This sets up the struggle in the show for the boys, as they have to find their friend through solving a number of mysteries. It also sets up an issue for Joyce Byers, Will’s mother, and his brother, Jonathan. All throughout this drama, the episode teases clips of a young hairless girl in a hospital gown being chased by what appears to be a shady government police force, and this becomes relevant in the next episode. Overall, episode one perfectly encapsulates the rest of the series, it is eerie, terrifying and does an amazing job of beckoning back to the predecessors that inspired it, such as Stephen King novels and classic Sci-Fi flicks. The characters are also extremely personable, and the writers ensure that the audience cares about the kids and sets up the mystery of the series: what exactly took Will Byers?

“Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street”

This episode provides ample backstory that adds depth to characters and fuels their motivations, such as the death of Chief Hopper’s daughter. However, the most important aspect of this episode is how it officially introduces Eleven, the intriguing character that defines Stranger Things. In the previous episode, a quiet, odd girl ran out of a diner after being pursued by sketchy characters. That same girl then ran into Mike, and he took her under his wing. Eleven, Elle for short, camps out in Mike’s basement, and reveals to him that she can move objects with her mind. The audience sees the traumatic life Elle has led, as she does not understand social norms or how to utilize common objects. The audience will always be entertained when Elle is on screen, as piecing together her backstory is as much a mystery as the disappearance of Will. Meanwhile, viewers will find themselves frustrated as Nancy abandons her best friend Barb to sleep with her boyfriend, Steve, after a party. On the plus side, all the party scenes display the strong ‘80’s soundtrack that adds to the mood building of the show. Of course, the highlight of this episode is the cliffhanger ending. Stranger Things, while showcasing a serious plot, is self-aware enough to poke fun at the classic tropes of ‘80’s horror movies. As lonely Barb contemplates her friendship by Steve’s pool, she makes herself a target by sitting alone at night…with her bleeding finger dripping into the water. Viewers will not be able to tear their eyes away as Barb is transported into what appears to be another dimension, where the pool is drained and full of thick vines. There, she is confronted by a monster. The plot thickens, and the interest in the storyline only grows more interesting as Chapter Two sets up key events within the series.

“Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly”

In “Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly,” the audience for the first time gets to realize and appreciate one of the best parts of the show: the casting. The amount of talent in these actors is incredible, especially considering that many of them are so young, but perhaps the best performance is given by Winona Ryder, who plays Joyce Byers. Joyce is by far the richest character in the show in terms of emotional hardships and intellect, and in this episode, it becomes more and more evident that she isn’t your average suburban mom. She’s completely dedicated to finding Will, and will stop at no means to communicate with him. Everyone around her thinks she’s crazy because she discovers that Will is able to communicate with her spiritually through lights from the other dimension, but she does not allow that to deter her. Chief Hopper is also seen questioning Will’s death in this episode, marking the first time a character insinuates a government conspiracy. Humanizing Elle a bit also, Chapter Three takes her character from weird and mysterious to a confused kid who doesn’t know how to work a reclining chair. At this point, it’s clear Barb will not be returning from the other dimension, and that her character was only really a ploy to set up Nancy’s struggle with guilt in future episodes over abandoning her “nice girl” image to be apart of the in-group with Steve.

 “Chapter Four: The Body”

In the aftermath of discovering Will’s body, it seems that all hope is lost; but everything is not as it appears, after all, the show still has four episodes left. One of the most iconic parts of the show is when Eleven dresses up in a wig and dress. The scene is a nice homage to E.T and is a sweet moment of levity during the tragic turn of events. The child actors continue to shine, and they portray realistic grief and anger towards the death of their friend. Ironically, this episode has some great comedy, such as Dustin covering for Eleven by saying the “bad place” she comes from is Sweden. Also, Eleven uses her powers to make a bully wet himself in front of the school. In spite of the events that have transpired, the kids still manage to enjoy their friendship. By sneaking into the Audio Visual room, the kids use a machine to amplify Eleven’s powers and confirm that even despite seeing Will’s corpse, he is still alive. An irritating aspect of this episode is how no one seems concerned about Barb. Nancy tries to look for her, but no one, even Barb’s own mother, seems too concerned, whereas Will’s vanishing incited a town-wide search. Meanwhile, Hopper listens to Joyce’s suspicions that the corpse is not truly Will. In a difficult to watch scene, Hopper tears open the corpse. It is revealed that the body is stuffed. Although the plot seems as if it is already reached its climax, things are only just starting to get truly strange.