My son is crazy about this show. Honestly, I gave the first two episodes a try and never really got into it. If you haven’t discovered Stranger Things yet, here’s a few of the reasons my son used to convince me to get into the show. He’s only 13 and I think the show has given him a look at 80s culture.

The first thing I noticed is that the creators created a world that draws heavily on ’80s nostalgia, and a killer soundtrack.

The ’80s nostalgia is narley!

All the 80s nostalgia makes a Gen x-er like me get goosebumps. So much attention detail. I’ve seen Karen Wheeler’s Farrah Fawcett coif to Eleven’s obsession with Eggo Waffles to the boys’ fascination with ham radio and walkie talkies. It’s like being a kid again. For my son…he can’t believe life was really like this!

The young cast is stellar

I think this is very important and why it’s a show that both I and my son can get into. The young actors bring maturity beyond their years to the leading roles. Millie Bobby Brown is show-stopping as Eleven, the girl with mysterious psychokinetic abilities.

The music rules

With songs from The Clash, Toto, Echo and The Bunnymen, and Joy Division – well….it’s exactly what I really appreciate. Further, it’s made my son appreciate the songs I play now. I catch him humming Duran Duran and now I know why.

Winona Ryder slays as Joyce Byers

From Beetlejuice to Reality Bites….I can’t picture the 80s without Winona. It’s a perfect fit.

For me, it’s the sense of familiarity watching Stranger Things. As I drifted into the first episode, I kept thinking, “Gosh. I’ve seen this before. Except … I haven’t.”

Stranger Things feels to those of us who spent our childhoods in the ’80s: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Steven King, The Twilight Zone, The Goonies, E.T., Stand By Me.

From the clothes and the hairstyles, to the games and the bike riding, everything is spot on.

I’m not sure I’ve seen a better blend of comedy-meets-sci fi-meets-drama-meets-weird since Amazing Stories ran its course from 1985 to 1987, when I was just getting ready to enter middle school (thank you, Spielberg). Getting that recipe correct is no easy feat!

So, I might have been a late bloomer to this show but I’m hooked! ~ Parker Springfield.