LogFAQs > #890425201

pinky0926 posted...

Seriously, it's just a gimmicky show that's trying to be retro and tell people how cool they are by re-introducing the the 1990's. And since people are stupid and desperately want to be hipsters, they fall for it.

Ok, since you edited your original post to include this let's address this.

Are you sure you're not just overly distracted by the aesthetic? I mean obviously that's a huge part of the appeal for a lot of people, but what's gimmicky about it? I mean the setting provides a relevant backdrop to the storytelling, it's a homage to 80s sci-fi flicks which the entire thing heavily borrows from, it helps create drama because of the limited technology of the day, it provides a more plausible explanation for why a bunch of kids are allowed to run off all the time unsupervised, etc.

I mean in order to think it was gimmicky, you'd have to ignore all of the above while also ignoring the stunning cinematography, the very tidy screenwriting, the impeccable characterisation (seriously, very few shows do such a great job of allowing all of its characters to grow and show so many dimensions). It's basically perfect. And if the overall main plotline is predictable...well is that really a problem? I don't think so.

I haven't seen S2, for obvious reasons, but reflecting on S1.

Gimmicks:

-super powered kid who befriends kid from ET
-kid from ET
-outcast greaser
-teenagers encounter a dangerous scenario, do some of the dumbest crap imaginable and get out, unscathed. The scene in the forest with the greaser and the main guys sister. Straight out of horror movies of the 1990's.
-the timeline itself

The gimmicky part is the only reason it has it's popularity. Because people want to long for a bygone era. Once you cut that crap out, it's not anywhere near the level of writing seen in modern day TV shows.