Netflix and thrill: the release of “Stranger Things 2”
This Halloween, Utah State University students are binging on something other than candy since the release of “Stranger Things 2” on Friday.
“I went to my classes (on Friday) and there was no one there,” said Emily Wilson, a communication studies major at USU. “I think it’s because everyone stayed up watching ‘Stranger Things.’”
Although Netflix notoriously refuses to release its viewership data, there is reason to believe the sci-fi, 80s-inspired series is one of the streaming service’s biggest hits. Television analytics firm Symphony Advanced Media estimates 8.2 million people watched the first season of “Stranger Things” within 16 days of its release in July 2016, beating out every other Netflix series but “Orange Is the New Black” and “Fuller House.”
“The first time I watched the series, I watched it in two days,” Wilson said. “I watch it on my sister’s Netflix account. If I couldn’t access her account anymore, I would buy my own just to watch ‘Stranger Things.’”
To celebrate the release of the second season, various watch parties occurred over the weekend. Megan and Karson Wilson, both USU students, hosted a watch party at their home on Friday night complete with aptly-themed decorations and treats.
“We are big ‘Stranger Things’ fans,” Megan said. “When we first heard about the series, we watched it in about two days. We only took a break for me to drop my husband off for class.”
Megan dressed up as Eleven, her favorite “Stranger Things” character, for the watch party. Missing posters for Will Byers, a character who gets lost in an alternate universe in the series, were taped to the walls, as well as the alphabet ouija board and Christmas lights from one of the most iconic scenes of the first season.
“We made everything for this party,” Megan said. “We are making waffles for Eleven right now. You know she loves the waffles.”
With a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 95% audience rating, “Stranger Things” gained a following largely by word-of-mouth.
“It’s something new and different,” said Konisi Hosea, a junior at USU. “When you normally watch sci-fi, they tend to over-do it. This series appeals to people who don’t normally watch sci-fi shows.”
Konisi’s wife, Nikki Hosea, agrees that much of the series’ popularity stems from it being unlike anything else that is currently on television.
“There’s a lot of cop and crime on TV, and a lot of romance, but this is just so different that it’s refreshing,” she said. “Plus, the kid actors are just spot-on. Usually kid actors are hard to watch, but they do so well.”
Attendees of the watch party offered some hopeful predictions for “Stranger Things 2.”
“I don’t know what to expect from this season. They left us at a cliffhanger,” Karson said. “I love Barb and I pray she comes back.”
“I want Will to get powers,” Konisi said. “I think he actually might, just because he was in the upside-down for so long.”
“I hope there becomes a love interest between Mike and Elle,” said Cydney Andrews, a dental hygiene student.
“I’m rooting for the Demogorgon,” said Joey Shields, a business administration student. “He’s gonna win in the end, right?”
— mekenna.malan@gmail.com
@kennamalan