{"id":18372,"date":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leithart.level2d.com\/?p=126"},"modified":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-16T00:00:00","slug":"stranger-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leithart\/2016\/09\/stranger-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

G<\/span>racy Olmstead has joined the chorus of praise<\/a> for Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things<\/em>. She has many insightful things to say about the program, but I have to register a dissent from this:<\/p>\n

My husband and I joined the legions of hooked fans, as we followed the journey of Will\u2019s mother Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and his faithful cohort of best friends\u2014Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin)\u2014in their quest to find Will. Ryder has (rightly) received an outpouring of accolades for her role: tender yet resolute, strong yet vulnerable. David Harbor\u2019s troubled and brooding sheriff, Jim Hopper, is also fantastic. But without Byers\u2019s trio of friends, the film would fall flat. They add pathos and humor to the film. Without them, it would all too easily become an eerie, depressing horror flick. With them, the film transcends mere spookiness, offering sweetness, tragedy, humor, and delight.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ryder, I think, was the weakest part of the show. Granted, Joyce has just lost her son, but Ryder\u2019s hyper-distraught performance was a constant distraction, at times an irritation. Some viewers\u2014I won\u2019t name anyone in particular\u2014might have had the urge to give her a good shake. Will\u2019s three friends were endearing, I admit, but they don\u2019t act like kids; they act like kids trying very hard to act like kids.<\/p>\n

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, though, makes up for all the distractions.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gracy Olmstead has joined the chorus of praise for Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things. She has many insightful things to say about the program, but I have to register a dissent from this: My husband and I joined the legions of hooked fans, as we followed the journey of Will\u2019s mother Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nStranger Things<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Gracy Olmstead has joined the chorus of praise for Netflix\u2019s Stranger Things. 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