"The Bridge"

Abstract

Stranger Things rode a wave of 80s nostalgia dominating pop culture. Borrowing visual aesthetics, soundtrack, themes, and actors of the time, the show strove to feel like a genuine 80s creation. The tension between old and new persists in more than just the format of the show: the entire show walks a tightrope between the desire to venerate the 80s and to be a lauded show of the 2010s, a struggle that became increasingly exacerbated.