There has been a lot of hype recently over Netflix’s Stranger Things. It is not unfounded. In the first episode, we are introduced to a group of four middle school boys: Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas. Soon after we meet them, Will is pursued by a monster and disappears. His mother, played by Winona Ryder, is hysterical, but is convinced her son is alive and trying to contact her through phones that blow up and blinking lights.
Meanwhile, the middle school boys, also searching for Will, meet Eleven, a strange little girl who has escaped from a secret organization. Mike befriends her and hides her in his basement. Though she talks little, they soon discover she has strange powers, powers which can help them search for Will. Little by little, other people get involved in the search, both for Will and for the monster, though their efforts are constantly blocked by the men working for the secret organization.
There are parts of this story which remind me of the movie ET — the way the boys hide Eleven and disguise her so they can take her out in public, as well as their conflict with the men of the secret organization. But there’s more to it than the children’s story. Several adults get involved as well, at times putting their lives in danger. So, there is much tension in the series, which moves it along very well. But there is also a strong human element — the friendship between Mike and Eleven, conflicts among the boys, the partnership between a teenage girl moving into a new clique and a young man considered an outsider, and the way in which the Police Chief puts aside his personal tragedies to help someone else.
Young or old, if you like fantastic stories, Stranger Things this is a good series to watch. The first season wrapped up one story in eight episodes, but left hints of things to come. I hope it’s around for a long time to come.