Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things to follow.
Author Willa Cather once said, “There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.” Indeed, whether it’s rags to riches, overcoming the monster, or voyage and return, it’s rare that we humans stray too far from the tried and true.
And this is true of the best of us, seeing as the Duffer Brothers, who are perhaps the most popular storytellers at this moment in time thanks to the release of Stranger Things’ fourth season, have managed to capture the imaginations of an entire generation, despite their formulaic-without-fail approach up to now.
And now that secret recipe is in the hands of the people; after the good folks over at r/StrangerThings took it upon themselves to design a visual aid for creating a season of Netflix’s most popular show and, honestly, there aren’t any lies to be found.
Indeed, from the monstrous introductions to the cliffhangers, this diagram doesn’t seem to miss a beat at first glance. Some responders, however, deemed it not complex enough.
One user noted an integral part of Stranger Things seasons that was glaringly absent from the diagram; Nancy getting her hands on a gun.
Others pointed out that the row of side characters destined to die had a slight error; deeming Billy neither lovable or redeemable, and suggesting Alexei in his place, thus removing the need for the “/redeemable” part of the diagram.
A few other responders had their #JusticeForBarb” instincts reawakened.
Despite how repetitive the series has been revealed to be, the Duffer method certainly ain’t broken, given the numbers it tends to pull with audiences and critics. So, if a handful of predictable events is the price we pay for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, we consider it the deal of a lifetime.
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.
Published: Jul 4, 2022 08:50 am