[#MovieReview] #Netflix Drama "#StrangerThings" Finale - [#Podcast Episode Introduction]

"Reel Friends in Tokyo" is a movie review podcast hosted by personalities Mako and Oma. In this note, we delve into the hit works, masterpieces, and even cult classics featured in the podcast episodes, exploring them from our unique perspectives with behind-the-scenes stories we couldn't cover on the show, personal deep dives, and supplementary information for our listeners.

Each time, we summarize the key points of the talks and discussions from the podcast, our own unique insights as Mako and Oma, and even our personal movie reviews—sometimes veering into off-the-cuff, honest talk. Whether you are a listener or not, please relax and enjoy the articles.

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Chapter 1: Great dramas really do exist

—And the world paused for a single story

There are indeed works in this world that leave you speechless for a while after watching, making you think, "That was an incredible drama..."
It's the kind of show where, after the story ends, you don't even feel like playing the next video, and you just stare at the ceiling, lost in the lingering afterglow of the end credits.

During the overseas drama boom, I've had a few such experiences.
Prison Break, which pushed the single-point breakthrough gimmick of a prison escape to its absolute limit.
SUITS, which captivated people with nothing but suits and witty dialogue.
Breaking Bad, which completely dissolved the boundaries between good and evil.
And The X-Files, which can now be called the original landscape of overseas dramas.

What they all have in common are these three points:
・A unique worldview
・Perfection in each episode
・Unforgettable characters
These three points.

I intended to watch just one episode, but before I knew it, the sun was rising.
There is no moment where the expression "time melts away" is more accurate.
There is simply no other way to describe it than as the best.

But even among them—
there was a drama that grabbed people's hearts on a global scale and wouldn't let go.It was there.

That is Stranger Things.

1.1 A work for which the word "finale" carries such weight

This drama has reached its final season and has finally concluded.
This fact holds more meaning than just the end of a single work.

Because Stranger Things was not just an "interesting drama."

It was an experience.
It was a shared memory, a contemporary event, and a collection of rare moments where the whole world held its breath at the same scene on the same night.

In the era of streaming dramas, the feeling that "everyone is watching the same thing" is now close to an illusion.
Viewing times are scattered, impressions are fragmented, and algorithms take everyone to different places.

Even so, this work
brought people together in one place.

This was no coincidence.
It was the moment when the power of the story crossed a critical threshold as a culture.

The philosopher Walter Benjamin says this about storytelling:

"Stranger Things" is truly the pinnacle of this repetition.
While it seems to be doing something new, it is actually surprisingly old.
That is precisely why people can surrender themselves to it with a sense of nostalgia and peace of mind.

1.2 Why did it capture the world to this extent?

What makes this work unique is
the fact that it does not rely solely on innovative ideas.

The premise itself is simple.
A rural town, a disappearance case, children, another dimension, government shadows.
These are all motifs we have seen many times in past movies and dramas.

Even so, this story was overwhelming.

There is one reason.
**It is because they are "making it while fully believing in what they love."**

The creators' nostalgia, their geeky obsession,
a love letter to 80s culture.
These are presented head-on, without a hint of shyness.

They do not hide behind irony.
They do not sneer.
The attitude of declaring "this is the best" is powerful.

Psychologist Donald Winnicott stated the following about play.

"Stranger Things" is
a work born from adults playing in earnest.
That is why we, the viewers, are also drawn back to our childhood innocence.

1.3 There is meaning in talking about it now that it has concluded

There is meaning in the act of talking about a story after it has ended.
Because there are outlines that only become visible
in the place where the real-time frenzy has cooled down.

There are pros and cons regarding the final season.
That is only natural.
But that is also proof of how seriously it was received.

When a work becomes a part of a person's life,
the feeling of "I didn't like it"
becomes the flip side of affection, not disappointment.

"Stranger Things" has ended.
But there is still a mountain of things left to talk about.

In the chapters ahead,
・The magic of nostalgia
・The aesthetics of monster design
・The occult and psychic boom
・The adventure stories of boys
・Viewing attitudes in the SNS era

I will unravel these one by one.

Because this drama
reflected too honestly what we get excited about, what we lose, and what we carry with us as we live,
it was too honest.

