Recently, Stranger Things Star Millie Bobbie Brown came out in criticism of her bosses, calling them “sensitive Sally’s” and accusing them of being afraid to kill off characters and that things needed to operate a bit more like Game of Thrones on the set of Stranger Things.
Some other people, even within the fandom, have said the exact same thing and think that the Duffer brothers shouldn’t be afraid of letting the villains have a similar body count to a Freddie Krueger movie circa the mid-80s. However, the Duffers have heard the criticisms and recently decided to respond, saying:
Duffer Brothers Give Reason Why Netflix’s ‘Stranger Thing’ Has Yet To Become A Bloodbath
“Believe us, we’ve explored all options in the writing room… We aren’t Game of Thrones. This is Hawkins, it’s not Westeros. … When Barb dies [in Season 1], it’s two seasons’ worth of grappling with that… Every death has an impact. As we’re moving into the final season, more of that is on the table… There is logic behind it, and has nothing to do with my sensitivity.” we told them to make it make sense, and for the most part, they did.
The reason why Hawkins is still a decently populated place is that, at least in the Stranger Things Universe, death needs to matter – and that makes perfect sense. Especially since the Duffers seem to be going for an air of authenticity for the time in which Stranger Things was made.
For those of us who were around in the ’80s, we do remember when character death made more of an impact, especially those in Fantasy stories which is arguably what Stranger Things is, yes it could also be termed Horror or Suspense, maybe even Thriller, but it really does give the feel of an old school fantasy and science fiction story. Those stories were not just about which of our favorite characters could die the fastest, those stories were about the ones that managed to live through that.
Millie Bobbie Brown’s criticism may be valid but let’s face it, she wasn’t around to witness a time in which media was any different other than the Game of Thrones “Anyone Can Die” model, so she doesn’t know the type of feel that the Duffers are trying to recapture.
So while yes, a Game of Thrones model might get you a ton more viewers, it also might get you a ton more resentment among your fans too. Does anybody remember the Game of Thrones finale and how mad we still are about it?
Compare that to the movie The Never Ending Story – yes, we are still messed up by Artax’s death to this day but does it invoke a sense of rage and wasted time in us? No. We’re not mad at the creators, because we know that his death mattered. That’s good storytelling. Stay tuned!!!
