Stranger Things is approaching its definitive conclusion (and you can also see the official trailer), amidst the controversies and divisions that have accompanied this season finale. Beyond the criticisms, however, the Duffer brothers’ series marked an era and, with farewell now upon us, many viewers are wondering what to watch next.
While moving on different narrative and tonal tracks, Dark shares some fundamental elements with Stranger Things: an ensemble cast, a mystery that expands episode after episode and a story that invites the viewer to dig deeper and deeper. If Stranger Things has its roots in 80s nostalgia, mixing Stephen King-style horror and Steven Spielberg-style science fiction, Dark chooses a darker, more philosophical and cerebral approach, but equally fascinating. Released on Netflix in 2017, just a year after the debut of Stranger Things, Dark is a German science fiction thriller series told in three seasons, conceived from the beginning as a complete and closed story.
Just like in the series set in Hawkins, Dark also begins with the disappearance of a child. We are in Winden, a seemingly quiet German town, where four families begin to discover that something much bigger and more disturbing is hidden behind that event. A starting point that closely recalls the first season of Stranger Things, iin which the disappearance of Will Byers opened the door to the Upside Down and a spiral of supernatural events.
The difference is that Dark replaces the parallel world with time travelor. A cave in the woods of Winden becomes the fulcrum of the narrative, a portal that connects past, present and future, dragging the characters into an intricate game of destiny, choices and consequences. Both series also feature very young characters, catapulted into realities that they do not fully understand. In Dark, the missing child isn’t kidnapped by a creature, but literally ends up in the past, encountering younger versions of his family.
If Stranger Things managed to conquer a huge audience thanks to a perfect balance between entertainment, emotion and mystery, Dark definitely raises the bar of complexity. The German series is a real narrative puzzle: each character exists in multiple temporal versions, often played by different actors, and the timelines multiply season after season.
The first season moves between 2019, 1986 and 1953but in the third and final season it expands the narrative universe again, reaching up to 1888. It is a vision that requires attention, concentration and memory, but which enormously rewards those who decide to get involved.
Ultimately, Dark represents the other side of the coin compared to Stranger Things. Less nostalgia and adventure, more reflection, destiny and pure science fiction. But precisely for this reason, those who loved the more mysterious and sci-fi elements of Stranger Things will find in Dark one of the most rewarding television experiences available on Netflix.
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