Why everyone loves Stranger Things

It has taken me some time and countless nudges from my friends to check out this show, but I've finally watched the first season of Stranger Things. And I absolutely adore it! Stranger Things truly stands out amongst all the fantasy and sci fi shows of today and here is why.

It's simply very well written.

Stranger Things is about a small town in Indiana where young Will goes missing. From the beginning it's clear that something not quite normal is involved in his diappearance. The search for Will by his mother, his brother, a police officer and his best friends is the main plotline of the story. By focusing mostly on this storyline the show manages to tell a straight forward story in the middle of all the not straight forward stuff in the background.

Whatever happens, all side plots sooner or later play a part in the main story, the missing case of Will, f.e. the disappearance of Nancy's friend Barb makes her investigate and team up with Will's brother Jonathan. The appearance of the strange, homeless girl with a shaved head, who everyone just calls Eleven, based on a number tatooed on her arm, helps Will's three best friends to follow new leads in their search for Will.

Say what you want about the science fiction theme of the show, but it is (especially for this genre) extremely well written, intruiging and easy to follow.

It has great child actors.

Usually I hate protagonists who are children, especially in a show which is clearly written for adults. But in Stranger Things I loved Will's three best friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas who are all really cool. The way they investigate Will's disappearance, reminded me of how much me and my friends loved pretending we were private investigators as children. It brought me back into the mindset of those happy days. Also they are neither evil nor idiots like the children in many movies or tv shows. They are actually pretty smart.

Of course, for the likability of the child characters we have to thanks the child actors who give a fantastic performance. To find good child actors is really hard, which is why they often have to be replaced several times. But Stranger Things managed to find child actors who don't appear ridicolous in an adult tv show but do their job really well. And I don't only mean the three boys, but also the actor of Eleven.

It's mainstream sci fi.

Sci fi has always been popular with a certain type of people while the rest can't really get into it. Not so with Stranger Things. Stranger Things is sci fi for people who don't like sci fi. Which honestly is the best kind of sci fi. Which leads me to my next point ....

It's not too weird.

The biggest problem of many sci fi or fantasy shows, movies and books, is that it quickly becomes too weird and confusing to the point where the viewers and readers start wondering what the hell they are watching/reading. In the beginning Stanger Things of course is quite confusing but the show reveals and explains everything bit after bit and (in it's own supernatural logic) it all makes sense.

Sometimes shows try to invent something new which makes it difficult for the viewers to grasp. The trick is to take something old and give it a new twist, which is exactly what Stranger Things does. Parallel dimensions, telekinesis - we all know those concepts. Now we can watch them in a new setting and story.

It's original.

Let's be honest. Aren't you getting a bit tired of the thousands of book adaptations, remakes, etc. which flood tv nowadays! I definitely do. It's so refreshing to watch an original show for once.

It has many positive characters.

Except the obvious evil characters like the monsters, all characters of Stranger Things are positive and can be role models in some way. From the kids, over the teenagers to the adults, none of them are evil. This might sound normal, but I am so used to shows like Game of Thrones where every character has a deep dark secret or an evil agenda, that it's uplifting to follow the paths of everyday heroes in Stranger Things.

It has Winona Ryder in it.

Because everything gets better if it has Winona Ryder in it.

Bonus: It's set in the 80s.

Just to make it clear: It's not relevant that the show is set in the 80s. The story could have been set into today's world or any other time and it would work just as well. The 80s are just a little extra for all the nostalgics and retro lovers out there.

So, if you haven't yet, go and watch Stranger Things :)

Links I Love 2

I am always on the go at the moment and will be gone for a business/pleasure trip to Berlin for the next week. That's why I'm leaving you with some of the most fascinating, brilliant and mind-blowing stories, I have found in the Internet world lately. (You might also want to check out, Links I Love 1.)

Searching for the Nazi who saved my mother's life by Karen Kirsten

This is a wonderful story of a young woman who feels the urge to find out who the Nazi was who brought her Jewish mother to safety back in the day. It's fascinating to see how much this secret of her grandparents's generation, still affects the author's life. The story brilliantly questions the line between good and bad, or rather poses the question if once doing the right thing, has an impact on a life otherwise filled with bad decisions.

