Advertisement
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the adults are a somber set of midlife crises. Ryder is in permanent high pitch as Will's mother Joyce; an alcoholic sheriff named Chief Jim Hopper staggers into his action-hero role; funny science teacher Mr. Clarke gives the kids a crash course in theoretical physics; and character actors Cara Buono and Ross Partridge pick up the slack as a stalwart mother of three and Joyce's sleazebag of an ex-husband, respectively. Wild cards include Eleven, a psychic tweenage girl the kids find in the woods, an evil scientist played by actual 80s refugee Matthew Modine (that's Private Joker from Full Metal Jacket), and a horrible monster with an H. R. Giger body and a carnivorous flower for a face. But the real star is the atmosphere, all misty canopies, wood-paneled living rooms, and rumpus rooms, lovingly accentuated with musical cues from the likes of the Bangles, Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division, Corey Hart, and a horrifying, if perfectly timed, "Heroes" cover by Peter Gabriel.The period tropes do a lot to make us comfortable, but the show's unique touches are sublime: Joyce builds an intricate Ouija board out of Christmas lights to communicate with Will—mainly via the lyrics of "Should I Stay or Should I Go"—while he's lost in the shadow universe; Steve and Nancy shotgun beers and consummate their love while the monster drags Barb into a home swimming pool out of a Sharper Image catalogue; and Mike shows off his Star Wars figures to Eleven (that is how you impress a girl, right?).Televised nostalgia is the future, and the 80s are an especially ripe target.
Advertisement