Stranger Twins: How The Duffer Brothers Became The Most Ambitious Storytellers On Television
Image Source: Variety
THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS SEASONS 1 THROUGH 4. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
July 16th, 2016, the world changed forever. Well, the world of pop culture, anyway.
Netflix, already three years into its lifespan as a streaming service, would release what would become its flagship series. In what seemed like overnight, Stranger Things went from “That new show with Winona Ryder in it,” to a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. Throughout its run, the series has garnered praise for its performances, direction, music, tone, and writing. Sporting a passionate fandom, a Broadway show, a cultural impact that very few television shows have accomplished, and merchandise galore, Stranger Things has been a runaway success in every way imaginable. As we’re just weeks away from the fifth and final season of the series, fans are taking the time to reminisce, reflect, speculate, and worry. There is a lot of worrying going on right now. The closer we get to the final adventure, the more chances we get to look back and appreciate what we’ve been given over the last nine years. Nine years of scares, fun, heart, and tears, and there are two men we can thank (or blame) for the memories: A duo of brothers named Matt and Ross.
Matt and Ross Duffer (collectively known as the Duffer Brothers) hit the scene in 2015, writing and directing the well-received (albeit criminally underseen) horror film, Hidden. The same year, they acted as writers on the short-lived Fox series Wayward Pines. Despite their small list of credits, the Duffer Brothers began pitching a series called Montauk, which later became the series we all know and love. All hope seemed lost when multiple networks kept rejecting the series, in large part because it focused heavily on child characters, even though the show itself was not a children’s show. The Duffers, however, found an ally in director Shawn Levy, who at the time was the king of the family movie. With credits like Big Fat Liar, Cheaper by the Dozen, Night at the Museum, and Real Steel, Shawn Levy was the most out-of-left-field choice for a producer on a sci-fi horror series. Even so, Levy championed the series and quickly developed it. Levy would become an essential creative on the series, directing episodes across all 5 seasons, including the series's best episode (Season 4, Episode 4: Dear Billy). Over five seasons, the Duffers and Levy have been joined by other directorial talent, including Rebecca Thomas (Sweet/Vicious), Uta Briesewitz (Severance), Nimród Antal (Predators), Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), and two-time Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (WALL-E).
And the rest, as the kids say, is history.
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Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
On the surface, Stranger Things is simply a heartfelt tribute to the works of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King, particularly E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and IT. The show’s detractors will have you believe that Stranger Things offers nothing but 80s pop culture references and pastiches of older, better works. However, at its core, the series is a powerful tale of family, love, courage, and growing up. Whether the character you connect with the most is a girl with psychic powers, a worried mother, a metal head, or an avid D&D player, there is a character for everyone to relate to. The Duffers have never been afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves. In addition to Spielberg and King, they’ve cited John Carpenter, David Lynch, Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro, George Lucas, and Sam Raimi as inspirations. This is evidenced both in their writing and their directing style. Like the works of Lucas, Lynch, and del Toro, the world of Stranger Things feels lived-in and familiar. Hawkins has an unmistakable sense of history that makes it a joy to revisit season after season. The Upside Down, with its creepy bats and all, is also worth revisiting every season. There's no shortage of mystery in Hawkins and the Upside Down, with each season introducing new locations, heroes, villains, and mysteries to chew on. Despite seasons after the first receiving criticisms for being repetitive in their storytelling, the Duffer Brothers often find ways to keep the plot engaging. Nothing ever feels forced, half-assed, or aimless. The Duffers’ affinity for pitch-perfect plot structure and character writing is what helps fans return for more adventures in Hawkins, Indiana. Despite the influences being unmistakable, the Duffer Brothers use them while keeping things fresh.
In addition to their writing, the Duffer Brothers’ directing has only improved season by season. This aspect of their work is where Spielberg's influence is most apparent. Their love of tracking shots and constant camera movement is what keeps every episode they direct engaging and gripping. Other directors (especially Shawn Levy) utilize the same techniques in their episodes, but it just hits different with the Duffers behind the camera. There’s a very cinematic quality to the Duffer Brothers’ direction, which makes the lengthy hiatus a little more excusable. Every passing season, the story increases in scale and cast size, so naturally, the Duffers’ directing talents followed suit. Despite the scale and the increasing number of characters, the Duffers never lose sight of the essentials. Everything from their blocking, camera movements, and general sense of wonder functions so well. You can’t help but be swept away by how grand everything feels. That Spielbergian sense of childlike wonder, even with scenes with adult characters, is remarkable. The duo’s tonal balancing act of humor, horror, and wonder are often seamless in every season. Oh, and the whip pans. There are A LOT of whip pans! But that’s ok, I’m a simple girl. If a director uses a whip pan, I’m gonna go “Oh damn, that’s amazing!”
