The Spiritual Undertones of Stranger Things: A Faith Perspective
The culmination of our springtime bonus series, 'Flix Friday,' finds us delving into the enigmatic and captivating world of "Stranger Things." As we traverse the intricacies of this beloved Netflix original, we, your hosts Pastor Will Rose, Rev. Laura Wittman, and Kevin Schaeffer, are tasked with encapsulating the essence of four enthralling seasons within a succinct thirty-minute discourse. "Stranger Things" stands as a quintessential narrative that intertwines themes of friendship, nostalgia, and the battle against the shadowy forces of the Upside Down, resonating profoundly with audiences across generations. In this episode, we reflect upon our personal connections to the series, explore the evolution of its characters, and examine the rich tapestry of pop culture references that permeate its storyline. Join us as we embark on this final exploration of the series, celebrating what many deem to be the pinnacle of binge-worthy entertainment.
The episode serves as a celebration of 'Stranger Things', encapsulating the essence of the series while reflecting on its profound cultural impact. The hosts reflect on their favorite aspects of the show, including standout seasons, characters, and pivotal moments that have left an indelible mark on their viewing experience. As they traverse through each season's unique offerings—from the charm of the first season to the epic stakes of the fourth season—the discussion highlights the show's masterful blending of horror, nostalgia, and heartfelt storytelling. The hosts also engage in a deeper analysis of the thematic elements that resonate throughout the series, such as the exploration of familial bonds, the struggle against societal expectations, and the complexities of growing up in a world filled with both wonder and darkness. Ultimately, this finale episode not only reviews 'Stranger Things' but also invites listeners to reflect on their own relationships with the series, fostering a sense of community among fans.
Takeaways:
- The podcast finale celebrates the conclusion of the 'Flix Friday' springtime bonus series, focusing on popular Netflix original shows voted by the community.
- Our discussion centers around 'Stranger Things', an iconic series that intricately weaves themes of nostalgia, friendship, and the challenges of adolescence.
- The hosts reflect on their personal connections to the show, emphasizing its impact on their family dynamics and shared experiences when watching together.
- We explore the generational themes present in 'Stranger Things', highlighting the interplay between the adult and younger characters throughout the series.
- The podcast delves into the significance of the show's soundtrack, noting how it enhances the emotional resonance of key moments and character arcs.
- Listeners are encouraged to engage with the themes of love, friendship, and the coming-of-age journey as portrayed in 'Stranger Things' and its narrative evolution.
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Transcript
Foreign to Hawkins, Indiana, and perhaps the Upside Down.
Speaker A:You know, I can't even tell anymore if I'm in the Upside down world or the real world.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:We are your priests to the geeks, and that just means that we're the mediators and curators at the intersection of pop culture and our faith.
Speaker A:And I have two of my favorite priests to the geeks with me today, Laura and Kevin.
Speaker A:And, friends, we have a challenge set out for us today.
Speaker A:We have to discuss or called to discuss or lured to discuss.
Speaker A:Ah, we can't help it.
Speaker A:We want to discuss four seasons of Stranger Things in around 30 minutes or so.
Speaker A:So you guys up for this?
Speaker B:I got this challenge.
Speaker B:I don't know how.
Speaker B:Yeah, we'll see.
Speaker C:I believe it is.
Speaker B:I especially love.
Speaker B:I especially love this one because it's like, you know, I mean, that the.
Speaker B:Each season gets longer and longer and, like, each episode is like a movie.
Speaker B:So I can go on for hours and hours.
Speaker A:We sure could.
Speaker A:We sure could.
Speaker B:We will try to keep it concise.
Speaker A:We will.
Speaker A:Because this is a part of our bonus series, Flicks Fridays, discussing those bingeable shows on Netflix.
Speaker A:And this is the finale.
Speaker A:This is the finale of this series.
Speaker A:And so why not end with what some would consider the best bingeable show or perhaps the.
Speaker A:The show that possibly pioneered Benjamal.
Speaker A:We're not talking about House of Cards.
Speaker A:We're talking about Stranger Things.
Speaker A:And so it's time to battle this demogorgon and get justice for Barb.
Speaker A:Let's talk Stranger Things.
Speaker A:Let's do it.
Speaker A:Let's do it.
Speaker A:All right, so as we.
Speaker A:How did you guys get introduced to this show?
Speaker A:Were you there from the beginning?
Speaker A:This is the first season, debuted in.
Speaker A: In the summer of: Speaker A:Kevin, how.
Speaker A:How did you find the show?
Speaker A:Were you there from the beginning?
Speaker A:Or someone say, hey, we know you're a nerd.
Speaker A:We know you're a geek.
Speaker A:You have to.
Speaker A:On this.
Speaker A:It's got lots of geek pop culture references.
Speaker B:I was there right from the beginning.
Speaker B:I mean, this was like a show Taylor made for me.
Speaker B:So I binged that first season, that opening weekend or whatever, and fell in love with it right away.
Speaker B:I liked, you know, especially once I learned that the creators were from North Carolina.
Speaker B:All of the pop culture nostalgia that I love was embedded into it.
Speaker B:So I was a fan straight from the beginning.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:I was even ill because I remember a friend of mine, Zach Smith, who was writing for Indie Week at the time, which is our.
Speaker B:One of our local Independent newspapers.
