I remember when Stranger Things first dropped on Netflix back in 2016. I went in expecting another horror show, maybe something to watch while scrolling through my phone. But twenty minutes into the first episode, my phone was face-down on the couch and I was completely hooked. That’s the thing about this show. It doesn’t just grab you, it pulls you into Hawkins, Indiana and doesn’t let go.
The first season was magic in a bottle. Pure nostalgia mixed with genuine scares and kids who actually felt like real kids. You had this group of nerds playing Dungeons & Dragons in a basement, and suddenly one of them vanishes into thin air. The whole thing felt like someone found Spielberg’s lost scripts from the 80s and decided to make them real. But what really worked was how simple it was. A missing kid. A mysterious girl with superpowers. A monster from another dimension. The show knew exactly what it wanted to be.
| Review Platform | Rating Score |
| MovieSharp | 8.0/10 (Overall) |
| IMDB | 8.6/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 90% |
| Metacritic | 74% |
| IGN | 7/10 |
| Entertainment Weekly | – |
| Collider | – |
| Screen Rant | – |
| Roger Ebert | – |
| MovieWeb | – |
| IndieWire | – |
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Then season two came along and honestly, I was worried. You know how it goes with Netflix shows, right? They nail the first season and then lose the plot. But Stranger Things did something smart. Instead of trying to repeat the same formula, it expanded. We got to see more of the Upside Down, more monsters, and the kids dealing with PTSD from what happened before. Mike was depressed. Will was traumatized. These weren’t just characters going through the motions, they were dealing with real consequences.
Season three is where things got interesting in a different way. The mall setting, the bright summer colors, it felt like the show was growing up alongside the characters. Everything was bigger and louder. Maybe too loud sometimes. The Russian subplot was fun but also kind of silly when you think about it. A secret base under a mall in Indiana? Come on. But you know what? I didn’t care that much because the character moments were still there. Hopper and Joyce dancing in that convenience store. Steve becoming the ultimate babysitter and finding his best friend in Robin. The show was changing, becoming more action-heavy, but it still had heart.
By season four, Stranger Things had transformed into something completely different from where it started. The episodes were basically movies. Some of them ran for over an hour and a half. The scope exploded. We weren’t just in Hawkins anymore. We had California, Russia, different timelines. Vecna was terrifying in a way the Demogorgon never was because he was personal. He didn’t just want to kill you, he wanted to torture you with your trauma first. And that scene with Max and “Running Up That Hill”? I’m not ashamed to say I got emotional. That’s the power this show has when it fires on all cylinders.
What I really appreciate is how the show never forgot its core. Despite all the CGI monsters and dimension-hopping, it’s always been about these characters and their friendships. Watching these kids grow up has been the real journey. Mike and Eleven figuring out their relationship. Lucas and Max going through their own ups and downs. Dustin staying the heart of the group even when everyone else was dealing with heavy stuff. And Will, poor Will, who can never catch a break.
The adult characters got better too. Joyce went from the “crazy mom” in season one to this determined warrior who would literally travel to Russia to save Hopper. Speaking of Hopper, his character arc has been one of the best things about the show. From the depressed cop who barely cared about anything to becoming a father figure willing to sacrifice everything. When he “died” at the end of season three, I was genuinely upset. Even though we all knew he’d come back somehow.
But let’s be real about the problems because there are definitely problems. The show has gotten bloated. What worked in eight tight episodes in season one doesn’t quite work when you’re stretching things out to nine episodes that feel like they should’ve been six. Season four especially could’ve used some editing. There were entire storylines that felt like they were just spinning wheels. The California crew spent half the season just trying to get back to Hawkins, and while I love Jonathan and Will, their subplot felt disconnected from everything else.
Another thing that bugs me is how the show sometimes seems scared to have real stakes. Characters get into impossible situations and somehow make it out fine. Bob died, sure, and that was heartbreaking. But the core group? They’ve all survived four seasons of literal hell and barely have scratches. I get it, no one wants to see their favorite characters die, but when you keep putting them in death scenarios and they all survive, it starts feeling less tense.
The show also has this habit of introducing new characters and not quite knowing what to do with them. Max was great, Robin was fantastic, Eddie in season four was amazing. But then you have characters like Murray who feel like they’re just there for comic relief. Or Erica, who started as this fun sassy kid but sometimes feels like she’s just repeating the same joke over and over.
What I do think Stranger Things nails better than most shows is atmosphere. Every season has its own distinct feel. Season one was dark and mysterious. Season two was about trauma and possession. Season three was bright summer fun with dark undertones. Season four went full horror. The Duffer Brothers know how to create mood, and the music choices have been absolutely perfect. That Kate Bush song became a cultural moment because of how well it fit into the story.
The acting has improved across the board too. These kids started as good child actors and have grown into genuinely talented performers. Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven has been the standout from day one, but watching Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo grow into their roles has been impressive. And Sadie Sink in season four? She carried some of the heaviest emotional scenes in the entire series and absolutely crushed it.
Where the show really shines is in those quiet moments between the chaos. Hopper and Eleven’s father-daughter relationship. Steve and Dustin’s unlikely friendship. Nancy and Jonathan trying to figure out their future. These are the scenes that stick with you more than any monster fight. The show understands that we care about the characters first and the supernatural stuff second.
Looking back at how far Stranger Things has come, it’s wild to think it started as this small-scale mystery and turned into one of the biggest shows on the planet. Has it stayed perfect? No. Has it made mistakes along the way? Definitely. But it’s also created some of the most memorable moments in modern TV. It made us care about a group of kids in a small town fighting monsters, and that’s not an easy thing to do.
The show is ending with season five, and honestly, that feels right. I’d rather see it go out strong than drag on until we all get tired of it. Stranger Things has been a journey, one that’s grown and evolved and sometimes stumbled, but never stopped trying to deliver something special. It reminded us why we love storytelling in the first place. Sometimes you just need a group of kids on bikes, a monster in the shadows, and the belief that friendship can save the world.