Image Source: SyFy
Ask any fan of Stranger Things what their favorite part of the show is, and 99% of the time, the answer is going to be the characters. Ever since the show first aired, everyone and their mother had a favorite character, and there’s a very high chance that’s still their favorite today, unless their favorite was introduced in a later season, of course. How could one not love Eleven, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, or Jim Hopper? Who couldn’t connect with Joyce Beyers and her quest to find Will? Who doesn’t want to be friends with Lucas Sinclair or Robin Buckley? That’s the power of the Duffer Brothers’ skills as storytellers, where characters, regardless of age, gender, race, or role, can be memorable and compelling. The characters are so lovable that a minor character like Barb can become a Boba Fett-level cult icon. Hell, see how Steve Harrington went from being Nancy Wheeler’s douchebag ex-boyfriend to being a lovable older brother figure for characters like Dustin, Lucas, and Max. In the span of two seasons, Steve became the most beloved character in the show’s run. Who can forget 2022, where it seemed like Eddie Munson and Max Mayfield were the center of the universe for an entire summer? The combined strength of the Duffer Brothers as storytellers and the immensely talented actors who portray these characters make all 4 (soon to be 5) seasons worthwhile endeavors.
Much like Star Wars, the characters are the main attraction. And sure, we can debate which character is better, who deserves more screentime than who, and who we feel was let down by the writing until the sun blows out of the sky. The important thing is that the passion and love that viewers have for these characters is the #1 reason why we keep coming back to Stranger Things. It’s a testament to the Duffers’ writing talent that even when characters are being put through the wringer episode by episode, we still care. No episode is too grim or too depressing that it prevents us from watching and rooting for our heroes. And a testament to their directing, characters are never outshone by scale. The bigger the monsters, sets, and action become, the characters remain the centerpiece of the narrative. Sure, Vecna is a scary-looking dude who looks cool, but we care cause he’s interesting as a character. The Duffer Brothers’ film-esque approach to the series could easily backfire if they were lesser storytellers. Shows such as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones lost their luster the longer they went on, as the creators focused more on scale and action than on the characters at the center of it all. While the deaths of Barb, Bob Newby, and Eddie Munson are upsetting, they’re the emotional kind of upsetting. Never do the Duffer Brothers just kill off characters for shock value. In past interviews, they’ve said that characters such as Mike Wheeler and Steve Harrington were initially supposed to die all the way back in season 1, but they decided against it. We can make jokes about the cast being too damn big and about the Duffers being incapable of killing off major players, but at the very least, they keep characters alive for a reason.
Image Source: Deadline
Soon, Stranger Things’ fifth and final season will begin to air. The first volume in November, the second on Christmas, and the much-anticipated series finale on New Year’s Eve. To cap off this generational series, the finale will also be released on the big screen. As we, the fans, speculate on which actors will find the most success after the show ends, I’m very curious about what the Duffer Brothers will make next. The last decade of their lives has been devoted to this one series, as well as subsequent spin-off material, including the Tony-winning play The First Shadow, an upcoming animated series titled Tales From ‘85, and a currently unknown live-action spin-off series. As much as we love their work on Stranger Things, it’s a good thing when filmmakers move on from the property that made them famous. Far too many times, filmmakers have stayed on one IP for too long, to the point where it has become a hindrance to their careers. Due to the success of A New Hope, American Graffiti remains the last non-Star Wars film George Lucas would ever direct. After taking on a last-minute assignment to helm The Hobbit Trilogy, Peter Jackson hasn’t directed a narrative feature since The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014. Justin Lin’s career has been defined primarily by his five Fast and Furious films, while his non-Fast work, such as Better Luck Tomorrow and Star Trek Beyond, has flown under the radar. And the less we say about David Yates’ slavish devotion to the Wizarding World, the better. Granted, filmmakers such as George Miller (Mad Max), the Russo Brothers (the MCU), Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games), and Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible) have made some of their best work with one franchise, but they’re the exception and not the rule.
I won’t sit here and assume the Duffer Brothers are dying to break free of Stranger Things, as they’ve never insinuated they feel trapped or limited by their involvement on the show. However, considering they’ve stated that their very massive Paramount development deal was made in part due to their desire to make theatrical films, you can’t deny that they’re ready to make other things. The world of entertainment is the Duffer Brothers’ oyaster at this point. Being the creators of what is easily the biggest television series of the last decade (maybe even of the century?) is an accomplishment all aspiring storytellers should be proud of. The fact that Stranger Things has achieved Star Wars-level success is surreal even after all this time. I haven’t been able to walk into a Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, or Hot Topic without seeing Eleven, the Demogorgon, or Hellfire Club iconography in some form in a very long time. The fact that “Getting Vecna’d” entered the cultural lexicon and had people making playlists of songs they’d use to escape his grasp is the kind of pop culture cache only enjoyed by villains such as Darth Vader, The Joker, and Thanos. We got people being proud of buying Eggo waffles. You can’t buy that kind of impact.
Surely Hollywood is expecting and hoping that the Duffer Brothers’ first post-Stranger Things project will rival the popularity, influence, and quality of the series. Those kinds of sky-high expectations will be daunting for even the most talented of filmmakers. But I’m sure that the Duffer Brothers will at least try their best. Whether it’s horror, sci-fi, fantasy, or something else entirely, we can only hope that whatever they make next, the Duffer Brothers are ready to turn the world upside down once again.
Let’s hope that Vecna doesn’t make them crumble under the pressure.
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