Speaker B:He was able to do a feature on it before it debuted.
Speaker B:And so at that time, I was helping a lot with NC Comic Con, and I was like, let's try to get the Duffer Brothers to the show.
Speaker B:And by then, it blew up so quickly, and they got so busy, and they were already working on season two.
Speaker B:So it didn't work out.
Speaker B:But that's still my dream is to meet and possibly interview them one day.
Speaker B:One day, see if it happens.
Speaker B:But I was.
Speaker B:I was one of its early evangelists and telling everyone to watch it.
Speaker B:And I was a fan right there from day one.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker A:Laura, how about you?
Speaker C:So I was there pretty much from the beginning.
Speaker C:I did not watch it immediately when it came out because I knew it involved a kid disappearing.
Speaker C:And as a mom, I was like.
Speaker C:And then my husband was like, trust me, I really think you need to watch this, because this is everything you love.
Speaker C:And then we did, and I was immediately hooked.
Speaker C:And then by the time seasons two and three rolled around, like, we were doing countdowns for the show.
Speaker C:So I was there from the beginning, for sure.
Speaker A:Nice, Laura.
Speaker B:If I can give a quick anecdote there, I know I could go on and on about trivia, some of the show.
Speaker B: Prisoners, which came out in: Speaker B:But that movie is about child disappearance around Thanksgiving, and they took that as major inspiration.
Speaker B:They wanted to craft a thriller around that, but with a heavy supernatural emphasis as well.
Speaker A:Nice, nice.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I remember I'm a weekly listener to Rebel Force Radio.
Speaker A:That's my favorite Star wars podcast.
Speaker A:And I remember them having a conversation that summer about this show, Stranger things, that had 80s pop culture references, and there were, like, Star wars action figures in the background, and they were talking about all these kind of retro references to Star wars and pop culture.
Speaker A:And they're like, oh, you gotta check this out.
Speaker A:There's a big Millennium Falcon hanging it behind.
Speaker A:And I was like, oh, what is this?
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:And so then they started.
Speaker A:They're like, oh, if you like the Goonies, if you like Stephen King, if you like anything.
Speaker A:Kind of nostalgic for the 80s, this show is.
Speaker A:That's the timepiece, you know, for.
Speaker A:For what's here with these kids.
Speaker A:And it has a sci fi, PG horror kind of element to it.
Speaker A:And so I hopped back in, and then my kids at the time were 14 and 12 and so they were just now like, oh, well, this kind of ramp up our TV show, watching our thriller, horror, mystery, all that stuff.
Speaker A:And they were hooked immediately.
Speaker A:So whereas for me, kind of coming of age was Star Wars, Karate Kid, Goonies, that kind of stuff, Stranger Things, and Harry Potter was definitely for my kids.
Speaker A:They were like, that's my Star wars, that's my Goonies.
Speaker A:And they were just hooked.
Speaker A:So we were the same way.
Speaker A:Appointment television.
Speaker A:When season two came out, I remember it dropped and we woke the kids up like two hours early before school, cooked waffles, and we all ate our eggo waffles while watching the first two episodes before they went to school the next day.
Speaker A:So that was just a core memory for us as a family and just have been real big geeks about the show and can't wait for the next season to come in.
Speaker A: l right, four seasons debuted: Speaker A:And now we're waiting for the final fifth season.
Speaker A:Laura, if you had to sum up in a handful of paragraphs what this show is about, about you're in an elevator and it's like, I haven't heard of Stranger Things.
Speaker A:What is that about?
Speaker A:And before you get off the elevator, what are you gonna say?
Speaker A:It's a tall challenge.
Speaker A:Like, I just sprung this on her.
Speaker A:So, yeah.
Speaker C:And I'm also really bad at the summaries in a quick way because I'm a preacher and I like to talk.
Speaker A:So you like to exegete.
Speaker B:I know I do.
Speaker C:I do.
Speaker C:I can't give the synopsis without giving my commentary.
Speaker C: all, is it takes place in the: Speaker C: e're starting around November: Speaker C:And it's the story that we're finding is that Will Byers has disappeared.
Speaker C:And the whole season is sort of this search for him, trying to figure out where he is.
Speaker C:And it is his mother who starts getting really crafty and doing some things to sort of tap into what we eventually know to be the Upside down, to get messages from Will and figure out exactly what's going on.
Speaker C:And it's really through her commitment to the story that we're able to find a resolution and figure out where Will is.
Speaker C:But what we quickly realized beyond in other seasons is that the Upside down never really leaves, that there's this sort of breaking through and connection to the Upside down in different places and in different times.
Speaker C:And so that's a really terrible summary, but that's the summary I'm giving you.
Speaker A:Elevator rides over the elevator ride.
Speaker A:And they.
Speaker A:They've been left wanting more, so they leave.
Speaker A:And as they're walking down the hallway, they.
Speaker A:They see Kevin and they see that he's wearing a Stranger Things T shirt, and they're like, you know, Laura just told me some stuff about.
Speaker A:I want to know a little bit more, Kevin.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What more can you tell me about Stranger Things?
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And I only have down this hallway to share.
Speaker A:And so you.
Speaker A:You're tasked with walking down this hallway and sharing what.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What you think Strange Things is about.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I think that's a great elevator pitch there.
Speaker B:And I would just add that looking at each season, because.
Speaker B:So in the first season, the kind of central strange things that happen are the arrival of a young girl named Eleven with supernatural abilities.
Speaker B:And we don't really know what her deal is, and she has some kind.
Speaker B:There's some kind of government conspiracy linked to her origins.
Speaker B:So we learn a lot about that.
Speaker B:There is also a monster that named the Demogorgon, which they derived from D and D mythology and Litecoin, the monster, that term, but it stems from a parallel universe called the Upside Down.
Speaker B:And so these concepts come into play early in season one, but then as the later seasons progress, we learn so much more about this world.
Speaker B:And we have, as we were talking about right before recording, each season corresponds with a different holiday.
Speaker B:So as Laura talked about, season one is very near Thanksgiving.
Speaker B:And then Christmas.
Speaker B:Season two is very revolved around Halloween.
Speaker B:Season three very revolved around July 4th.
Speaker B:And then season four takes place over spring break.
Speaker B:And so we see all these elements come together.
Speaker B:We see influences from different 80s eras of pop culture.
Speaker B:So season one is very influenced by Spielberg, et Goonies.
Speaker B:And then by the time we get to season four, we get a lot more Stephen King and horror influence.
Speaker B:So it's as much a hybrid and a love letter to the pop culture that the Duffer Brothers grew up with.
Speaker B:And it also modernizes it and brings it into something that, like you said, well, that your kids can really easily enjoy and digest.
Speaker B:And it means as much to them as it does to you that you were growing up on the movies and music that heavily influenced the show.
Speaker A:Nicely done.
Speaker A:So then they turn the corner and they like, thanks, Kevin, and they go into their hotel room, and I'm sitting on their bed going, oh, do you want to learn more about Stranger Things.
Speaker A:I have a D and D set out and I'm like, we're going to play D and D.
Speaker A:I'm going to roll some dice.
Speaker A:And let me tell you about 80s Cold War culture with, with Russia and US and there's this underground conspiracy of this.
Speaker A:They're experimenting on kids and this person then calls the cops, go like, why are you in my room?
Speaker A:I don't know who you are.
Speaker A:And so I get kicked out and I get arrested.
Speaker A:So call security.
Speaker C:If that happens, they call security.
Speaker A:And when.
Speaker A:And then when they call security, this guy named Hopper shows up.
Speaker A:It's like, what is going on here?
Speaker A:And he's got a coffee cup that says like morning is morning contemplating coffee and contemplation.
Speaker A:Mornings are for contemplation.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So a cop shows up and takes me away.
Speaker A:And then there's the end of our show, y'all.
Speaker A:I'm arrested.
Speaker A:And the rest of.
Speaker A:We had to do a gofundme to get me out of prison.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:But yeah, they explained it great.
Speaker A:And that is each of these seasons is a coming of age story with these kids that you really kind of start off in the kids basement with them playing D and D and adventure.
Speaker A:They don't have phones yet, they don't have computers, they don't have the Internet.
Speaker A:They just have their bikes and their friendships and their imaginations.
Speaker A:And so there's this call to adventure among their friend group.
Speaker A:But then you have the older siblings who are wrestling with high school, not just middle school or late elementary school, growing up and middle school, but also their older siblings who are in high school.
Speaker A:They're wrestling with coming of age and what it means to grow up and those kinds of things.
Speaker A:And the whole backdrop and context is this kind of 80s Cold War era government conspiracy, but also this supernatural horror, sci fi element to these, to what's going on around them.
Speaker A:And yeah, it's just an incredible adventure and the soundtrack and the score and the font that they use to show what town they're in or project stranger things of it.
Speaker A:There's strange things that happen in the show for four season.
Speaker A:They just ramp it up after every season.
Speaker A:So I just adore this show and love it so much and looking forward to see how they land this plane with season five.
Speaker C:It better be good.
Speaker B:And also, oh my gosh, there's so much anticipation.
Speaker B:They've got to stick the landing.
Speaker B:But also one thing other I want to add to Laura, since you were talking about the parent angle there too is you Know, a lot of the coming of age stories that inspire changing things are so focused on the kids, and the adults are kind of absent in a lot of those.
Speaker B:Like, you look at Goonies like they're on.
Speaker B:The parents are just like, not there.
Speaker B:There is.
Speaker B:You know, obviously the kids in the show are primary characters.
Speaker B:But one of the things that's really interesting about change of things and actually made it hard for the Duffer brothers to pitch is that there's as much focus on some of the adult characters as there are the kids.
Speaker B:And so you're able to play tell they with Hopper, who is Will was mentioning as the sheriff of the town, who becomes one of the prime characters, one of a fan favorite, along with Joyce, who is one of the mom of two of the main kid characters in the show.
Speaker B:That's one of the things that makes it so interesting is the generational aspects.
Speaker B:And you get to see kids, teenagers and adults all play a very active role in the story.
Speaker C:Yeah, well, and I think the truth is they have to do that, because the truth is that this story and the way it's written is a love letter to Gen X and millennials.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And so you have to include our age now into the characters, because it was our age that it was appealing to in the 80s, and it's going to be our age that it appeals to now.
Speaker C:So, like, it's a.
Speaker C:It's a.
Speaker C:It's a nod.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:I also have to mention that I named my dog after Hopper.
Speaker C:So I have a little Chihuahua named Hopper.
Speaker C:Hash browns.
Speaker C:And he is the best dog in the world.
Speaker A:So nice.
Speaker A:Does he have a shirt that says the mornings are for coffee and contemplation?
Speaker A:That's a shirt.
Speaker A:That little Hopper.
Speaker A:Ah, I need to meet your dog.
Speaker A:That's fun.
Speaker A:Super, super fun.
Speaker C:That's how much we love this show because I named our dog after him immediately.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I mean, there's definitely.
Speaker B:I know this episode isn't on YouTube, but you can see some of my Stranger Things Merc in the background.
Speaker B:I've got a upside down poster and then a Hopper action figure.
Speaker A:I need all behind me.
Speaker A:I need that.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was definitely Christmas where like, the kiddos, like, for Christmas got a bunch of Stranger Things merch and posters and to put on their walls and T shirts and soundtracks, all that stuff, because it was just, you know, it was so much fun.
Speaker A:All right, so as we got to stay focused, I wish we could pick apart every single season, talk about every single character, and talk about the intersection of the politics and the faith and friendship.
Speaker A:And we don't lie to each other.
Speaker A:We tell the truth.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so all those things that are part of the show.
Speaker A:But since we're a short amount of time, we do encourage people to go watch this, binge it, especially for this next season.
Speaker A:What is.
Speaker A:All right, we're going to kind of go through.
Speaker A:We're going to talk about our favorite season, our favorite character, favorite pop culture reference, and perhaps your favorite 80s favorite 80s song that's used.
Speaker A:And so we're going to kind of Quick hits.
Speaker A:Favorite season, character, pop culture reference.
Speaker A:And so first favorite season.
Speaker A:We'll go around the horn.
Speaker A:Laura, go first.
Speaker A:Favorite season.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Favorite season is season two.
Speaker C:Because I'm a huge Ghostbusters fan.
Speaker C:We have more proton packs at our house than any human being should.
Speaker C:And I mean, like real.
Speaker C:We built some proton packs.
Speaker C:So when they did a whole Ghostbusters thing, that was.
Speaker C:Yeah, that was our life.
Speaker C:We ran for it.
Speaker A:So, Laura.
Speaker C:But I also have a strong love for season three.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, Laura, you get cooler and cooler every time I talk to you.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker A:I think that anticipation and the trailer, because I'm a big.
Speaker A:I like Halloween.
Speaker A:I like Michael Jackson thrillers, one of my favorite songs of all time.
Speaker A:And incorporated like that for the trailer and led into Ghostbusters.
Speaker A:That and them going out and trick or treating and when are you too old to trick or treat or not and be kids or not like that.
Speaker A:Season two is so good.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:The anticipation.
Speaker A:Season.
Speaker A:Season one was great, but season two, loved it.
Speaker A:Kevin, how about you?
Speaker B:If you had asked me a couple years ago, I would have said season two, and I still love that season because I love all Ghostbusters and all the Halloween elements.
Speaker B:But I actually.
Speaker B:And it's funny because when I first saw the season, I was a little iffy on it because I thought it was a little too long.
Speaker B:But the more I watch, I'm like, gosh, this is so epic.
Speaker B:Season four, the most recent, partly because I had some of my favorite characters.
Speaker B:I love the arcs.
Speaker B:I just love how they built so much momentum and stakes in that.
Speaker B:And like I said, introduced a lot more of the horror elements that were still present from the beginning, but really zeroed in on those in season four.
Speaker B:And it is just breathtaking.
Speaker B:The action sequences in that season, everything they pull off that it's.
Speaker B:You're watching it.
Speaker B:You're like, this is a show.
Speaker B:Like, this is like.
Speaker B:I mean, it's like you get a movie, an episode, and I mean, Like, I saw my gripes, but, like, they're more nitpicky at this point.
Speaker B:I really love the emotional journey of that season and just how big of bombastic it gets.
Speaker B:So I really love that one.
Speaker A:The whole use of Metallica, master of puppets and that come on.
Speaker A:So good in the world.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Good, Good call.
Speaker A:Good poll.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So two season twos and season four.
Speaker A:Four.
Speaker A:Who knows?
Speaker A:By the end of this, we might all say season five.
Speaker A:Laura.
Speaker A:All right, favorite character?
Speaker C:Hopper.
Speaker A:That's easy, easy, easy.
Speaker A:Shout out to Hopper.
Speaker A:Hash browns as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, Hopper.
Speaker A:Hopper.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Good, good, good.
Speaker A:Kevin, how about you?
Speaker A:Favorite character?
Speaker B:I have kind of a tie of Dustin from the beginning and is the one I most like too.
Speaker B:Both as, like, comic relief, but he also has, like, a lot of emotional maturity too.
Speaker B:And I was like, following his journey, but the one who rest in peace.
Speaker B:But Eddie from before, I absol love his arc.
Speaker B:And I was heartbroken when they killed him off.
Speaker B:That is all.
Speaker B:It's a great scene with the Metalka, but I'll get into.
Speaker B:If we have time, I can get a little more about his thing of an outsider and be brush aside.
Speaker B:And I just love Ghost of Quinn's performance, so he's one of my favorites too.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker B:But I.
Speaker B:This is a hard one, though, because Robin, there's so many.
Speaker A:They're.
