One of the most popular debates regarding Stranger Things is whether the show is too unrealistic by having all of the main cast members survive for as long as they have.
Without getting into the harmonic relationship of the words “Stranger Things” and “unrealistic,” folks seem to have forgotten that the show started out with the four main boys being particularly small children, and all of them (with a special nod to Will) managed to survive the first season. That alone could carry the same debate as our present day back-and-forth.
But even though Will, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas all survived, the children did not, and one valorous redditor took to r/StrangerThings to capture the exact moment when Mike, Lucas, and Dustin’s childhoods were shattered into a thousand, unrecoverable pieces.
Note the cheeky, carefree bliss dancing around the smiles of the three boys, just seconds before the police tell them that their best friend, Will Byers, has gone missing.
Some other users gave their thoughts and prayers to other characters, such as Eddie and Eleven, who had their carefree attitude crushed and who never got to have one to begin with, respectively.
And, of course, there was an influx of appreciation for Will, whose trauma was infinitely more direct and life-threatening, which made it all the more impressive that he made as far as he has, let alone past the first season.
Another user pointed out how the ramifications of the boys’ trauma continued to be visible during the events of the second season.
Evidently, fighting inter-dimensional monsters, having military men gunning for your head, having your friends go missing, and learning that superpowers exist can really change someone. The main cast may have impeccable survival skills, but no one will be walking away from this unchanged.
Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix.