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STRANGER THINGS
ERA:
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Set in the 1980’s
Makes intertextual references to a range of 80s texts e
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Enjoyed both by young audiences and old audiences

Theories to apply: (Narrative theorists)
Todorov:
- Todorov's​ theory states that all narratives follow a three-part structure where they begin with
equilibrium, where everything is balanced and happy
...
Stranger
Things conforms to his theory as it does begin with equilibrium as the town of Hawkins, where
Stranger Things is set, seems like a peaceful town where nothing ever goes wrong and the
only crime that happened was a girl got attacked by a bird
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In Stranger Things, the
disruption is when Will goes missing one night after a game of Dungeons and Dragons and
possibly when the group of three boys meets a telekinetic girl who appeared to have escaped
from Hawkins lab
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Eventually everything is restored when Will is actually rescued from the upside down
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However to counterpoint, with Stranger Things being a TV show they can leave things
unresolved as they will be resolved in the next series
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For instance, the equilibrium in the
story is Martin working for the East, which is seen as being normal and his way of life
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The resolution in episode 1 is that he completes his task in having to take
pictures of confidential, private documents
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The Berlin Wall ends in 1990 so the audience watching
this may already expect the show to demonstrate this and other events that they already know
happened in the Cold War
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He argues that there are several main archetypes in a narrative or story, which are as
follows; The Hero, villain, the helpers, a princess, the Donor, dispatcher and a false hero
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In stranger things, the Hero would be Hopper, the towns sheriff
but could also arguably be Will and his friends who pursue multiple attempts to find/save Will
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Wills friends also meet Eleven
while searching for Will, who becomes one of the Catalysts for the town finally recovering Will Byers
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This is
because the Narrative contains two Villains instead of the classic “Single villain with his group of
minions or henchmen” clique
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Brenner
...
Brenner essentially created the portal which brought the Demogorgon
into their world and the Demogorgon did choose to take Will to “The upside-down”
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This is usually expressed in
the form of binary oppositions
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As in the show, to president Ronald Reagan he calls
East Germany an “evil empire” but to the audience there is not a complex representation
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Especially, because the east are seen as an oppressive, communist
state
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There are also
different representations of patriarchal ideologies in D83
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On
the other hand, the East presents women having the same power equal to men, though the
character, Lenora
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Therefore, Strauss
theory of binary oppositions can be applicable to D83
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The binary oppositions are very obvious because it is a sci-fi
genre whereas in Deutschland 83 it is based on real, historical events
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Whereas, in D83, there are things that
drive Martin ideologically, like commitment to his country and his preservation of communism
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he binary oppositions in Stranger Things are quite
clear to understand
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It is obvious that the audience are sided with the kids
and the small town, in wanting to defeat the ‘upside down’ along with them
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Although in some ways Strauss theory subverts and goes against the conventions and codes of
D83
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There are more cultural similarities than differences
and oppositions between East and West Germany that Strauss claims
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Lenora
providing coffee to Martin’s mother in episode 1 depicts a blur between wealth and difference
highlighting the east as not being overly impoverished
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:) ​Can be applied to any cultural product, including LFTVDs
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Can be used to analyse representations and their
ideological effect, by seeing which side of an opposition is valued by the narrative
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Does not tell us anything about the ownership and control of television and the process of mediation
that leads to the messages in newspapers
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Barthes

