ugh i hated the shift in focus from the byers to the wheelers. like the entire appeal of the show was that it revolved around a working class, single mother and her two boys who are survivors of domestic violence, who were socially outcasted from their small, conservative midwestern town due to their refusal to adhere to 1980s societal norms. the wheelers on the other hand were literally set up to be the byers’ narrative opposites. they’re the picture perfect white hetero nuclear family who never had to struggle a day in their lives. they have a massive reagan campaign sign in their front yard for multiple seasons for christ’s sake! choosing to focus on the wheelers goes so far against the original point of the series that it borders on parody, like it is just ridiculous.
This was the worsssssssssst decision!!!! The Wheelers were good as the contrast, there as a comparative foil, the familiar stand-in for the easily recognizable American family of the 80s. It was compelling and interesting that the Byers were the focus, the perfect allegory for dealing with both the supernatural events as well as them dealing with the town as a monster, society as an antagonistic force. This is also why centering Will once he was back in the picture for seasons beyond the first would have been the smart and sensible move. A much more rich and intricate story. Why the M11 romance is so bland and not needed, as well. It was so... out of sync with what this show could have been. This show could have said something.
I think at some point I'm going to sit down and give my big write up about what exactly I think I'd have done with the supernatural and 80s theme. There's so much you can do with this world and this era. I keep saying nooo, it's way too ambitious to rewrite the whole series.
But... well... I'm getting ideas... I've HAD these ideas. If I can articulate them into an outline. That's step one. And then...