Stranger Things, IT, and the Upside Down of Nostalgia

amazing as always

Another great video! Thank you!

I love it!!! nice job!!

Veronika Von Kleist

Oh, it's unusual! But very touching! ლ(́◉◞౪◟◉‵ლ

SexBook _____ ADULT PHOTO AND VIDEO SIGNATURES

Regarding the show's use of our current writing standards to keep the kids relatable, I found it failed miserably due to how obnoxious and abusive the main trio (Mike, Troy and Dustin) are towards girls who become their designated love interests. I keep thinking in the back of my mind how those kids will grow up to be toxic fanboy gatekeepers that will spend their days online complaining how comics are pandering to SJWs and other bullshit. How do you find their handling of its female characters? AV Club had a good article discussing how ST is yet another series where its women are all kept as smurfettes to the men's stories, aren't allowed to really befriend each other and need to be rivals instead, stuff like that. <a href="https://www.avclub.com/stranger-things-2-keeps-its-strong-female-characters-1820280840" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.avclub.com/stranger-things-2-keeps-its-strong-female-characters-1820280840</a>

Matt Eldritch

This is a great video, Lindsay, and I don't think you get enough credit for the cleverness of your work. Example - "It falls more on the Wolf of Wall Street side of things where it goes both ways" over the shot of the Lego turtle using different shades of green brick that weren't available in the 80's. Very smart little nod here to a little-known "controversy". Keep up the great work!

Ryan Aston

Man, Lindsay, your videos just keep getting better and better.

Player13

I think Stranger Things is an interesting case because the Duffer Brothers are around your age and therefore kids of the 90s that were too young to have many direct memories of the 80s. So their nostalgia is for the film of the 80s (obviously), which skews their own perception of it. I'd have been around the same age in the 80s as the kids in the show, so had I been the one to make it I'd probably have a slightly different take on how the kids would experience the (real) world.

Kyle Williams

nice rickroll

Anthony

"the dark underbelly of the mundane" omg this is a whole art project by itself

SulaMoon

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this regarding the 2011 film Super 8 (that JJ Abrams movie that nobody talks about anymore). Do you think it factors into this discussion at all? And why do you think that it didn't find success where Stranger Things and IT did?

Max Laycock

You and your team are having a great streak, Lindsay. You're currently producing some of the best video essays on the internet. I wonder if you have watched Twin Peaks: The Return. If so, that might be an interesting topic for a video of its own regarding the topic of nostalgia. Twin Peaks came back after 25 years and is highly aware of the 30-year-cycle of nostalgia. The way Lynch &amp; Frost chose to deconstruct the original show and the audience's longing for the original's iconography and simplicity in The Return is - at least in my eyes - unprecedented on television. (Anime fans might protest and said that Hideaki Anno did a similar thing with The End of Evangelion with regards to Neon Genesis Evangelion, and I'd be happy to debate that for 264 hours with them ^^)

Benedict Marko

For the first few seconds, I thought you were rickrolling us and the joke was "Haha, fooled you! I don't REALLY have a new video, you twerps!".

The thing with 30/20 year cycles is it isn't really recycling anything authentic, just the general 'smell' of the era, which can be a general memory blur. If you go to an 80s themed costume party you will see people dressed as Hair Metal rock stars (late 70s) and the Fresh Prince (early-mid 90s).

Its almost like your a female being with allot of experience analyzing nostalgia. There's probably a moniker in there somewhere,but I can't think of anything.

At 3:00 - "Look at my crotch! Look at my crotch! Looooooook at my crotch! Yaaaaaaay!"

Admittedly, Stranger Things takes lots of stuff that I like and puts it in a blender. I find the output good and somehow fresh. I like how the different age groups have story lines. However, when Bob went to reset the computers, I yelled at the TV that it was a 90's thing from Jurassic Park. Apparently, my brain thought the show broke the rules. As far as nostalgia for the 80's, I have many good memories and miss not having as many responsibilities. However, my life is better now, and I am looking forward for more time with my wife and family.

Mister CPU

EXCELLENT job, I'm so glad you discussed it. Really been at the forefront these days.

Rachel

I almost wanna say Stranger Things was somewhat deconstructive as well behind the families. As nostalgic they made relating to the cast of kids, they didn't shy away from saying 'Hey, remember how in the 80's we were still figuring out psychology, and kinda made some bad calls?' or 'Hey, remember how much more 'acceptable' it was for domestic abuse was because people were less likely to hear about it in media?' Maybe i'm reading between the lines, so eh. nostalgia is both a fun, and terrifying thing.

Undlark

Oh my god that opening...that triggered something primal in me

Never in my life have I thrown myself on the "Play" button faster. Wonderful work again, miss Ellis!

Momster

Who needs sleep at 3am when there’s a new Lindsay Ellis video?? Informative and entertaining as always. Though I shudder to think what the thirty year rule is gonna look back on in another... well, thirty years.... if we don’t all go boom. Probably trash talking millennials about being on their phones and Buzzfeed parodies.

JRL Studios

Yes 🙌 two videos this close to each other, ace, Lindsay. Also, thanks for tackling this specific subject, it's been on my mind for weeks and weeks.

Julie Smits

Hey. Look at you. Being all Nostalgia Chick n' stuff.

I thought I had paid $2 to get Rick Rolled for a hot second. Awesome video

Paddy O'Furniture

Fak, I'm gonna have to add a credit card to my payment method. Worth it, though.

Lord Kristine

How do you make so many quality scripted videos!? Damn, good job!

John Diniz

I find David Lynch when he isn't doing Dune or Elephant Man, but more Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, or Blue Velvet a deconstructive nostalgia where it explore the 1950's nostalgia through dark lens.

Bardcraft

Love the Dragon's Lair images at 11:46 - reference to Hbomberguy's latest video?

You and me both xD

William Gross

Just when I was about to sleep

Will Park