Schuyler Kropp, Staff Writer
Stranger Things is a TV Show set in the 1970’s through the 1980’s that was introduced to Netflix in July of 2016. It was made by the Duffer Brothers, as a multi-genre series including science fiction, horror, drama, and action. The show quickly gained a lot of popularity and views, making many of its young actors famous. In the beginning of the show, the character Will Byers, played by actor Noah Schnapp, goes missing in the town of Hawkins. The past of Hawkins is uncertain in the beginning of the film but then, the cause behind tragedies in this town are revealed.
The show often centers around the character, Eleven. She grew up inside a mysterious lab and eventually made an attempt to run away. She escapes through the underground tunnels leading out into a forest away from the lab. When she escapes, she is found by three boys— Micheal, Dustin, and Lucas— who help her learn about the outside world. As she starts to explore this new world, she starts to learn how to form meaningful relationships and love the people around her. You can learn about love through Eleven’s journey of discovery. She explores different types of relationships in her life. Those types of relationships are friendship, romantic, self, and parental love.
She experiences friendship and love through the relationship she has with Max. At first, Eleven doesn’t like Max because she is jealous over a boy, but when Max asks her about him, they learn about their likes and dislikes. Max gives Eleven relationship advice, and allows her to discover her taste of who she wants to be. This is how she finds happiness with Max. Later on in the show, they understand each other better as their friendship grows. Throughout the show, they support each other through difficult and even violent times as they face issues with both friends and supernatural forces. Their friendship teaches us how we can rely on friends through hard times.
Eleven experiences romantic love in the show with her boyfriend, Mike. Mike and Eleven become friends during her time when she first escaped the laboratory. They become closer as they both struggle with bullies in their lives. Throughout the show, they are both willing to stand up to these bullies for each other. As she defends Mike, Eleven learns that she wants to use her powers for the greater good rather than showing them off or hurting others. As he finds safety in Eleven, he discovers that he can always have someone to rely on through tough times. This relationship teaches us that our partners are supposed to be people who always have our backs.
Eleven learns about self love throughout the show as she tries to figure out who she is. At the beginning of the show, she had been stuck in a lab for her entire life and therefore, had never been able to discover herself. Once she breaks out and is able to explore the world, she starts to gain a sense of independence. She starts to be able to make her own decisions, including who she hangs out with, how she dresses, and what her values are. This teaches her about herself as she is no longer just a tool for someone else. She also takes time to discover her past and meets her sister, Kali and her mom. From her journey of self discovery, we discover that no matter how bad our pasts may be, it is always okay to keep moving forward and make our own decisions about how our futures shape us.
This show also models parental love with the characters Hopper and Eleven. Hopper adopts Eleven when she escapes from the lab and quickly becomes her father figure. The beginning of their father and daughter relationship is a bit tough as Hopper becomes controlling of her. Hopper wants to protect Eleven as she fights the evil in Hawkins, but at one point ends up pushing her away as she tries to find independence. Eleven returns to him once they both open up about how they have lost important people in their lives. Hopper has made mistakes but his relationship with Eleven allows him to reflect on this, move forward, and become a better person. Hopper helps her understand what parental love is and what it means to be unconditionally supported. Their relationship shows us that parents are supposed to love and support us even through disagreements.
Character based storytelling is important because it allows us a new way to learn about ourselves and how to navigate the real world. Stranger Things shows how people love each other and what that is like. I like to relate some of my writing to this show, as I like to tell stories and express different relationships between characters. The beauty of stories is that they can show how everyone deserves to be loved.
The 5th and final season of Stranger Things will premiere later in 2025 on the streaming platform, Netflix.