Speaker A:They're all.
Speaker A:They're all great.
Speaker A:You know, you can't pick a favorite kid.
Speaker A:But the.
Speaker A:But I will say your own children.
Speaker A:But I.
Speaker A:I will say.
Speaker A:Yeah, Dustin for me is by far like.
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:I just love that kid so much and watch him grow.
Speaker A:But then a close second is Steve.
Speaker A:I just like Steve's character arc and him growing and becoming friends with the kids and what he's experienced.
Speaker A:And then his relationship with Robin has been great.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Also, let's not forget Barb.
Speaker C:Justice for Barb.
Speaker A:Justice for Barb, man.
Speaker A:Maybe in season five, maybe she'll come back.
Speaker A:That's what I'm hoping.
Speaker B:It's just more that I wish they would address it more.
Speaker B:It's one of the, like, gaping holes.
Speaker B:There is like, yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, she was the best friend of Nancy.
Speaker B:But I also.
Speaker B:Just a quick notice about Steve.
Speaker B:I do love the arc as well, because you're watching season one and you think he's just gonna be the douchey bully that you're not gonna like at all.
Speaker B:And to see him go from that to a fan favorite and to have this arc and maturity, I love it.
Speaker B:And I really love what they did with that Character.
Speaker A:Okay, cool.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Favorite pop culture reference.
Speaker A:It could be a deep cut.
Speaker A:It could be plain in sight.
Speaker A:They just.
Speaker A:They, you know, they refere so many.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But what would you say is your favorite one?
Speaker A:Kevin, we'll go with you first.
Speaker A:Give Laura some time to think.
Speaker B:This is tough, but it's.
Speaker B:It's more kind of a theme throughout the season.
Speaker B:Two, the Halloween one.
Speaker B:But the amount of stuff to do with aliens in that.
Speaker B:Both in terms of casting they bring in.
Speaker B:I'm trying to Blank.
Speaker A:Dang it.
Speaker B:I'm trying blank other name who plays the doctor.
Speaker B:But he was in Aliens there.
Speaker B:But that.
Speaker B:And then just in terms of the execution of the action sequences and that with the Mayflare, and it's like very like zombie like.
Speaker B:And, you know, so I just really love that it was, you know, it's not.
Speaker B:They don't directly say it, but they kind of built that season around aliens.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker A:Laura, how about you?
Speaker C:The whole My Little Pony dialogue that happens in season three, when he makes the.
Speaker C:The whole case about how My Little Pony is, you know, really just D and D and there's a whole thing behind it, and it's.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's great.
Speaker C:I love the whole conversation there.
Speaker A:Yeah, I do that.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:I didn't see that one coming.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's a great pull.
Speaker A:I love.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm tempted to say D and D because it kind of starts there.
Speaker A:And that kind of in the resurgence of the popularity of D and D and board games.
Speaker A:I think Stranger Things was actually a big, big part of that resurgence of people going, yeah, that was cool.
Speaker A:Let's get back into that.
Speaker A:But for me, I'm such a comic book fan and an X Men fan, the fact that the 11 is kind of like Jean Grey and the Dark Phoenix and this mind control and even reference like this Claremont run of the Dark Phoenix arising and having this telekinesis and powers there on.
Speaker A:They did Jean Grey better than.
Speaker A:Than the X men movies with 11.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's my.
Speaker A:That's my deep cut.
Speaker A:I love also, just a quick.
Speaker B:A quick one is that they take still the end of season three, but they finally land at a video store where Steve and Robin get jobs there.
Speaker B:And I absolutely love that scene when the guy is interviewing them and like, okay, what's your favorite movies?
Speaker B:And Steve's like Animal House and then.
Speaker B:And then Robin names off like the Apartment and all these classics and Deep Cuts.
Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I love the dynamic between.
Speaker A:Video store.
Speaker A:Yes, the video store.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love it.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:It's cool.
Speaker A:So this Stranger Things has the best soundtrack and all streaming shows.
Speaker A:I don't know how much they have to pay and getting permission to use this kind of music, but.
Speaker A:Yeah, since it's made a lot of money, it can spend that kind of money, but.
Speaker A:All right, favorite 80s song or soundtrack.
Speaker A:Pull that.
Speaker A:They pull from here.
Speaker A:Laura, how about you?
Speaker C:The Never Ending Story theme song.
Speaker C:There is not a better moment in the whole show than that.
Speaker C:And because of that, my kids know the song inside and out now too, and it's just so great.
Speaker C:But like, when they pulled that out and started singing it, like the second they start, that whole sec.
Speaker C:Oh, my goodness sequence with Dustin, his girlfriend singing that song, like the minute they started, you're like, oh, no, we're doing this.
Speaker C:And it's so great.
Speaker C:And I love it.
Speaker C:It's wonderful.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's fantastic.
Speaker C:It's relationship goals also.
Speaker A:Ah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:You know, you found the right one when.
Speaker A:When that.
Speaker A:Kevin, how about you?
Speaker B:This is one the show introduced me to, but.
Speaker B:And did it for a lot of people, but Running up the Hill by Kate Bush was.
Speaker B:It became an absolute.
Speaker B:Like I say, it became an absolute class.
Speaker B:He already was for a long time, but it like, went through the show.
Speaker B:Who was able to reintroduce that song and Kate Bush to a whole new generation?
