New Netflix original series Stranger Things fills the extraterrestrials void left in my heart ever since I finished the infamous series The X-Files. At this point, it takes a lot for such a show to meet my expectations. Saying this, Stranger Things still exceeds them. 

In terms of plot, this show is impeccable, but it offers much more.

This show and the producers, The Duffen brothers, go above and beyond to perfect nearly every aspect of the show.

The phenomenal cast of child actors really steal the stage. I especially commend the performance of Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven. They are some of the most prominent characters in the show and really stand out among the rest of the cast.

Ageless icon Winona Ryder plays loving mother, Joyce, who sold the role with such conviction it brought tears to my eyes (not to mention she’s a total badass).

The other members of the Byers family, Will and Jonathan, are other stand-out characters. Though Will (Noah Schnapp) isn’t featured in the show much past the first few episodes, his small parts still captured my heart and inspired an instinct in me to protect him. Charlie Heaton plays Jonathan, one of the main and most captivating characters in the show, and I can honestly say I fell in love with his character, and maybe Heaton himself.

The cinematography is superb, selling the eery, “anything can happen next” sort of feeling that you want in a show like Stranger Things. The soundtrack plays along perfectly with this, as the composition maintains that needed suspense.

If you are a part of the minority who hasn’t watched Stranger Things, I suggest you hop on the bandwagon, because the following is there for good reason. I can hardly wait to see what season two has in store.