Stranger Things Vs Fargo

The mystery genre has captivated audiences for centuries, but how has it evolved? In modern days the mystery genre has developed by adding supernatural elements or by viewing the plot from the murderer’s perspective. This is exemplified two shows, Stranger Things and Fargo. Stranger Things and Fargo are both incredible mystery shows; however, Stranger Things is superior. While both T.V. shows are spectacular mystery series, their plots differ and overlap in many ways, they are set in different time periods, and use very different types of cast and crew.

The show Stranger Things is about a young boy named Will who lives in a small town in the 1980s’ and goes missing. As the search for the boy continues, it is rapidly discovered by the audience,

and slowly realized by the main characters, that something supernatural is occurring in the town. A major plot point of the story is how three different generations are looking for Will - his friends, his older brother, and his mother along with the townspeople. The younger kids find a girl who escaped a government experimental facility who has supernatural abilities and helps lead them to their friend. Stranger Things has many elements of science fiction even though it is a mystery series; on the other hand Fargo is rooted completely in the realistic-fiction world. Fargo takes place in the early 2000s’ and is also set in small town. Fargo is about, a man named Lester Nygaard who is considered a weak and unsuccessful man by everyone, including his wife and the chief of police. One day he has a mental breakdown after a run-in with another man named Lorne Malvo who is secretly a “gun for hire.” When Malvo pushes Lester to violence it sets off a chain of events with Lester hiding his crime from the cops, learning how to fight back, and trying to get back at Malvo for almost ruining his life. It lends a constant internal struggle with the audience as to whether they should root for the police to catch Lester, or to hope he gets away. Even though they deal with two different types of mystery, and one evolves into a mystery and science fiction hybrid, they are both phenomenal shows. However, the three different generational perspectives of a tragic missing child’s case and the showing how the town deals with the various fictitious elements of the show gives the audience a more interesting dynamic in Stranger Things than Fargo’s story. Furthermore, Stranger Things is also far more suspenseful than Fargo and the audience will find themselves on the edge of their seats more frequently when watching Stranger Things. However Stranger Things and Fargo have even more in common, they have very distinct time periods which is a key element to both stories.
Both stories are set in small towns which is a key element to the lack of understanding of what to do in their respective crises.

This is accentuated even more in Stranger Things due to the fact that it’s time period is set in the ‘80s’ they don’t have the same technology of modern day. However, Fargo’s town struggles as well, because the people live in such a peaceful small town a majority of the police force is portrayed as a bunch bumbling troglodytes who have absolutely zero idea of how to handle the situation and who to investigate. Another major thematic point is the time period. The directors did everything they could to make Stranger Things feel as if it had been filmed in the ‘80s’. I say filmed because it was in fact filmed a commitment the directors made to create even more of an ‘80s’ vibe. Furthermore, the characters are dressed in clothes from the time period, the same hair styles, bikes, and cars from the ‘80s’, and of course, the town is met with a serious lack of modern technology. Fargo, also does a great job of showing a small town in the early 2000s’. The audience will note a lack of modern technology such as cell phones and newer cars. Most apparent in Fargo is the lack of security cameras, which when do appear, are very outdated. While Fargo’s small town feel is much better portrayed than Stranger Things’, the latter does a better and more impressive job of creating the time period it is set

in.
Lastly, both Stranger Things and Fargo have a very impressive crew of incredibly talented actors.

In either show the viewer will be immensely impressed with the cast's acting abilities. In Fargo you will see a large group of famous actors. The main character, Lester Nygaard, is played by Martin Freeman. Freeman, most recently known for his role in the Hobbit movies, does an excellent job playing a meek, unsuccessful, citizen into a full-fledged, ruthless psycho. Lorne Malvo, the mercenary that turns our main character into a killer, is played by Billy Bob Thornton, well known for his role in Sling Blade, The Judge, and many others. Thornton also does an incredible job playing an anarchist mercenary. As he goes around town pushing people to do terrible things and creating a torrent of havoc everywhere he goes, Malvo not only becomes a main focus for the police but also the viewer. On the other hand, Stranger Things cast a group of mostly “unknowns” or actors and actresses who haven’t played in any major roles. The most well known would most likely be Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven, the character with the supernatural powers. Known for her minor roles in shows like NCIS and Once Upon a Time, along with one major role in a small BBC show called the Intruders. Just like Millie, the rest of the cast has only played minor roles in a few T.V. shows or movies. However, the acting in Stranger Things is fantastic. An amazing part of the show is how two unknown directors, made a

cast of minor actors work so well together. Kid acting especially, can make or break a series or movie. However, in Stranger Things we see the younger generation in the show bring plenty of emotion to the show. Whether it be the despair of a missing friend, or the panic of young kids coming in contact with supernatural occurrences, the acting never feels out of place. While the acting of both shows is stupendous, the results given by these unknown actors is far more impressive than famous ones such as Martin Freeman.