I’ve preferred to use my own pictures all year and for this one my daughters used to have a *Stranger Things* sweatshirt and the only picture I have of it has the bottom of the logo slightly cut off. It’s quirky. I like it.

So many people I like and respect like Stranger Things - including everyone else in my house - that I figured I ought to give it a try.

I just never knew if I’d like it - I’m not into scary stuff.

But everyone focuses on the horror (might be too strong of a word - maybe I should say eeriness) - no one told me it’s really a show about friendship. And family.

I couldn’t stop watching the first season - I finished it in just a few days.

I’m writing about it now because I don’t know that I’ll catch up before December 25, which is when Netflix drops the second half of the final season of the show. (Although if I continue at this pace I’ll be caught up in no time. I am currently midway through season 2.)

It’s hard to watch a show that has twists and surprises so long after it comes out.

The season I watched was released in 2016. It’s hard to believe the show debuted nine years ago - but when I went to IMDB to look up some of the actors I had to quickly close the window because there are spoilers everywhere.

If someone has been on the show for all 5 seasons, that’s a spoiler. I realized there was a chance I’d see someone who wasn’t in future episodes (because they might be killed off) so I should hold my IMDB curiosity until I finish the series. (I did stumble on one mini spoiler about one character’s fate there.)

The other hard thing is so many people are watching the show for the final season, not the first season, and we have the Netflix with the ads, so there are a couple of ads in the mix that include minor spoilers. I won’t describe them but they kind of talk about plot points or reveal where characters stand right now.

And I can’t blame them. It’s been years. I’ve had my chance.

But it’s also cool to watch something from the beginning where you know of characters (my daughter was Eleven for Halloween back then and now I understand her costume) and you know generalities of a show and then you see how everything is introduced…it’s cool. I like origin stories.

Like I said, I don’t love scary stuff. And this show isn’t necessarily super scary - I should have known I could handle it when my kids were watching it at age 10 - but it does cause me problems if I watch it before bed. The first night I had a panic dream (I can’t really call it a nightmare, but it certainly wasn’t a nice dream) - it reminds me of when I used to watch The Americans. There’s a tension that makes it a very good show but is not great for my sleeping.

But, like I said, the dominant theme here is this is a show about friendship - these kids would do anything for their friend. (It’s certainly not a show about exemplary parenting….except for the love of one mother for her son, I’ll give her that.)

I might regret putting this in print but I think I feel this way, and I’ve thought about it a lot - season one of Stranger Things is almost perfect.

There are no wasted shots or wasted moments - every piece of information counts. Everything you see or hear - a song, a piece of dialogue - it’s there for a reason. If a guy is not a great guy you are given little reminders just before you start to like him (or at least sympathize) that, oh yeah, he’s irredeemable. If someone is redeemable, it’s believable. The characters overall are great. There is closure but there is also cliffhanger.

And that’s the problem. I have high expectations for the rest of the seasons because of how good season one was. I’m sure it’s good throughout - these millions of people who love the show can’t be wrong. But I always have a hard time believing something will be that good for that many seasons.

We’ll see - I’m certainly looking forward to diving into the new season and catching up with these people I’ve become invested in.