Moral of the Story: Stranger Things

So I just finished binge watching Stranger Things Season 1. If you were curious, it took me two days, watching four episodes per day.  Also, if you were curious, I am going to spoil some plot points, so if you haven’t watched yet and plan to, stop reading. 

Now let’s summarize what has taken place in Hawkins, Indiana by the end of season 1 of Stranger Things. An underworld beast (Demagorgue) that was unleashed in a secret government conspiracy project has ravaged the town and abducted two children: Nancy’s friend Barbara, and Will Ives, around who’s rescue the main plot and climax of the series is based. With the help of Eleven, the young band of brothers, and officer Jim Hopper, the cast and crew succesfully defeats the monster, and saves Will Ives from the “upside down” alternate dimension. 

So let’s sumarize the casualties list at the end of the season. Eleven and the Demagorgue canceled each other out. Most all of the government conspirators from Hawkins Energy have bit the dust in one way or another. Because Will was saved, the only innocent pedestrian to be taken as a casualty in this whole sordid affair was... Barbara. 

So let’s go back to Barbara’s abduction. It was at Steve’s casual house/pool party. Steve, and then Nancy have fun shotgunning beers together. Then, in an effort to include her morose friend Barbara in the activity, Nancy insists that she should shotgun a beer. Barbara, being a classic doofus, slips with the knife and cuts herself, thereby conveniently necessitating that she exit the scene in order to take care of her wound. In Barbara’s absence we see a fun pool party. Then she reappears briefly to instruct Nancy to remain celibate (advice that Nancy promptly disregards), before returning outside to the pool to pout on the diving board. It is at this point, while Steve and Nancy are banging, that a bit of Barabara’s blood from her cut hand, falls into the swimming pool. Shortly after, the Demagorgue monster then abducts her to the underworld and eats Barbara. Unlike Will Ives, Barbara will not be saved.  

Later we learn that it was, in fact, Barbara’s blood that attracted the monster to her location. Therefore, if Barbara had only been successful in shotgunning her beer, and not such a clutz, she never would have met such a horrible fate. 

Since Barbara is the only “innocent” unsuspecting victim of the events that unfolded in Hawkins, we must assume that this television show is trying to teach us all a lesson so that we don’t wind up like Barbara. 

Therefore it’s safe to say that the moral of the story of Stranger Things Season 1 is: to always make sure not to mess up while shotgunning beers.

-J