9 Years Later, Stranger Things’ Pilot Episode Hits Even Harder

by

It’s amazing to think it’s been nearly ten years since Stranger Things first appeared on Netflix. The show has become hugely popular and is now almost entirely associated with the streaming service, consistently raising the standard for other Netflix original series. With the fifth and final season arriving soon – after a three-year wait – many fans are revisiting the show from the very beginning to get ready. Even after all this time, the first episode of Stranger Things remains one of the best pilot episodes Netflix has ever produced.

The first episode of Stranger Things, “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers,” immediately grabs your attention and doesn’t let go, ending with a suspenseful cliffhanger that leaves you eager to see what happens next. It skillfully introduces all the main characters, subtly suggesting their complex histories, while maintaining a brisk and engaging pace. This pilot episode also lays the groundwork for the show’s central ideas, making it a crucial starting point for the entire series. Looking back, the episode feels even more impactful now than when it originally premiered on Netflix.

Stranger Things’ First 10 Minutes Instantly Hook the Audience

Most TV shows start with a bang to hook viewers, but few have done it as effectively as Stranger Things. The very first scene, with a scientist at Hawkins Lab fleeing from a hidden creature, is brilliantly suspenseful. We instantly feel sympathy for him as he desperately runs down a hallway, an alarm screaming around him. For a fleeting moment, watching him in the elevator, we believe he might make it. That hope is immediately crushed when we—and he—realize the monster is right there with him. He’s dragged away with a scream, and though we never learn his name, his fate instantly sets the show’s dark and dangerous tone and shows us what’s at stake.

The following minutes are especially important, as viewers meet the close-knit group of friends who are central to the story of Stranger Things. Even though they’re simply playing Dungeons & Dragons, the scene is surprisingly captivating. The moment is quickly interrupted when a die rolls off the table and Mike’s mom, Karen, tells them it’s time to stop playing. The kids playfully tease each other before heading home, making them instantly likable and inviting the audience into their everyday suburban world. This creates a sense of calm before their normal lives are disrupted by the terrifying events unfolding at the lab.

Even though we’ve only just met Will, the moment he’s threatened by the same monster that killed the scientist, viewers are immediately on edge, fully aware of the danger he’s in. His desperate escape is even more stressful to watch than the initial attack, because we already care about him. When Will and the monster both vanish, the audience is instantly hooked, demanding to know what happened. These opening ten minutes are enough to compel most viewers to finish the entire first season, and it accomplishes this with remarkable ease – something many TV shows struggle to achieve.

‘The Vanishing of Will Byers’ Lays Out Multiple Characters’ Series-Long Arcs

Over four seasons, viewers have watched the stars of Stranger Things mature and change as they face ever-greater dangers. It’s interesting to revisit the first episode and remember what the characters were like before everything started. Though they’ve all changed a lot since then, each character feels fully developed and real even from the beginning. In fact, this first episode hints at many of the challenges and developments they’ll experience throughout the series.

As a huge fan of Stranger Things, I’ve always been fascinated by Will Byers. Even though he doesn’t have a ton of screen time early on, those few minutes really establish who he is. It’s not just what he does – like being honest with Mike about rolling a seven in D&D – but also what other characters say about him after he vanishes. He’s a bit of an underdog, quieter and more sensitive than the others. Joyce letting Hopper know about his struggles with bullies, and the awful things his dad, Lonnie, said to him, really hit hard. It definitely set the stage for the revelations in Season 4, something the show had been subtly hinting at for years. His whole experience being taken to the Upside Down felt like a real loss of innocence, and he spends seasons dealing with the fact that life will never be the same. Now, with Season 5 bringing him back to face Vecna, it’s clear his connection to the Upside Down and the villain will be central to how the series wraps up, and I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

From the very beginning of Stranger Things, I felt like Eleven and Hopper were destined to cross paths. Even though they don’t actually meet until later, the show subtly sets things up so you know their stories are going to connect. I remember being heartbroken when Eleven first escaped and ended up at Benny’s – he was so kind to give her food and help, but then Dr. Brenner’s men killed him, and she had to run again. It was clear she needed allies, and while the boys were great, they couldn’t fully protect her. Hopper, meanwhile, acted all tough and uncaring at first, but you could see he was carrying a lot of pain, especially when he was alone. We quickly learned it was the loss of his daughter that was haunting him. So, it didn’t surprise me that Hopper first heard about Eleven while investigating Benny’s death – it felt like that’s when they both needed each other most. It took a while for them to become the father-daughter pair we all adore, but the show definitely planted that seed right from the start.

Stranger Things’ Pilot Perfectly Sets Up the Rest of the Series

While the world of Stranger Things feels less complex in Season 1 than it does later on, a lot of the show’s core ideas are actually introduced in the very first episode. Though characters don’t yet discuss other dimensions, the Demogorgon’s ability to vanish and reappear immediately hints at a hidden place. This also starts to answer the season’s central mystery: what happened to Will? Even though viewers don’t know what it’s called, the presence of the Upside Down is definitely felt throughout the episode.

The first episode, “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” introduces a key power seen throughout the show: telekinesis. Eleven demonstrates this ability by moving objects with her mind, like a fan and when evading capture. Notably, the Demogorgon also seems to use this power, opening the Byers’ front door with an unseen force. Because other Demogorgons don’t display the same ability, some fans believe a different creature from the Upside Down, possibly Vecna, was actually responsible for Will’s disappearance. The connections viewers can draw between this first episode and a villain introduced much later in Season 4 highlight just how crucial this episode is to the entire series.

Stranger Things immediately grabbed viewers when it first came out on Netflix, and it’s remained a high-quality show ever since. The very first episode does a fantastic job of hooking the audience and making them eager to find out what happens next. It also skillfully introduces the main characters and the show’s unique world. It’s impressive that the first episode manages all of this so well, and continues to be relevant even five seasons later, proving just how good the show is.

Read More

2025-10-25 21:13