5 Reasons ‘Stranger Things’ is Great

It gets the ’80s right

“Stranger Things” is far from the only show to be set in the 1980s. I’m a big fan of ABC’s “The Goldbergs,” and FX’s “The Americans” is next on my list of shows to catch up on. And let’s not forget “Freaks and Geeks,” rightly considered one of the greatest television programs of all time. The ’80s is so full historical and pop culture events that it’s a perfect setting.

The Duffers perfectly capture what it was like to be young in the 1980s, especially when it comes to being a free-range kid. Parents were comfortable leaving their children home by themselves if they were sick on a school day, and you weren’t restricted to your subdivision when you’d go ride your bikes. For better or worse, the world felt bigger, scarier and more adventurous. Sure, there might be a monster lurking in the woods behind your house, but there could also be an abandoned trail to pirate treasure. “Stranger Things” really captures that feeling of being an ’80s kid, free of helicopter parents, able to run around at will and having to communicate via walkie-talkie because there were no cellphones, internet or text messages. It captures the fear parents must have had if something did go wrong. With no cellphones or GPS, there was no way to easily locate your kids. You couldn’t just Google the strange government lab in your backyard. If your phone broke and no one was at home, you’d have a heck of a time getting help in an emergency.

The show perfectly captures the ’80s, from its vehicles to its clothes to its music. And yet, it’s not a reference factory, nor is it empty nostalgia. “Stranger Things” uses the setting to create a tone of wonder and fear, to lull the audience into a sense of security but also make it difficult for its heroes to easily solve their problems. Its not a show that just happens to be set in the ’80s; its setting is vital to its tone, its plot and its underlying themes.