When Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix, it began with something wonderfully small. It seemed to be simply about a group of kids playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and not expecting that world to manifest around them! After the sudden absence of Will (Noah Schnapp), they had to learn how to become heroes for real. Even though the adults didn’t believe what they’ve encountered is real, what they managed to do was the impossible: to show that dangers lurk in every corner. The shadows are alive, and the necrophagous shadows, well….
From that moment, the series evolved naturally from childhood rituals into becoming adults. As for the fantasy characters they wanted to become, all the visual motifs (including a garbage can lid modified to become a shield) came into place. And the monsters they had to face weren’t just creatures. They were metaphors to something greater shaped by the kids’ references to concepts and entities from this role playing world. Some worked, and others did not, but overall, unless the viewer was in the know, the tie-ins were more than surface level references.
Early on, the appreciation for the TSR product came from crafting powerful images that would last. These days, it’s managed by WotC and although some of the strength is lost, the game is still the same. As for what the Upside Down really is, we still don’t know. This place represented a world shaped by anxiety, secrecy, and institutional threat. The Cold War metaphor was never subtle, but it had to flavour the real world. These Soviet experiments existed for a reason, but so did the increasingly aggressive secrecy of American military involvement.
Thankfully ths focus isn’t about all these conspiracies. Instead, it’s about how Will Byers, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) dealt with the world as secrets were exposed. After meeting Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown; Season One, “Holly, Jolly”) and helping her adjust to being normal, that’s when Stranger Things became weirder. Her abilities mattered less than her isolation. As her memories returned and the strange became routine, the group expanded. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink; Season Two, “Madmax”) became essential. Later came Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) whose sacrifice (Season Four, “The Piggyback”) affected the gang, showing why it’s not always good to turn away. It’s better to confront those fears. And along the way, they met Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers to show they were not alone.
As the series quietly dismantled the idea of the 80s as a safe, nostalgic space, what’s presented goes beyond the anxieties which defined the 50s. Also, Hawkins, Indiana was slowly being taken over, perhaps as a foothold for invasion. Seasons Two and Three expanded the mythology. As specific fears resurfaced (Season Three, “Suzie, Do You Copy?”), what’s presented were filtered through consequence. The danger always arrived with personal fallout, and killing some people off.
Although not every side path needed illumination. Hopper’s (David Harbour) surprise survival and time in the gulag (Season Four, “The Hellfire Club”) is one example where over-explanation weakened the overall. His story didn’t really matter as much and had this instalment simply focussed on Max, it’d probably be as strong as peak Chris Claremont material of psyches clashing and dealing with The Sentinels from Uncanny X-Men. In what the military can’t control, they’ll contain. In what they can manufacture, they hope it won’t rebel against them.
This storyline also followed some of the ideology from The X-Files. When the Institution wants to contain and manage what they don’t understand, that’s when we see the dirty truths. And when Kali Prasad (Linnea Berthelsen) was revealed to be the person behind the steel door at the lab, those flashbacks have meaning. By season five, she once again got freed (Season Five, Chapter Four: “Sorcerer”) and it’s revealed she is as powerful as Eleven! Her importance says it all, and as for how this supporting character matters sets up the uncertainty of whether her sister (Eleven) survived or not.
By the time I thought I would praise the final season, I’m left with more questions than answers. Vecna’s defeat does not answer the deeper question. What type of consciousness existed in that meteorite fragment which further corrupted the child known as Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower)? Although already a misanthrope before being taken by the military and brainwashed, the reveals during Season Four’s “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” and “Papa” are very telling. I suspect a Lovecraftian essence is making a power play rather than something truly mystical in the Gnostic sense.
As for whether what’s in the meteorite is an Outer God, it’s hard to say. When Azathoth is said to dream reality into being, the implication is still clear. There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in any philosophy! Vecna’s ability to shape a piece of this realm hints at a larger cosmology and another game that’s not truly over. Evil was not destroyed, only displaced.
Because of this, what we’re given is not a true finale in that Lord of the Rings sense; the epilogue was far too long, and unnecessary. Although what we’ve seen is about one group of kids finally finishing a module (in the classic D&D sense of the word), there are other scenarios that still need to be touched upon at some point in time, and Netflix will be addressing it with their upcoming Tales from ’85 series. They take place before the finale. As fans, we cannot expect the creators to keep a narrative going forever, especially when they have said, the story is technically over.
And some of us do not want the passing of the torch either. Although the series does not answer all the questions. As a whole, this series is great at capturing the essence that defines a Spielberg style film, clock in some Blumhouse style terror and honour what was beloved from the TSR product. The core story could’ve been tightened down to three seasons than five without losing a beat. And while what’s concluded is satisfying, it’s safe to say this IP is not retiring when more product is planned. It’s not like the Norwegian series Ragnarok which played out in a shorter run. While this saga is more novel, at least we know when that tale is truly over when nothing new is planned to indicate life after the end of days.
Stranger Things Original Trailer
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