I Didn't Like 'Stranger Things.'

I like to think I have good taste, and especially good sci-fi taste. So maybe I can't watch the tribble episode of the original Star Trek, but really...who can? I count to my credit having seen and enjoyed everything Star Wars has ever put out (including the holiday special and the really corny Ewok movie...though maybe I shouldn't tell you that if I want you to appreciate my taste level) and all of the modern Doctor Who episodes. And though I was bred to be a Star Wars fan, I have even dabbled my way into the Star Trek world and have been devouring Voyager on Netflix.

When it comes to monsters, I grew up in a house with a mother who loves horror films. So while I may have to cover my eyes or scream a bit, I've seen all of the classics. And even though I came to the party late, I am a HUGE "Buffy"-phile. But enough about my own credentials.

When I heard about Stranger Things, it sounded like a surefire win. And then my friend from work gave me her Netflix password specifically so I could watch it and gush with her. I figured it was a shoo-in for a new favorite.

And maybe it was because I was watching it in 30-minute chunks at the gym, but it...wasn't great. I'm not even sure it was good.

I chalk some of this up to my own expectations. Not everything can be Doctor Who, or Star Wars, or Supergirl. After hearing raves from some of my Netflix-subscribing friends, and seeing how quickly the fandom was spreading across the Internet, I was expecting a lot out of this show.

By the last two or three episodes, I was only watching out of a sense of obligation; I got this far, I should go the rest of the way, and hey, maybe the ending will really impress me.

It didn't.

Here are some thoughts, in no particular order, I had while coming to accept my ambivalent feelings toward a show everyone else seemed to think I should love.

1. The monster. I guess it was scary? I felt like there was a lot of lead up, to not a lot of reveal. Maybe this is only because I saw a couple of pictures of it before I watched the show, but I wasn't overly impressed. It kind of reminded me of the creepy dude from Pan's Labryinth. But I think that was the problem. I felt like this villain was done before.
2. Barb. Barb. Barb. She was BY FAR the most interesting character to begin with, and honestly, the most relatable for a good portion of the intended audience (I assume that they were expecting nerds, geeks, and other outcasts to be the primary demographic for a show that, if you really break it down, is about Dungeons and Dragons). I was Barb in high school, if you swap out the curly hair for pigtails and the wool skirts for baggy jeans and over-sized sweatshirts. She's the kind of character that could have really shone in a world where nerds are solving all of the problems. Instead, she gets iced for being the one kid at the party who wasn't having sex. It's like an anti-trope from horror movie hell (see Scream 2, where they stipulate that only virgins survive). And why is she devoured immediately when Will survives the entire ordeal? Wouldn't it have been much cooler to see her taking care of Will and helping him navigate the Upside Down and reach out to his mom? It was terrible treatment of a character who could have been so much more.
3. Related to Barb: once they killed her off, we were left with only three female characters to try to relate to: the mom who chops holes in her walls and makes everyone think she's insane; the pretty, popular girl that all of the boys are in love with; or the actually insane, mute psychic. That's the best you can give me, a geekess in search of some form of representation in my preferred genre, in 2016, on the most popular streaming app?
4. Steve. I get that he was likable by the end. I was even kind of rooting for him in the last episode. But for goodness sake, when a girl says no, she wants to study, she doesn't want to make out with you, and she doesn't want you sneaking into her room because you're going to get her in trouble, she means no. Stop glorifying men who hear "no" and think, "I just need to ask a few dozen more times until she says yes." This is a trope that follows all the way through sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, and horror, so I wasn't surprised to see it here. But really, Netflix, aren't we better than this by now?
5. Ultimately the ending just fell flat. The cinematography was gorgeous, of course, but I wasn't surprised by anything that happened. Of course they got Will back. Of course the government showed up. Of course they defeated the monster. Of course Eleven wasn't really dead (we knew they wanted to make Season 2, after all). I didn't find any of it overly memorable or impactful in any way. Maybe I was just expecting too much of a "No, I am your father!" twist.

No judgement if you enjoyed the show. I accept that I am in the minority here. And if you have any insights that you feel may inspire me to change my mind, please feel free to share them in comments. I'm going to keep looking forward to Halloween for all of the costumes and mounds of candy and not worry that Season 2 is coming up.