Speaker B:And I absolutely fell in love with it and I fell in love with her work.
Speaker B:So I have a huge geek playlist that I continually add to.
Speaker B:And that's one of the songs on there.
Speaker B:So I love that.
Speaker B:And especially because of the cinematic aspect of it tying into Max's story in season four, it's just.
Speaker B:There's some great scenes that it's used with.
Speaker B:So I love that song.
Speaker C:I do love the use of that song in the show.
Speaker C:I think it was fantastic.
Speaker A:And it's funny that that song after that happened.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was an 80s classic.
Speaker A:It was, you know, great top of the best of 80s soundtrack.
Speaker A:But then all the, like, normal regular pop radio stations were playing that.
Speaker A:So because of the show.
Speaker A:And everybody was loving it so much.
Speaker A:Yeah, I liked.
Speaker A:I think it was leading.
Speaker A:We got introduced to Billy at season three, Fourth of July, that.
Speaker A:So the trailer for season three, when they played Moving in Stereo by the cars is just so good.
Speaker A:I was just.
Speaker A:Man, they're genius when it comes to setting up these trailers and edits.
Speaker A:But, yeah, the car's moving in stereo, but Then, man, I tell you, one of the most heartbreaking moments is when they're at the lake season one, and they're trying to figure out where Will is, and they think that he fell into the lake, and they start playing Peter Gabriel's cover of Heroes by David Bowie.
Speaker A:It's just like, Peter Gabriel is just beautifully haunting to me, most of his stuff.
Speaker A:And so when they covered Heroes, that was just heartbreaking, where we're all crying as a family and while we're watching it, but.
Speaker A:And it's just a beautiful, beautiful song.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, good.
Speaker A:Good stuff.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, all right, we got a few minutes left.
Speaker A:We're doing good on time.
Speaker A:If we were going to, like, focus on, like, just one of the themes that we think is important for.
Speaker A:For this show.
Speaker A:Kevin alluded to it a little bit long.
Speaker A:We know I have to go shortly.
Speaker A:But if there's.
Speaker A:There's a theme from this show, again, elevator pitch of, like, one of the themes you think is important here, what would you.
Speaker A:What would you kind of tease out of this as a theme or something that us geekologists can go a little beneath the surface with and helping people think through?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I would go back to earlier, what I said about the generational aspect of the show, because, again, so many 80s movies and shows, you know, they put all the focus on the kids, which was pretty inside because, like I say, you know, like, that was.
Speaker B:The kids kind of, like, felt unseen and stuff.
Speaker B:And so they did that.
Speaker B:But then they made the adult characters, like, non existent.
Speaker B:And they do comment on that here, too, because they do it with the.
Speaker B:The Wheelers's father is pretty much completely absent.
Speaker B:I mean, he's just totally ignorant and not really present in his family's life.
Speaker B:And if the mom has to do more.
Speaker B:So they do comment on him as, like, the, you know, stereotype in that regard, but they put so much emphasis on each generation.
Speaker B:So, like I said, the kids, the teenagers, the adults and their dynamics and their relationships and all trying to better understand each other.
Speaker B:And you see.
Speaker B:And look at you look at Hopper, who has a great arc of, you know, he starts as.
Speaker B:It's like, oh, here's the grumpy sheriff who, you know, sleeps around and drinks too much.
Speaker B:And then you realize he has this tragic backstory with the loss of his daughter, and he's wrestling with all these things, and he has such a heart, and he's so much yearning to be a father again.
Speaker B:And, you know, that be.
Speaker B:Having that taken from him really destroyed him for the longest time.
Speaker B:And so A lot of the show is about his rebirth and, you know, the relationship between him and 11 is beautiful.
Speaker B:And so, you know, it really makes it an effort to dive into the flaws and the strengths of each character in different generations and helping them to better understand each other.
Speaker B:So that's one of my favorite aspects of the show and are really strong thematic material.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:How about you, Laura?
Speaker C:So I think for me it's nostalgia and innocence and wonder.
Speaker C:This show had to take place in the 80s, right.
Speaker C:Because it would never work today because we got social media and TikTok and the whatever it is that the kids use nowadays.
Speaker C:They wouldn't be out wandering around on their bicycles to begin with and doing all of the things that they're doing.
Speaker C:And I think there's a sense and like just the very resurgence of D and D since Stranger Things and how people like some people that never went away.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:But there was a strong renewed interest in things like D and D and like theater of the mind and imagination that we seem to have.
Speaker C:And so the nostalgia aspect of that show, I think is something, like I said, Season 2 is my favorite, but I have a very strong sentimental attachment to season three.
Speaker C:And the reason is it came out on 4th of July, and I love the 4th of July because it's hot dogs and fireworks and all of that stuff.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker C:I get so excited every year.
Speaker C:But they did the best marketing in the world for that season because they did like the Diet Coke cans and the.
Speaker C:Not Diet Coke, but it was the new Coke.
Speaker C:They re released it.
Speaker C:And I still remember that whole tobacco because my grandmother collected Coke everything.
Speaker C:And when Coke changed the recipe, she was like, I'm done with this.
Speaker C:Like, she protested and everything.
Speaker C:It was crazy.
Speaker C:So when they did that, they did the marketing with the Coke, they did the Eggos, they did all of this stuff.
