Netflix's Stranger Things Review: 8 Ups And 3 Downs

Downs...

3. No One Gives A F**k About Barb

So, while the show is mostly concerned with the disappearance of Will, he's not the only character to get taken by the monster. The other is Barbara, Nancy's friend.

She's only a minor character, a supporting player to a supporting player, but we see more of her than we do Will before their respective disappearances. She's Nancy's best friend, and clearly cares about her, but struggles to fit in around her new boyfriend and his clique.

When she's taken, Nancy is concerned: she asks questions, briefly looks for her, and calls her mother. Who, well, doesn't appear to care that much, and neither does anyone else. It's setup to look like she ran away, and the police and everyone else in the town is happy believing that; no search parties are sent out here, despite the fact that another kid only just went missing.

When, as seemed inevitable, it's revealed that the worst has happened to her, Nancy is briefly upset, and then she's not really mentioned again. It's fine that Barb isn't the main focus of things, but they could at least acknowledge her disappearance, or even her death.