Chapter 2 Synopsis

—In the town of Hawkins, the world quietly tears apart

The story is set in Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s.
It is a small, ordinary town that could be anywhere. There is a mall, a school, and a flow of mundane daily life.
This "anywhere" feeling is important. Because anomalies always begin in places that are anything but special.

The boys: Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Will.
They gather after school, play TRPGs, and ride their bikes home at night while joking around.
At this point, the work makes a promise to the viewer.
This is a story about boys, it says.

But on the way home, Will disappears.
There is no reason. There are no traces.
The only thing that is certain is thatsomething is happening on the "other side" of town.

2.1 The everyday world and the otherworld overlap by a hair's breadth

Triggered by Will's disappearance, the story begins to take on a two-layered structure.
One is the search in the real world, centered on his mother Joyce and Sheriff Hopper.
The other is the unknown realm that the boys step into with intuition and curiosity.

Eventually, they learn of the existence of the "Upside Down."
A world that closely resembles reality, yet is decaying, distorted, and prowled by grotesque creatures.
It is not so much another world as it isa negative of reality.

This structure is by no means new in the context of horror or science fiction.
But what makes this work skillful is that it did not set the otherworld in a "distant place."
A single wall, a single layer of space, just a slight misalignment.
The world is already torn.

The philosopher Gaston Bachelard states the following about space.

The Upside Down is a world of terror, but at the same time,
it is a space that has taken on the form of the anxieties and repressions that this town has harbored.

2.2 What the existence of Eleven brings

Another axis of the story is the mysterious girl, Eleven.
With few words and limited emotional expression, she is
an existence created by secret government research, possessing powerful psychic abilities.

What is important is that before she is a "weapon," she is portrayed asa child.
Her ability is not a blessing, but an extension of her wounds.
Every time she uses her power, she is exhausted and takes on pain.

Here, the work does not simply affirm the 80s-style fantasy of psychic powers.
Psychic power is not omnipotent.
Rather, it is depicted as a burden carried by those who have learned of the world's unreasonableness too early.

I am reminded of the developmental theory stated by psychologist Erik Erikson.

Eleven's battle, before being a fight to save the world, is
a struggle to reclaim who she is.

2.3 The "weight of the story" that changes with each season

As the seasons progress, the story increases in scale.
The monsters multiply, the damage spreads, and the entire town becomes involved.

However, the core remains unchanged.
At the center, it is always the boys and girls.

As they grow, their choices become heavier.
Friendships waver, romance enters the picture, and the adult world begins to encroach.
The adventure gradually loses its "innocence."

Even so, they move forward.
Because they have learned that there is no going back.

The plot of "Stranger Things" is a story about fighting an otherworldly realm, but at the same time,

it is also a record that slowly depicts the process of childhood coming to an end.

Chapter 3: A Collection of Nostalgia

--Nostalgia strikes not at memory, but at sensation.

3.1 This drama is "nostalgic" from the very beginning

If I had to describe the charm of Stranger Things in one word, it would be nostalgia.
However, it is not merely a reproduction of an era.
Nor is it a lazy exercise in retro-fetishism that simply lines up 80s props and music.

What this work does isdirectly evoke the memory of emotions.

・Spielberg-esque juvenile adventure tales
・The closed universe of a TRPG played among friends
・An era when paranormal phenomena and psychic powers were still permitted as dreams
・Horror-game-like otherworldly spaces
・Fashion and lifestyle from the late 70s to early 80s

These are not necessarily "experienced memories" for every viewer.
Nevertheless, they feel somewhat nostalgic.
This sensation is important.

3.2 The phenomenon of feeling nostalgic despite never having experienced it

To be honest, I did not live through the American 80s.
Yet, there is an intense sense of déjà vu in the atmosphere of this work.
Why is that?

The reason is simple: what this drama is summoning is
not individual memories, but culturally shared images.

Looking back at film history, the 80s were the "golden age of juvenile adventure tales."
Suburbs, children, bicycles, night, secrets.
These elements have been repeated countless times and
are imprinted within us as a template for storytelling.

Philosopher Fredric Jameson defined postmodern culture as follows.

The 80s presented by "Stranger Things" is
not the 80s as historical fact.
It is the 80s idealized as a story.