Meaning is communicated through signs which are made up
of the signifier (the thing itself) and the signified (the
meaning)
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Barthes uses the word myths to
describe the way the connotations suggested by a sign have come to be seen as normal and natural
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Signifiers are explicit,
such as his badge, gun, uniform, and the empty beer cans all communicate meanings in relation to
the character but they also suggest values and ideological messages around power and masculinity
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The
establishing shot of the Wheeler house in the opening sequence is another example of the way signs
work as myths
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It also indicated towards the concept of
a ‘nuclear family’ which Mike’s family represents that is viewed as the expected social norm
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ST also presents mothers as figures who are struggling to hold the family together
whilst fathers are either absent, insensitive or distracted
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Similar to Nancy’s mother who is a
typical housewife, doing domestic duties whilst Mike’s father is irresponsible and clueless to
everything going around him (e
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This show how signs accrue social meanings which
can communicate ideological messages
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For example, does not explain anything specific to LFTVD
as it is a general theory of signification
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Because Stranger Things is a hybrid genre of, sci-fi, horror and romance
it can appeal to a broader audience and conform more to the conventions of LFTV drama, which the
theory does not consider
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Therefore, doesn't look at all signs that may be important to consider in LFTV drama
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Martin’s uniform is a sign of him being loyal to East
Germany and serving as a good soldier that believes in his country’s values, such as freedom and
communism
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He
is a symbol of oppression to the East, as he calls them the “evil empire” which infuriates Lenora
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The audience are positioned from the
start to think that the East is good and the west is bad
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The fact that most of the
government's/authority are men in West Germany also signifies that West Germany is also
patriarchal
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It also does not tell us anything about the ownership and control of
television
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Foreign language films are also seen as being as high status to build
brand image/prestige
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The use of data and algorithms to
engineer original productions to appeal to its audience is another way in which it can avoid risk, which
the theory does not look at
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Useful for ‘micro’ analysis of media language
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Less useful for
analysing ‘macro’ media language elements such as narrative and genre
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Does not tell us about how audiences interpret television and give meaning
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He adds that ​‘difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre’: mere repetition
would not attract an audience​
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His
theory means that it is important to follow some of the conventions of a certain genre so that
people know which genre the show falls in
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Stranger Things did this by taking the traditional 80s theme of a movie and twisting it
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The relationship between Nance and steve makes us feel anticipated in
wanting to know what direction their relationship will turn to
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In contrast, Neale genre theory conforms to D83
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Also, the historical genre of the
show may undermine Neal's usefulness
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So it may appeal
to an older generation than a younger one
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The theme of patriarchy can
also overlap in this drama, as we do see archive footage from presidents, mainly men who are in the
middle of this war
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Although, this usbverts in D83 as we
see Lenora having most of the power, as she is the one who sets up the spying operation at first
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However, in other ways, the theory is not useful in applying to ST
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For example, the
show makes references to ET, Lord of the Rings, Steven Spielberg
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Neal’s theory can be applied to Deutschland 83 (D83) due to its genre conventions
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The protagonist in spy thrillers are normally forced to go ahead with the missions,
which is what Martin has to do as he is faced with blackmail in order to protect his mother
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Therefore, Martin’s characterization
conforms to this in Deutschland 83
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Neal indicates that there

should be an overlap of genres so audiences are hooked
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Baudrillard:
Baudrillard's theory conforms to Stranger Things
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Therefore representations no
longer relate to reality
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For instance, references to 80’s
clothing, Nuclear Family, in which Mike’s family represents this with his mum and dad and his teenage
sister
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The show also represents
sub-urban small american town where most middle-class wealthy families live and therefore they have
more to lose if something goes wrong in their lives
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T
...
T, it features kids who make an alien friend and try to solve problems, what
Mike and his friends try to do when against the Demogorgon
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However, the theory can be limited to Stranger Things as Sci-Fi genres is more difficult to make “real”
to audiences like the supernatural world of the upside-down and telekinetic powers of Eleven
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The theory also does not consider the
pleasures and entertainment audiences get from these hyperreal media texts
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We see imitations of actual historical events of the 80’s, with
real archive footage of Ronald Reagan at the start of episode 1
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The representation of soldiers, like
martin being loyal and references to nuclear weapons/deterrents
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For instance, Lenora providing Martin's mother coffee, suggests it is more accessible
and affordable for Lenora who comes from West Germany whilst East Germany is poor and
oppressive
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For instance, audiences do not need to know about the Cold War as they can still
understand the show if they watch without having knowledge
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For example,
it doesn’t consider the cinematic and stylistic qualities of D83, or the complex multi-strand narratives
and characters that makes the show appealing as a LFTVD
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Hall:
The theory suggests how​ media messages are produced and encoded into media
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For example, preferred
reading is when media producers use recognised conventions and rely on the audience to create or
decipher their own level of agreement
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‘Oppositional reading’ when the audience and their life experiences have no relationship with the text
they are resistant to it
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For example, encoders/creators install messages about
the cold war with the information that the consumers may not all have prior contextual knowledge of
the events (Cold War) that the long form tv drama is based off of - Age difference, older ‘preferred
reading’, Young ‘oppositional reading’
...
e
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Young audience can sympathise with the younger characters e
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Martin and Annett forced to be away from one another
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It can also be applicable to Stranger
Things as Young, marginalised people will sympathise with the main protagonists
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Therefore
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Whereas, the
elderly may find the younger characters a nuisance as they are not cooperative with authorities
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However, the audience can resist to this as
assumes that there is one dominant meaning to which the audience responds – does not fit messages
with a multitude of different possible readings (e
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deeply ironic messages)
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He suggests in older media products, representations were more simple and
straightforward especially regarding gender
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Gauntletts theory
can be applicable to Stranger Things
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The vast amount of online fan
culture including fan art, fan fiction, and memes demonstrates the way in which online media allows
audiences to participate in popular culture, and to express their own identities
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Nancy is a typical teenage girl, often in her room and has a
crush on the popular ‘jock’ which is Steve Harrington
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Whereas, we see more of a complex representation with
Eleven: short hair, not very feminine, violent behaviour, not nurturing/motherly (arguably because
although it is based in the 80s, it was created in modern times)
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The
theory also assumes that people have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests and
motives to be able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that use
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The theory is also applicable to Deutschland 83
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Lenora subverts from typical expectations of a
woman due to her high status and authority in the Stasi, therefore showing a complex representation
in characters that conforms to the theory
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However, can be limited to Deutschland 83 as it
gives too much credit to the audience and underestimates the power of the media conglomerates
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Van Zoonen:

