The End of Stranger Things
by Nolan Yard
nolanyardwriter.wordpress.com
All good things must come to an end. That doesn’t mean more good things will bud, like the rhizomatic entity of the upside down. Perhaps down the road we’ll get prequels and spinoffs that are the new norm for highly successful series such as Netflix’s pride and joy, Stranger Things. This year will mark the release of the show’s 5th and final season and it is with sadness that we’ll see it go.
We have seen the characters (and cast) grow up these past nine or so years. We’ve seen Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Will go in and out of friendships, love, heartbreak, and triumphs. One of the strongest pulls of the show’s premise is how these youths manage to team up and face the malevolent, anomalous evil awakened beneath their small town, all in the effort to save their loved ones and community.
Let’s not forget the older teens and adults. Harrington with his good looks and panache are just a facade to his true respectable qualities as a friend and ally. Nancy’s tenacity and hold of justice, at times when it’s perilously slipping, have viewers rooting for her. Jonathan’s older protective brother traits and youthful rebellious leanings make him a welcomed counterpart to the others.
From the get-go, the audience wants to spend more time with Chief Jim Hopper, riddled with personal issues but undaunted by hurdles when it comes to seeking truth. Joyce Beyers is the single mother who everyone enjoys watching kick ass and work out the complicated conspiracy and threat that plague her family and town.
Characters storylines aside, in a way this is the end of a specific kind of nostalgia. The 80’s revival brought about since season one’s July 2016 release has influenced all manner of media outlets. There has been a substantial rise in content and merchandise of a decade so quirky, still fresh, and loved.
Granted, the showrunners, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, were 80’s kids and heavily influenced by the media and culture of the decade. What makes their series such a blockbuster are those manifestations of Stephen King’s horror, Spielberg’s wonder, the Goonies-like bildungsroman elements, the no-rules grab-a-bike childhood, and the getting outside and to the happening places—arcades, roller rinks, trick-or-treating, the outlet mall, the abandoned school bus—while we the audience feel trapped behind small screens and heavy doors.
The nostalgic setting, rich characters, and otherworldly threat as the umbrella concocts an intoxicating formula that audiences will regret being brought to exit. Eleven’s and Mike’s love for each other, Hopper’s and Joyce’s nostalgic banter and growing deeper connection, Max’s and Lucas’s severed but revived relationship—these mirror the relationship we have with the show. A show that said we don’t have to say goodbye to former days. A show that dawned the streaming age with quality storytelling. A show that got us past the pandemic with rewatches and anticipation of the next season. A show that reminded us of the resilience of being young and dealing with insurmountable obstacles. Stranger Things has taught us to believe in ourselves again, to believe in our past, present and future—and that together, we’ll make it through.