How Andy Weir took The Martian from Blog to Bestseller to Blockbuster movie by Jim Kukral

As wannabe author I have heard over and over again how tough the business is and how it's nearly impossible to get a contract with a publishing house (but some make it, so Why not us?, right?). That's why I'm a huge sucker of success stories and Andy Weir is an extremely fascinating one! Like many authors experience, noone wanted to publish his book, that's why he put it up on his website and soon it found a HUGE fanbase. As it is hard science fiction, it apparently filled a void and people loved it.

It got so popular that it was even made into a wonderful movie with Matt Damon (I've seen it and it's a good watch). Andy Weir got the movie deal before a publishing house finally decided to publish his book. Ridiculous, right? But also: Sometimes incredible things happen and people succeed despite all odds. Go, listen to the podcast and then feel a bit better about your future.

Winona, Forever by Saroya Roberts

I love Winona Rider and her cult movies like Heathers (absolutely brilliant!), Girl, Interrupted and more. She is beautiful and elegant in an uncommon way. The article goes through her career and follows how the actress became the cult symbol she is today. A good read for Winona fans!

10 vital storytelling lessons I learned from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer by Charlie Jane Anders

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer is my all-time-favorite-TV-show. In fact, I just re-watched season 2. I love the characters and though it's a fantasy show, I can relate to their struggles on so many levels, even more so now in my twenties, than back in my teens, when I first fell in love with it. io9 author Charlie Jane Anders breaks down some storytelling tips and tricks we can learn from the show and it was fascinating to see my favorite show being analysed like that. It shows once more that the writers truly created something unique.

I am Alive - Surviving the Andes Plane Crash

I mentioned this documentary and the effect it had on my life view once before. It's the story of a group of sportsmen whose plane crashes in the Andes where the ones who survived the crash now have to face the horrors of snowy mountains, avalanches, hunger and more. How against all odds, some of them managed to survive, moved me more than I can put into words and it gave me a joy about being alive. Seriously, just watch this documentary, I promise you won't regret it.

Lemonade (visual album) by Beyonce

I have never been a fan of Beyonce or her music. It's not like I disliked her, I always had respect for her level of success, but I just wasn't interested in her and couldn't find myself in her work, This changed with Lemonade. When the visual album, which is basically a 40-minute long movie/music video, came out, everyone made such a big deal out of it, that I checked it out, just to see what all the excitement was about.

And it blew my mind. I went in it completely unprepared and it touched me in so many ways. On the surface it's a love story, where a man cheats on a woman. Beyonce manages to crasp love so perfectly, I was speechless about how true and honest this visual album is. Love is beautiful and meaningful but it is also extremely brutal and absolutely terrifying. Beneath the surface Lemonade is so much more. It's about feminism, and the black rights movement and about standing up for yourself and for what you believe in.

Schizophrenia stole my brother. This is how I got him back by Zander Sherman

I know several people who have schizophrenia and I know that it's a horrific condition to live with, that's why I'm always interested in this topic. The story of Zander Sherman and his brother will move you. He captures the awefulness of schizophrenia and the feeling of loosing all control and hope perfectly. It's not a happy story but it's real.

Taking the mask off by Edenland

Edenland is a blog I follow because Eden regularily posts beautifully written masterpieces about the tragedy which is life. Ever since her brother killed herself she has lost control over her life. In this post she once again confronts her grief and how she is trying to go on living after she has lost a person she loved. I've also known people who killed themselves and for me suicide is pretty much the worst thing in the world, that's why Eden's posts always hit me and I can't read one without crying like a baby.

Dear Trauma, I refuse by Hiyah Tootsie

Hiyah Tootsie is another blog I follow regularily. I work for a publishing house which publishes erotic literature and photography, so I am very comfortable with erotic pop culture and even pornography. Hiyah Tootsie writes about her time as a kind of counceler in the pornography industry and somehow I can't stop thinking about the article. Somewhat in it, really hit me. Let's see if you'll react similarily.

Drive, he wrote by Louis Menand

You might know that my favorite book in the whole world is "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I've read it at least 5 times and I always take it with me on travels. I adore the Beat generation and have read so many articles and books on then and watched documentaries on them. So, this article didn't really give me any new information, but it gives a beautiful insight into the lifes of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy, etc. and analyses what the Beat generation was really all about. A must read for everyone who love the Beats.