Van Zoonen emphasises the importance of gender being seen as socially and culturally constructed
where women are often objectified (viewed as sexual objects) in media representations
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The theory can be applied to Stranger Things because we see the representation of patriarchy
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The governments/scientists are
conspiring together, Eleven’s father as the leader to experiment with Eleven’s powers using the
Hawkin’s lab
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Therefore, men are portrayed as being controlling and demanding in ST
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We do not see any women as police,
except for the women who sits in the office taking calls, highlighting women’s lower status and
position in general during the 1980s
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However, the theory can be limited to ST, because we do see gender-norms
subverting
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Halfway through episode 1, where when two men are chasing her in the
restaurant, she takes them down easily, leaving them defeated on the ground which shows her
strength, power and resilience, even though she is a little girl
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He is shy, introverted and quiet and his
hobby in photography makes him more unique and isolated from the rest of the teenagers in high
school
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For example, similar to Stranger Things, we see
that the governments and the state are full of military men
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This is shown in episode 1, where he questions and scolds
two men in sneaking Shakespeare into the borders of East Germany
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The portrayal of women in D83 depicts women as
being irresponsible, nosey and clumsy
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Martin gets help from another
guy, a spy, by insisting Martin to spike her drink so she forgets about it and doesn’t tell Walter
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However, the theory can be limited to D83
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Such as, ethnic inequality, and we see this in D83 as only one black character is shown
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Also, he can’t make powerful
commands, compared to Walter, a white-german who is the leader of the army
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Hooks
H​ooks focuses on the ​intersectionality​ of ​race​, ​capitalism​, and ​gender​, and what she describes
as their ability to produce and perpetuate systems of ​oppression​ and class domination
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For example, iin Stranger Things, we see the impact of
social class between Joyce as a working-class single mother and mrs Wheeler as a middle-class
housewife
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Where as, we see mrs Wheeler, being portrayed as more
wealthy, as shown by the representation of her big sub-urban, middle class house
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This is shown by Eleven, being a white-female as she is the
protagonist who acquires a lot of power in the show
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However,
the theory can be limited to ST because it does not consider the way representations can be
constructed through LFTV drama
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For example, Lucas is from a black
background in ST and so she doesn’t consider how his ethnicity may impact his role in ST or reflect
on his complex characterisation to draw on more points as to how intertextuality can form oppressions
within identities
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We​ see that the governments and the state are full of military
men
...
This is shown in
episode 1, in which he questions and scolds two men in sneaking Shakespeare into the borders of
East Germany
...
The
portrayal of women in D83 also depicts women as being irresponsible, nosey and clumsy
...
Martin gets help from another guy, a spy, by insisting Martin to spike her drink so she forgets
about it and doesn’t tell Walter
...
However, the theory can be limited to
D83 because it does not consider how audiences may respond to representations of social inequality
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For example, audiences may not like how General Jackson is only minimally portrayed or
the fact that there isn’t any black female characters in view
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Butler
Butler argues that gender identity is not something we are born with, it is something expressed
through the performance of gender roles
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Butler challenges the notion of fixed
binary identities of sexuality and gender
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This is demonstrated when she is
mistaken for a boy by Benny the diner owner
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This supports Butler’s idea that there is no
essential gender identity
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For example, we see in one of
the episodes where she is dressed in a pink dress and wears a blonde wig in order to to look more
like a girl, which is different to her shaven head and her lack of communication from episode one
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Both characters can be seen as examples of what Butler calls ‘gender
trouble’ as they do not conform to gender norms
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However, the theory can be
limited to D83 as the show does reflect fixed gender identities
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This is cliche and also conforms to most US teen drama/films
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in Stranger Things, the government is mostly men
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We see this in episode 1, when Elevens father marches with
m

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