I cannot believe how close I was to not watching the show. I saw the trailer when it was released but it never really hooked me. When it came out and I heard it was so good I still decided not to watch it. I figured I would wait it out and watch sometime in the future. One of my good friends was telling me how great the show is and that I absolutely had to watch it, so I finally decided to give the show a chance. I am so very glad that I did because this is one great show.
Science is neat, but I’m afraid it’s not very forgiving
The biggest plus to this show is that it has well-rounded characters. I love almost every single character on this show, mainly because I was able to relate to them in one way or another. For example, Mike and Lucas both had opposing views on Eleven and I understood where both characters were coming from. The same goes for characters like Joyce and Jim, and Steve and Jonathan. The show just does a phenomenal job at developing these characters individually so that when they interact with each other it feels like a realistic interaction between people. Thankfully these strong characters were baked up by capable actors. Everyone does an exceptional job, but I have to give special accolades to Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven. She had by far the toughest task of all the cast. Not only is she a young actress, but she had to convey most of her emotion without using words. A single expression on her face said far more about her character than any piece of dialogue could. As the show progressed she was given more lines of dialogue, but her expressions remained intact. The way the plot unfolds is also handled quite well. It is a slow progression, but eventually each of the main characters learn pieces of information that ultimately bring them together. This, along with the characterizations of the characters, is a testament to the writing of the show. Even though the show does deal with very familiar themes, it never comes across as cliché. A character or plot point may feel like a cliché, but the show very cleverly veers off into a different direction. This makes the show feel incredibly fresh, even though it is borrowing a lot of material from early Steven Spielberg films and Stephen King novels. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the fantastic score. My god, I absolutely love the score here. I was excited every time the opening credits played.
Maybe I am a mess
With everything the show gets right, it was bound to get something wrong. In this case, it is the monster and this whole “other world”. The problem I had is that not enough was explained. Why was there only one monster? How did they stumble upon this “other world”? I do not remember if they answered why they were trying to kill the monster (by “they” I am referring the people from the lab). I need to watch the series again, but from what I remember they did not answer these questions. Do they have to answer them? Well not, but I was bothered by it. They put in so much time and effort into fleshing out their characters, it would have been nice that they fleshed out this whole other realm. Plus we never get a good explanation for why Eleven is the way she is. Being born that way is not a sufficient answer for me. My last problem (I promise) is with a particular character. Something happens to this character and it seems like not one ultimately cares for them. By the finale I had totally forgotten about said character.
Closing Remarks
Perhaps I am being a bit harsh with the show, but it is such a quality show that I expected a bit more with the way it developed it’s whole world. With my minor gripes aside, this show has fantastic characters, great acting, a memorable soundtrack and an engaging storyline. As of right now there has not been a confirmed second season for the show, but if it is anything like this season, I would not be opposed.