TV Show review
July 15, 2016 · TV-14
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Stranger Things follows a group of 1980s kids and adults in Hawkins, Indiana, who investigate a boy's disappearance and battle supernatural monsters from the Upside Down alongside secret government experiments. The narrative centers on friendship, family loyalty, bravery, and 80s nostalgia in a classic sci-fi adventure structure. Visible LGBTQ+ elements include Robin's lesbian reveal in season 3 and Will Byers' sexuality arc that builds across seasons and culminates in an explicit group coming-out scene in the series finale, which creators framed as thematically important for self-acceptance and overcoming evil. Major public backlash targeted the later seasons for perceived forced identity emphasis.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Stranger Things.
Woke representation / casting
Casting fits the 1980s small-town Indiana setting and story logic with no race/gender swaps or audience-visible forced emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Sparse and limited to classic 1980s government conspiracy tropes; no modern activist language, identity lectures, or anti-traditional framing.
Identity-driven story themes
Will Byers' gay arc recurs across seasons and receives explicit confirmation plus thematic weight in the finale, joined by Robin's lesbian reveal; elevated queer weighting applies due to its visibility and creator emphasis.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Government lab antagonism stays within 1980s period tropes without reframing into current identity politics, toxic masculinity, or cultural norm attacks.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Significant backlash and review bombing over the Season 5 coming-out scene and perceived forced LGBTQ focus, widely described as activist messaging or propaganda.
Creator track record context
No activist history, but heavy deliberate investment in the multi-year gay storyline and public defense of its importance shows alignment with visible identity elements.
Production