Speaker C:And then Fortnite also had the introduction of like, Scoops Ahoy and all that.
Speaker C:So, like, for our whole family, we binge watched the entire season on the 4th of July.
Speaker C:We played Fortnite, we drank the Coke, like all of the things.
Speaker C:And it was.
Speaker C:I have such a fond memory of the day that it was released because it was beautiful.
Speaker C:So I think just the theme in itself of nostalgia and then how they recreated that and let us live into it each time there's a new season introduced.
Speaker C:So for me, I think nostalgia, wonder, feeling those feelings that we don't get to feel as often anymore.
Speaker C:So that's.
Speaker A:Yeah, I love that your.
Speaker A:Your grandma acted Like Star wars fans when they changed up a character a little bit with, oh my gosh, I'm done.
Speaker A:I'm going the message boards, I'm going on the message boards.
Speaker A:She acted like me with Last Jedi and I was like, oh, calm down, Will.
Speaker A:Calm down.
Speaker C:She wrote, she wrote, she wrote letters and she did like letters to the editor of the newspaper and was like, to whom it may concern because that's how people type.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:Y'all can't.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I, I, I love that.
Speaker A:Yeah, all those themes are great.
Speaker A:And I'm with you.
Speaker A:And I think it, it's definitely a coming of age story.
Speaker A:So you have this friendship.
Speaker A:You're growing up from younger to adolescents to your relationships and what's important, there's jealousy, there's grief, there's finding identity.
Speaker A:We're going to find more out probably in season five about Will's identity and him wrestling with a lot of stuff, whether it's his sexuality or friendship or whatever.
Speaker A:There's those things you're wrestling with and who's your friends.
Speaker A:And their tagline is friends don't lie.
Speaker A:And so as the backdrop of this government conspiracy and government's lying to the people and keeping it behind the scenes and, and keeping secrets, you know, with these.
Speaker A:Friends don't keep secrets.
Speaker A:They don't lie to each other.
Speaker A:It's found family, the friendship among one another and the growing.
Speaker A:And how friendships and family evolve over time too.
Speaker A:We become different people.
Speaker A:And how can we still be friends even though we evolve ourselves and grow?
Speaker A:What does that mean?
Speaker A:Loss of innocence.
Speaker A:But also how can we still be friends with each other?
Speaker A:Deep, deeper, committed friends with those around us and how to deal with that conflict and all those things.
Speaker A:So, yeah, a lot of things in this is like if you just have a good, healthy, honest conversation, you probably will save yourself a lot of heartbreak.
Speaker A:And isn't that true in most of our lives and circles and workplace?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, man, man, so good.
Speaker A:I would guess that you ranked this high and you recommend this to everyone?
Speaker A:What you say?
Speaker B:Yes, I would certainly.
Speaker A:Yeah, I don't.
Speaker A:Yeah, we all say 10.
Speaker A:We all recommend it.
Speaker A:Go do it.
Speaker A:Go, go.
Speaker A:If you haven't watched anything, if you.
Speaker B:Need any more convincing to show you how much I love it.
Speaker B:I mean, this is a Netflix streaming show.
Speaker B:I have a subscription.
Speaker B:I also have a physical copy of the first couple seasons in.
Speaker B:They look, they're shaped like VHS's.
Speaker B:They're on Blu Ray, but they're shaped like a VHS box.
Speaker B:And that on my shelf dude, that's.
Speaker A:Probably very smart because with the streaming service, you never know what company is going to go bankrupt and just quit and take it off.
Speaker A:You'll never be able to see it again.
Speaker A:A hard copy, collectible DVD or Blu Ray or VHS tape of strange things would be super, super rad.
Speaker A:All right, before we go, what's your hope in a sentence or two?
Speaker A:Your hope for season five?
Speaker A:What is a hope?
Speaker A:Oh, this is when we start playing the Stranger Themes theme song while we like jeopardy.
Speaker A:While we're wait for the.
Speaker A:For the answer.
Speaker A:If Joshua can.
Speaker B:This sounds a little paradox, but I want both.
Speaker B:There's characters.
Speaker B:I want to end up happy and have a night.
Speaker B:Like, I like.
Speaker B:I want Joyce and Hopper to be together, for instance, but I also want characters to die because the.
Speaker B:The cast is way too big at the end.
Speaker B:Like, there needs to be some finale and resolution to something and it's not.
Speaker B:And I like, you know, like, oh, just screw.
Speaker B:I don't like this character.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:No, it's just that they've had an arc and I haven't.
Speaker B:I'm not gonna name specific characters right now for that, but I.
Speaker B:There, there.
Speaker B:It's gonna.
Speaker B:It's gotta be a body count a little bit.
Speaker B:We're not taking a massacre.
Speaker B:But I want there to be a mix of death and tragedy and also hopeful resolution.
Speaker A:Nice.
Speaker C:I agree.
Speaker C:I just want Hopper to be happy.
Speaker C:That's all I'm asking.
Speaker C:Just give Hopper a happy ending.
Speaker C:Okay?
Speaker B:He does.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree with that.
Speaker A:I would like season five.
Speaker A:I would love justice for Barb.
Speaker A:I want Hopper to have a good.
Speaker A:A good send off, heroic send off right into the sunset.
Speaker A:Happily ever after.
