Nerdarchy Gets a Little Stranger (Things)
Art by Nelson from Infinite Roleplay
Stranger Things, for those of you who have been living under a rock, is a Netflix original series and a charming throwback to the sci-fi/horror stylings of the ’80s with the special effects capabilities of the modern day. If you haven’t already seen it, you are honestly missing out.
This show is phenomenal. It captures the essence of the ’80s and the vibe of the stories that came out of that era, taking a stylistic lend from old Stephen King movies and others. The characters are all fleshed out and believable, and on a particularly relevant note to our community in particular, the very first full scene in the show features a group of kids playing Dungeons & Dragons.
And it doesn’t stop there, as D&D is a recurring theme throughout the show. Although the central conflict is about illicit experiments and a dark otherworld, the young protagonists often reference “the party” and consult their game guides to make what’s happening around them make more sense.
The show being set in the ’80s draws in an older crowd who love it for the nostalgia. The young protagonists keep the interest of younger viewers. On a more personal note, a few of my younger teen-aged cousins saw this show and had all kinds of questions about the game the boys were playing; they want to play it too, now, and that is just incredible.
Back on April 20th, Nerdarchist Dave actually managed to score an interview with David Harbour, the man who plays Sheriff Hopper on Stranger Things.
Needless to say, that interview blew up in terms of views and people in the live chat, and it’s not surprising why. David Harbour was really awesome and amazing, and it turns out he’s a huge nerd. He was really down to earth. Not only that, but Hopper is a beloved character and it isn’t a big surprise why so many people like him.
The first time we see Hopper, he’s sleeping on the couch, surrounded by beer cans. He has a smoke out on the balcony, showers, brushes his teeth with a cigarette in his hand, washes a pill down with beer and then puts on his police uniform. It makes a hell of an impression.
As a character, he can be unsociable and difficult to deal with. Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t even realize how rude he’s being to people, it’s just kind of a part of who he is. He is flawed, and people in the audience are drawn to that. But he’s also unquestionably a good person. Avoiding spoilers where I can, but when presented with a situation where someone else is going through something that he has been through, he is kind and patient, and in spite of his own personal experience he still takes her seriously and tries when no one else would have.
Hopper is very much the kind of character people want to play at the gaming table. He has his own demons, and a backstory that effects his actions in the now, but it doesn’t swallow the plot. He is audacious and blunt, and he gets things done.
Then on the 25th, Nerdarchists Dave and Ted D&Dized Sheriff Hopper.
The character sheet that goes along with this video can be found here. But a brief warning, there are possible spoilers in the sheet (though nothing that isn’t covered in the interview video). Even so, download at your own risk.
It isn’t just the presence of D&D that makes this show appeal to people who play the game. The whole thing reads like a well written campaign. Every major character has their own point of view, their goals, their mindsets. It’s easy to imagine all of the main cast being played by a separate player.
Stranger Things is an excellent example of good agency. It’s difficult to pin down a specific ‘main character’, this story is very much about all of them. Every plot thread intersects with the others frequently, and character choices matter and don’t exist in a vacuum. They are allowed to make their own decisions and affect one another with them and that is a rare thing in current media.
Most things tend to zero in on characters like Hopper and Eleven and they don’t let up. It’s incredibly refreshing to have a show of this quality, that treats every major character like a fully fleshed out person and still manages to showcase the most outstanding aspects of each one.
All in all, it’s amazing that this show has gotten people interested in our hobby, and the way that they’ve managed to work it into the plot. The fact that they’ve done this and done it so well is outstanding, and if it’s not something you’ve gotten into yet I highly recommend giving it a watch. It is totally worth the hype surrounding it.
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Le Voyeur
May 12, 2017 at 4:17 pmI thoroughly enjoyed both of those interviews. Getting an insight to how David use to be into the game itself, and telling his tales of DM’ing and being a player alike was so refreshing to see an actor in tune with the source material that was a big influence into the show. Cannot wait for season 2!