That is precisely why it functions across generations.
Whether or not you have the memory does not matter.
What is important is the illusion that "I feel like I have been in this world before."

3.3 The contradiction of being abnormal yet comfortable

If you think about it calmly, the world of this work is quite abnormal.
Children go missing, monsters roam, and the government operates in the shadows.
There is not a single element that provides peace of mind.

Even so, for some reason, it feels comfortable.
This is a fatal contradiction.

The reason is that the heart of the story is always within the "inner circle."
No matter how crazy the outside world is,
inside the diner, the basement, or a room, conversations and jokes continue.

I am reminded of psychologist John Bowlby's attachment theory.

The reason nostalgia functions in this work is
not because of the past era itself,
but because it depicts the way human relationships were once believed to be.

If you have friends, the world will somehow work out.
This feeling is almost a myth in the modern age.
That is precisely why it strikes so deeply.

3.4 Nostalgia is a device, not an escape

The word nostalgia is often spoken of as synonymous with escapism.
Reality is painful, so one escapes to the past.
But this work does not stop there.

Using nostalgia as a foothold,
it fully depicts fear and loss on top of it.
That is the sincerity of this drama.

The past is beautiful.
But it is not eternal.
The boys grow up, relationships change, and
that space will never return.

Nostalgia
does not function to show a "place to return to,"
but as a device to make one realize that it has been lost.

Therefore, this work does not end with just sweetness.
Deep within the nostalgia, there is always pain.

Chapter 4 Charming Monsters

—On the monster whose name was borrowed, and its beauty

4.1 A story that begins with the "misuse" of Demogorgon

As a monster symbolizing the unknown world of Stranger Things, the first name that comes up is Demogorgon.
However, we must confirm this properly here.

The original Demogorgon is an entity that appears in the real-life TRPG the protagonists play, Dungeons & Dragons,
and it iscompletely different in appearance and settingfrom the monster that appears in the show.

Faced with an unidentified monster, the boys
cite Demogorgon as "a name that sounds about right for now."
This is neither academic naming nor mythological accuracy.
It is an act of trying to grasp the unknown within a framework that children can understand.

This sloppiness is good.
In fact, this sloppiness is what is real.

Ironically, as a result of this work becoming a global hit,
the "Demogorgon figure" itself in the real world
has been drawn toward the Stranger Things side.
It might bring a wry smile to veteran TRPG players,
but it is a highly suggestive phenomenon in terms of cultural history.

4.2 The contradiction of being grotesque yet somehow beautiful

The design of this monster is, looking at it calmly, quite sophisticated.
The flower-like opening head, the arrangement of the teeth, the texture of the skin.
It is "scary," but it doesn't end at just being "gross."

Inevitably, for a Japanese sensibility,
many people will surely be reminded of Hitoshi Iwaaki's "Parasyte."
The face splitting open, the interior being exposed,
a structure that deviates from the logic of a living organism.

But what is decisively different is that
the Demogorgon is depicted asan existence whose origin is unknownpoint.
While Parasyte was a story that encompassed "coexistence,"
this is thoroughly an alien entity.

Philosopher Julia Kristeva states the following about abjection.

The Demogorgon is precisely this abject.
It cannot be understood.
It cannot be classified.
It cannot be negotiated with.

And yet, you cannot take your eyes off it.
This contradiction leads to the strength of its design.

4.3 The expansion of the "ecosystem" shown by the subspecies

As the story progresses,
existences like subspecies of the Demogorgon appear.
The dog-like Demodogs,
the bat-like Demobats.

Because of this, the Upside Down is
not just a "nest of monsters,"
but rises as an otherworldly realm with its own unique ecosystem.

This is a very important point.
If there were only one monster, it would end as an object of fear.
But if multiple species exist, it becomes a world.

This sensation is also the watershed between horror and sci-fi.
It is the moment when fear expands from a "point" to a "plane."

However, to be honest,
the handling of this group of monsters was somewhat restrained in the final season.
Screen time decreased,
and the center of the threat became concentrated on another existence.

It is a decision that is understandable narratively,
but in terms of visual pleasure,
it is also a fact that a little dissatisfaction remained.

