Picture it…

You are a 33 year old film and TV lover anxiously waiting for something to come along that you can really sink your teeth into. It’s Sunday and you notice a that a new Netflix show you’ve had your eye on has released (two days ago) and people are already writing about it. “That was fast” you think to yourself…”Can it be that good?” you also think.

A week passes and somehow you manage to avoid every single spoiler known to man, which is quite the accomplishment since you write for and follow blogs that cover news of this nature, and you finally (when did 7 days later become finally) sit down to watch…

 

That was me, just over two weeks ago.

Now, I could say “You had me at” just about every second of what I am about to share with you BUT I will start with the above image. If neonesque signage, a strange silhouetted building and three kids on bikes shining bike lights on an overturned bike doesn’t beg a click to view, I don’t know what does.

Maybe it’s just the leftover childhood adventurer in me but this image alone would have had me adding it to “my list” but add in the episode titles as Chapters and it automatically goes to “watch now”.

And so, at magic Midnight, for three nights in a row, I watched.

***The following contains some highlights of my experience with my first watch through of the show. There may be spoiler(ish) content but nothing extensive…yet 😉

I may be a little weird, ok, I AM a little weird but I like to be a little creeped out. Starting at Midnight where there is absolutely no chance of daylight saving the day seemed like the perfect backdrop to my project. ***I say project because I also recorded first reaction commentary. But as it was my first time EVER doing something like that, I haven’t been brave enough to post it**. As it turns out the only thing that could have been a better backdrop would have been outdoors 🙂

One of the very first YES moments came when I met these guys. I was homeschooled until third grade and then went to a country school, meaning if there was a D&D crowd, I wasn’t aware of it. I can say at 33, I wish I had known these guys. A 10hr campaign expertly narrated by Mike!? Hell, I’d play that now!

This was the first glimpse at a theme I caught right away…and after a few of those Tolkien references, I am betting you did too…Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin are a fellowship. And bless my Hobbit heart, I got a little teary when Mirkwood was mentioned.

This all happens pretty quickly so it didn’t take long for me to know with certainty that this was going to be a favorite, dare I say obsession.

Oh Chief Hopper…don’t you know when you move from a city where everything happens to a city where nothing happens, that something is going to happen?

LOL…Hawkins finest wouldn’t be complete without Officer Powell and Officer Callahan 😉 Was it just me or did Callahan remind anyone of a modern day Barney Fife ??

Enter a love story that wouldn’t fit the bill if it we didn’t have the Stranger Things brat pack. Carol (the Mean Girl), Tommy (the Jockass Supremo), Steve (the Jake Ryan), Nancy (the Princess) and Barb (the Brain). You don’t have to understand the above references to know that Barb is the smartest in this group. Listen to Barb or if you can, be Barb.

Not to be forgotten, in 80’s esque tribute, the clueless parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler. If Ted wasn’t the representation of father who has know idea what is EVER going on, I don’t know who was. Oh but Mr. Wheeler, you sure made me laugh.

Speaking of families, I have to talk about the Byers crew. Charlie Heaton, who plays  Jonathan was a stand out, to me, in the series. Jonathan is the quiet, loner, artistic, music loving (he has GREAT taste by the way) older brother to Will.

Momma Bear of the year goes to Joyce Byers (watch to find out why).

Remember that strange silhouetted building in the opening scene? Well, one of the occupants of said building is Dr. Brenner. It takes less than a min for you to forget that this is Matthew Modine (thank you expert casting people) and realize that this Dr. Brenner isn’t someone you are going to like. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I can’t talk about a fellowship without mentioning El-even. We meet her just as she’s ran away from that strange silhouetted building. She quickly forms a bond with Mike and then eventually Dustin and Lucas. Their friendship is a pivotal part of the story.

Take what you have read above, put it to a stellar 80’s soundtrack, add in bike rides, bike chases, search parties, a teen party, a camera, photos, christmas lights, an axe, a bear trap and SOMETHING STRANGE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD and you have Stranger Things.

Not only was it something I could sink my teeth into, it was EVERYTHING my 80’s soul was craving. The combination of adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, thiller and a tad of horror created an exceptional show.

If for some reason you haven’t tuned in yet, DO IT RIGHT NOW!!!

 

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GiGi joined the fun this past weekend and found this EPIC mix by Dj Yoda for our listening pleasure.

We’ve got so much more to say but for now, it is safe to say that we will follow The Duffer Brothers wherever they take us next 🙂