30/15
As they search for answers, the kids unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries
Scenario
In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. Steve Perry, former lead singer of Journey, has said that the Stranger Things season 4 remix of Journey’s 80s smash hit Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) was done pretty much the way he originally wanted it to be done in the 80s, but lacked the technology. Perry was so impressed that he even helped with the development of the remix. During several episodes, people are seen “interrupting” someone talking on a two-way or CB radio – that is, one person is talking/transmitting, and another person transmits to interrupt them, and then the other person hears this interruption and stops transmitting. This was done a few times on the kids’ CB radios and on radios used by police.
Once: Friends Don’t Lie
Those radios (the CB and police radios of the show’s time) do not work like that. If you’re streaming and someone else is streaming, you won’t hear them. The opening titles and fonts for Stranger Things mimic the film grain and look of the opening credits from the 1980s TV series. Featured on FoundFlix: Stranger Things (2016) Ending Explained + Season 2 Clues (2016). Stranger Things (Title Sequence & End Credits Theme) Written and performed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein.
I won’t add anything to that
I’m guessing a lot of people have said a lot of things about all the film and TV references this series has and how it recreates the eighties with all its flaws and splendor. With the release of season 2, I’d simply like to caution that both seasons are very different animals. Think of it like the difference between the original Alien movie and the Aliens sequel: while the first season was more about unknown, unseen horror and the mystery behind the backstory, the second has more in-your-face action and horror mixed with character development arcs that feel good but sometimes stray a bit from the series. Consequently, a fan of the show should probably view the second season as a separate work of fiction rather than a true continuation of the first season in tone and spirit. The writers do move the story forward and we get a very good piece of entertainment, but the new season should be judged on its own merits.
Maybe the writers just ran out of 80s templates to copy
EDIT: Season 3 turned out to be a big tonal shift for the series. Maybe it’s really hard to maintain mystery if so much of the “world” of Stranger Things already revealed so many of its secrets, but the overall “feel” of the series went in a different direction. Season 1 was heavily inspired by supernatural horror like in “Poltergeist.” Season 2 took a lot of cues from Creature Features like Gremlins or Aliens. Season 3 now uses elements of 80s zombie movies and low-budget gory horror with a bit of spy comedy mixed in (and fight scenes that look like they were straight out of Die Hard). All of those genres didn’t really mix well in the 80s and this strange cocktail sure doesn’t work today.
That doesn’t mean Season 3 is bad
It just builds on characters that were established in previous seasons that used very different 80s story elements and tropes. It’s almost like watching Darth Vader in an Indiana Jones movie. They both work separately, but not together. Basically, Season 3 is an overly transparent attempt to plow a new field of nostalgia, but it doesn’t work in the context of the previous seasons.