Here is what I especially like about these penultimate episodes (the final, ultimate episode coming next week) (no spoilers ahead):
Someone says that Vecna and everything our brave crew is fighting is not science fiction but supernatural. Now, on the one hand, labels don't really matter. I said years ago, when my first novel, The Silk Code, was published, that it was science fiction/detective. After all, it features an NYPD forensic detective who discovers Neanderthals may still be among us. But some devotees of mysteries said it could not be a detective or mystery story, because it contained science fictional elements. I eventually got tired of trying to convince those readers the novel was a hybrid or co-genre, and said, it doesn't matter what genre it is, just read it.
But, actually labels are necessary. If I walk into a restaurant that says it offers Japanese cuisine, but it serves only lasagna, I might well be disappointed, even though I love Italian cuisine as much as Japanese. In other words, labels in cuisine and culture have value, because they help us make selections that reflect our tastes and moods. So I think it's helpful that Stranger Things -- or at least, this rendition of Stranger Things in what might well be a larger universe -- identifies itself as a story of the supernatural, even though it has some significant science fictional trimmings.
And, in fact, we get a glimpse of more of those trimmings in these concluding episodes. Talk of outer space, alternate universes and realities -- hey, that's right up my alley.
And I'll be back here next week after this series, and its part in a larger universe, concludes.
See also Stranger Things 1.1-1.5: Parallel Horror ... Stranger Things 1.6-18: Lando to Fringe ... Stranger Things 2: Bigger, Better ... Stranger Things 3: Growing Up... Stranger Things 4: A Big Step Forward ... Stranger Things 5.1-5.5: Best So Far
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