I get what you're saying. I was 13 in 1983 and I think it's helping me to get into the more "kiddie" aspects of the show. I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm only 3 episodes in but the story has been really intriguing. I think this is the first time I've seen Winona Ryder in anything since "Reality Bites". She looks great, BTW. But yeah, this show is making me nostalgic almost in the same way that Freaks and Geeks does.
Watched the first episode last night and was not impressed. You guys have convinced me to give it a second chance.
Her character can be a little annoying, I suppose. But she's kind of like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters; I wonder if he was an influence on her character?
Not an easy role to play, either. The grieving, stressed out, people think you're nuts character. It's a tough role to play that. I think she did a really good job (though, yes, her character is annoying a lot of the time).
You needn't wonder, that was absolutely the case. The show is littered with homage scenes from various iconic 80s movies. But they pull it off so well that it's a core strength, rather than a criticism. I can't think of any. This show is unique in the contemporary TV landscape.
What a fantastic show! It really makes me nostalgic for the films of the late 70s/early 80s. I was 12 years old in 1983, so this completely resonates with me. The basement "playroom" where the boys hang out freaked me out because I remember one of my best friends had the exact same couch in HIS basement entertainment room. Really hoping we get another season because this is a real summer treat.
I finished the series last night. I give it a B. Take away the 80s nostalgia and it's just an OK show.
Watched ep1 last night. The "Carpenter" score is fantastic. Those kids are the most believable middle school nerds on tv, maybe ever.
I hope the second season can go into the backstory of the "thing" and also Elle/11. I'm interested in finding out what the "upside down" is. There's so much story there. The first 8 eps barely scratched the surface.
I was between 12 & 13 the summer of 83. This show is right in my wheelhouse. 3 episodes in and enjoying it. I'll finish it this weekend.
I loved this show! Found it a little hard going though episode 1 and came a little close to bailing but it really grabbed me after that. I agree with a few previous comments about Winona - she was just full on through virtually every scene and it got tired quite quickly but even she seem to settle into it in the end. There's been two great 80's throwback series recently - this and Deutschland 83.
Are you all expecting Winona's character to NOT act weird with her kid missing and crazy a$$ stuff happening all around her?
I'd also say late 70's as well since CE3K was made in the 70's. I enjoyed the series quite a bit. Curious to see what the second season entails.
Watched over the course of 3 nights this week, with prodding from my daughter. I generally don't binge-watch anything, but this grabbed me from the start. As for the believability of the kids, I turned to my daughter at one point and said (only semi-jokingly), "Lucas is the best kid actor I've ever seen." Happy that there will be another season. They definitely left at least 3 open threads there at the end that can be pursued.
I'm not into tv or movies featuring children, but I decided to give it a shot based upon the posts here and a 93 on RT (97 audience score). I'm on episode 2 now - excellent show! Very well done, I gotta say. Thanks for the heads up.
We are watching it with our middle school boy. I believe six episodes in, will probably finish it today. Amazing series, such a great nostalgia piece. I was close to the age of the older kids in this show. Got my DL in 83. Hope it starts shooting the second season asap. Now, it's time to turn my 12 year old onto some Stephen King and Dean Koontz books.
something about her voice, how she affects it feels unnatural. it's as if she's acting older (higher-pitched voice) and more creaky/rickety than she really appears (still looks young-ish).. it's grating in a negative way. obviously she's supposed to be frazzled, but it's like she never turns that mode off
It's weird, because she is 44 in reality and on the show during that time that age would be the typical age for someone having a kid that's around 12-13. I found her character a little rough but by the episode where she starts losing it and breaks down is where I felt empathy for the character and also where I felt she came into form.
Thanks Netflix for the whole "release the season all at once" thing. This was a lot of fun to watch in a couple big gulps. It's not terribly original, but it's very reminiscent of the Stephen King miniseries ( what's the plural of miniseries ... Miniserieses?") of years past. They were great fun and had the same advantage of being able to watch the whole story in two or three days. From a comparative standpoint, this was much better than Langoliers or Tommyknockers (both of which I loved) and about on the level of It, with maybe fewer scares but a better ending. (The Stand stands alone, of course, due in no small part to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's "Bring out your dead.") Spotting the influences was a lot of fun (the sheriff's nod to Indiana Jones was a favorite) but my wife wouldn't know an influence if it bit her on the butt and she enjoyed it as much as I did. Good job all around.