Speaker A:Not sure that's what's going to happen.
Speaker A:And then.
Speaker A:Yeah, I don't know what I would like to see more.
Speaker A:I guess we saw more of like she's number 11 and all the different kids and numbers, but that a little bit more a superhero team come together with different powers.
Speaker A:And that might be too much, but I'm a.
Speaker A:You know, I love those superhero teams.
Speaker A:And so we could bring some X Men and X Women together and some mutants and fight the final thing.
Speaker A:The other theme is just like, you know, the small versus the large.
Speaker A:Like, you have these kids that really shouldn't beat a Demogorgordon or the Upside down, but.
Speaker A:But yet.
Speaker A:But yet they still win because of love and friendship.
Speaker A:So I love this kind of element of like the mustard seed of faith, the hobbits, that which is small and unassuming ends up winning the day, because it's about love and friendship.
Speaker A:So as long as they land that plane right there, I will let them tell the story that they want to tell.
Speaker A:All right, one more final question.
Speaker A:Man, we did it.
Speaker A:We're 33 minutes in.
Speaker A:Look at us.
Speaker A:We will have more.
Speaker A:We will have more discussions and pre game shows leading into season five.
Speaker A:Whenever that comes out, we'll talk about more season.
Speaker A:And when season five comes out, we'll be on this.
Speaker A:Geeking out hard around that, but.
Speaker A:All right, so you finish binging seasons one through four, what's the next show you binge or the next thing you do after.
Speaker A:After this show, Laura, what do you do?
Speaker C:I'm immediately gonna play D and D with my kids and force them to play with me throughout a whole campaign.
Speaker C:We always start DD campaigns, and then after, like, five sessions, they're like, why are we still doing this?
Speaker C:But I'm gonna be like, pull it together.
Speaker C:Pull it together.
Speaker C:So that's what I'm gonna do.
Speaker C:We've already done the Stranger Things DD campaign, which is a lot of fun.
Speaker C:And if you haven't do it.
Speaker C:Haven't done it.
Speaker C:I can't talk today.
Speaker C:Highly recommend it.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker C:It's really great.
Speaker C:You can get it at ollie's for, like, $5, like, the whole set.
Speaker C:Sorry, but.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:But, yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.
Speaker C:Play D and D.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker A:So what I'll.
Speaker A:What I'll do is I.
Speaker A:I just got arrested that showing at that stranger's hotel room.
Speaker A:Now I show up on Laura's doorstep, knock on the door.
Speaker A:She's.
Speaker A:And I was like, I'm here for the D and D campaign.
Speaker A:That's what I'm doing.
Speaker A:I'll be a part of your D and D camp.
Speaker A:And you're like, well, how'd you find out where I lived?
Speaker A:All right, I'm calling Hopper to come get you.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But no, I'm gonna jump into D as well.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I wan.
Speaker A:I want to go theater the mine.
Speaker A:I don't want to scroll on my phone.
Speaker A:I don't want to look at, like, theories for season five or trail.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I want to play, like, D and D in person, looking in their face, rolling a real die.
Speaker A:That's what I'm doing right after this.
Speaker A:Or I'm gonna go out, ride my bike, and look for, like, in the woods or something.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's what I'm gonna do after.
Speaker A:After doing that.
Speaker A:Kevin, how about you?
Speaker B:If they're available, they al.
Speaker B:Drafthouse did a John Carpenter screening of like all of his movies a few years ago.
Speaker B:Hypothetically, if that's playing right when I finish, I'm gonna take a bunch of friends and force them to watch all John Carpenter movies that they haven't seen before that are heavy referenced in throughout Stranger Things.
Speaker B:So like they live and Escape from New York and so many others.
Speaker A:Man, I'm leaving the D and D campaign with Laura and then I'm meeting you at the Alamo house and watching those movies with you.
Speaker C:I do love Alamo and I wish that they would just do like a binge watch session of Stranger Things at Alamo.
Speaker C:That would be great.
Speaker B:It would be amazing.
Speaker B:And they get it's the.
Speaker B:I think they would be more than happy to.
Speaker B:It's a lot of times when because they'll occasionally do TV episode streams there, but it's a matter of like getting the company to agree and all that.
Speaker C:For sure.
Speaker B:I, I, I would love for Netflix to let that happen.
Speaker B:You know, have screenings at Alamo and other theater.
Speaker A:And I would love for the Duffer Brothers.
Speaker A:If you're listening to this episode, since you're from Durham, since you a lot of North Carolina deep cuts and references in your show, I think you should come to North Carolina Comic Con and do a panel where Kevin and Laura and I will moderate that panel and ask you all kind of geeky questions for a crossover podcast with Systematic Geekology and whatever they want to put it on MC Comic Con.
Speaker A:That's what we're going to do and manifest right now.
Speaker A:Please, Lord, make that happen.
Speaker A:Thank you all for tuning in to this and binging these shows with us.
Speaker A:We could talk forever and man, we're super stoked for season five.
Speaker A:And yeah, reach out to us.
Speaker A:What are you binge watching?
Speaker A:What are shows that you love?
Speaker A:And and remember, remember, remember, whether you're in the Upside down or the Right side Up, you are loved and we include you in our pre.
Speaker A:Peace to the geeks.
Speaker A:Systematic geekologists love you guys.
Speaker B:Peace.