4.4 The monster is not an "enemy," but the distortion of the world itself

The monsters in this work are
not just enemies to be defeated.

They are
the distortions that this town has harbored,
the runaway government,
unmanaged desires,
anxieties that have been ignored—
they are existences that have taken shape from such things.

Therefore, defeating them does not end it.
They will surely return in a new form.

What the monster symbolizes is not
an evil that has invaded from the outside, but
an abnormality that has grown from within.

In this respect, the monster design in "Stranger Things"
can be said to be extremely modern.
The enemy is always already on this side.

Chapter 5: The Occult of Psychic Research

—An era when we could still be enthusiastic while knowing it was a lie

5.1 When the occult was treated as a "possibility"

Watching this drama, I am reminded that the occult boom was actually pretty good.
That is by no means to say that I believe psychic powers truly exist.

What is important is the atmosphere of that time.
Supernatural phenomena and psychic powers were discussed as "possibilities that might eventually be verified by science,"
half-seriously and half-jokingly.

Psychics appeared on television,
spoons bent, telekinesis flew,
children's eyes sparkled, and adults, while furrowing their brows, did not change the channel.

From a modern perspective, it is quite dangerous.
But in that era, there was
a margin for enjoying things while knowing they were liesthat certainly existed.

Nowadays, spiritual topics are immediately linked to spiritual sales scams or pseudoscience,
and are excluded from the media.
That is a natural defensive reaction.
But at the same time, the playground was lost along with it.

5.2 Psychic power was a dream, a weapon, and a wound

The psychic power in Stranger Things
is not just a flashy ability.

Eleven's power is:
・Managed as a research subject
・Valued for its military utility
・Treated as something separate from her personality

What we have here is a quite cold reality,
contrary to the brightness of the 80s occult.

The ability is not a blessing.
Rather, it is a mark of one who has first taken on the violence of the world.

The relationship between "knowledge and power" pointed out by philosopher Michel Foucault
is depicted here in an extremely easy-to-understand way.

In the name of research,
people easily become objects.
Eleven's psychic research is also a story of management and control wearing the face of the occult.

5.3 Even so, the reason my blood boiled

Even so.
In the psychic battle scenes, my heart inevitably gets excited.

Only a few possess power, and
not everyone can use it.
That is precisely why meaning is born the moment it is used.

This is similar to professional wrestling.
More than winning or losing,
the context in which a move is performedis what matters.

In almost every instance, Eleven uses her power to protect someone.
It is not for self-aggrandizement.
It is not for showing off.

This structure captures the audience's emotions precisely.
We don't applaud because she is strong.
We are stirred because we know what she has endured.

5.4 Occultism was a training ground for the imagination

The essence of the occult boom lies in the fact that,
through phenomena of uncertain authenticity,
it left room to consider that "the world might not yet be fully explained."

This is not hostility toward science.
Rather, it was a gateway to science.

The premise that there are things we do not understand
stimulated the imagination and gave birth to stories.

"Stranger Things" brings that margin back to the modern day once more.
Of course, it does not depict it naively.
But it does not deny it entirely either.

The occult of psychic research is
a microcosm of the history of humans being drawn to "things that cannot be explained."

That is why the depiction of psychic powers in this drama
does not become outdated.
It is not a story about power, but
a memory of an era when humans never stopped dreamingbecause of that.

Chapter 6: The Adventures of Boys

--Why does time that cannot be returned to seem so brilliant?

6.1 The decisive condition that the protagonist is a boy

We instinctively feel excitement when the protagonist of a story is a "boy."
This is no coincidence.
Looking back at the history of adventure tales, many protagonists are always incomplete, immature, and young.

Stranger Things is no exception.
Adults exist, but it is always the children who hold the initiative.
Because their judgment is immature, they know no fear, and their bodies move before logic takes over.

Here lies a sensation we have already lost.
That impulse to "act before thinking."

In light of psychologist Jean Piaget's developmental theory,
children do not yet perceive the world as a set of fixed rules.
That is why they can accept the unknown as unknown and step into it.

Becoming an adult may not be about understanding the world.
It might be about misunderstanding the world as something already known.

6.2 Adventure is not the world breaking, but 'relationships' breaking

The adventure in this work does not just mean
defeating monsters or closing off other worlds.

