I initially binged Stranger Things like everyone else. The 80s nostalgia hit exactly right and was genuinely my favorite part as I loved my childhood in the 80s. The synth soundtrack, riding around on bikes everywhere everyday, and welcome back Winona Ryder. That first season had real magic to it.
Then somewhere in season two I realized the thing we were all supposed to be terrified of was basically a houseplant with legs. It looked like it escaped from Little Shop of Horrors and wandered onto the wrong set. Hard to maintain dread when the monster needs watering.
I keep going back to DARK on Netflix. Over. And over. And over.
DARK earns its name. A web of connections that is extremely intricate.
It all works. Every thread pulls tight by the end. You watch something happen in episode three and it doesn't pay off until season two, and when it does you realize it was inevitable. Not clever for the sake of clever. Just precise.
Stranger Things wants you to feel warm. DARK wants you to sit with the weight of choices that can't be undone. One is comfort food. The other is a meal that stays with you for days.
I only made it through about 2 seasons of Stranger Things so maybe I'm being unfair. But DARK already showed me what happens when a show trusts its audience to keep up. That's hard to unsee.
I give this 33 out of 33 years on a closed loop.
❤️
Jake