Rather, the true adventure lies in
the moments when friendships waver,
distance is created,
and unspoken emotions cause friction.

To grow up means
that you can no longer stay in the same place.

Dustin and Lucas, Mike and Will.
They cannot play TRPGs in the same basement forever.
They understand this better than anyone else.

Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre stated it this way.

To be free means
that you must also keep choosing.
The boys' adventure
is, before it is a battle against monsters,
a story of being forced to make choicesthat transforms.

6.3 The real reason why boyhood looks so brilliant

The reason boyhood always looks so brilliant
is not because it was fun.

It is because we know we can never go back.

Time does not have weight while you are experiencing it.
It only gains weight after it has passed.
The moment it is recognized as lost, the past becomes a treasure.

Sociologist Maurice Halbwachs speaks about memory like this.

We are not remembering our boyhood exactly as it was.
We are rearranging the past into the form our current selves need.

That is why that adventure is beautiful.
That is why that friendship looks so strong.
It is not a fact, butan image created by the gaze from the present.

6.4 The quiet power left by the ending

The ending direction of "Stranger Things"
is by no means flashy.
But it is strong.

What is there is not the exhilaration of victory, but
the sense of a "life that continues on."

The adventure ends.
The monsters might disappear.
But time does not stop.

The boys grow up,
and we, too, move on to the next place.

This ending is both kind and cruel.
Because what remains after the story ends,
is the viewer's own time.

The ending stays in your heart,
because it properly depicted a "farewell."
A farewell is not a loss.
It is accepting change.

Chapter 7: Appreciating Works in the Age of Social Media

-- How should we behave after a story ends?

7.1 The world has certainly become better now that we can talk about it

I am writing these notes, which failed to become a proper review, but
the fact that viewers can now share their thoughts in their own words
is undoubtedly progress.

In the past, the evaluation of works was monopolized by critics and magazines.
What viewers felt was shared, at best, over drinks.

Now, however,
the moment you watch something, you can throw your feelings out into the world.
This is amazing.
Stories don't just end in "consumption"; they become seeds for dialogue.

The reason Stranger Things became such a massive work
is surely because this circuit of sharing existed.

Impressions chained together, theories were born,
and a drama that was supposed to be watched alone
turned into a collective experience before we knew it.

7.2 Criticism and slander are similar, but different

However, there is a caveat.
This is on the premise that you don't misuse it.

Since the final season was released,
social media has been flooded with voices of disappointment and criticism.
That in itself is nothing strange.

Not being satisfied with the ending of the story,
not liking how a character was handled,
feeling the development was rushed.
These are all natural reactions.

The problem is the moment it turns into
words that strike someone.

"It was boring" is different from
"the creators are incompetent."
"It's not my taste" is different from
"it was ruined."

Once you cross this line,
your impressions are no longer opinions, but mere attacks.

Sociologist Richard Sennett states the following about public space.

When you erase the person on the other side of the screen,
words easily turn into violence.

7.3 What to do when you can't accept the ending

To be honest,
it's not necessary for everyone to give the final season a perfect score.
In fact, a work that everyone agrees on is less trustworthy.

What matters is
how you behave when you can't accept it.

The story has ended.
There will be no more official sequels.

That is precisely why
what happens next is left up to us.

If you can't accept it,
you can just imagine the continuation yourself.
How did that character live after that?
Did that choice not hold other possibilities?

Come to think of it, "Stranger Things" itself was a story born from
gathering the context of past masterpieces
and reweaving them.

In other words, this work
demonstrated through its very structure
that "stories are meant to be passed on."

7.4 A finale is not an end, but a hand-off

A story reaching its conclusion
does not mean the world is closing.

It is the moment when the baton of imagination
is passed from the creators to the viewers.

The next generation will watch this work
and spin new stories.
They will find new things to admire,
and create new monsters.

That is fine.
In fact, that is healthy.

"Stranger Things" has ended.
But the excitement and the sense of unease we felt
do not need to end.

To love a story
is not just to keep praising it or protecting it.
It is to receive it, think about it, and pass it on.

When you think of it that way,
the finale of this drama
is somehow full of hope.

The world continues.
The story continues.
Now, it is our turn.

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