Stranger Things is not just Netflix's most popular ongoing series; it's one of the most popular television shows in the entire world. As such, it often reaches lofty, ambitious heights in its storytelling. However, with such large concepts and far-reaching storylines involving myriad characters, these heights are occasionally not flawlessly executed.
For one, the setting of the fictional town, Hawkins, Indiana, is not entirely soundly created. It bears a great deal of uncertainty at almost every turn. Not everything makes sense about Stranger Things, but a lot of that uncertainty can be attributed to the confusing lunacy ongoing in Hawkins.
Pet Monsters
When Dustin keeps one of the "dogs" from the Upside Down as a pet, it's clearly a stupid decision to anyone watching at home. However, there is a great deal of confusion over just how Dustin's monitoring of this "pet" goes.
He's not around it twenty-four/seven and yet, people are still expected to believe that the residents of Hawkins wouldn't question any glimmer of it? Even regular dogs have trouble staying out of the spotlight. This isn't Lilo and Stitch; why are Hawkins residents so clueless about pets and monsters?
Buildings And Structures
The buildings and structures of Hawkins, Indiana make complete sense for anyone who has lived in a small midwestern town in the United States. That's all well and good, but the same questions must be asked of Hawkins' Upside Down counterpart.
Where did those buildings come from, if the Upside Down always existed? Why does Hawkins seem to have twice the amount of architects? Why is Hawkins as replicable as a theme park in Roller Coaster Tycoon?
Scoops Ahoy
In season three, Steve and Robin work at Scoops Ahoy in the new shopping mall. At first glance, an ice cream shop at a small town seems like a perfectly reasonable thing. Yet, there's questions to be raised about how Scoops Ahoy operates.
Why are Steve and Robin left to their own devices? Is Hawkins similar to the towns in the Peanuts stories where adults never supervise the kids? Or is Robin in charge? It makes no sense why Scoops Ahoy is allowed to become an all-out drain of resources.
The Mall
Speaking of that shopping mall, how was it able to clear through any sort of provisions Hawkins might of had against its architectural capacity? Seriously, did no one notice that it would also be used to funnel nefarious, illegal activity?
One would think the blueprints might have come up at a town meeting. After all, many small towns are bullish even on passing requests for new school buildings, despite proclaimed affinity for education. Yet, a questionable shopping mall got through with minimal - if any - questions asked? That's dubious.
Hawkins National Laboratory
Not to mention, Hawkins National Laboratory is another sizable, questionable construction in the town of Hawkins. And yet, when things go haywire there, it's just left completely abandoned.
What is with Hawkins and just allowing such mega-structures to be built with no feasible checks for safety or long-term plans in place for them? Why is this town so lax with its construction plans?
Child Protection Laws
Another thing that Hawkins, Indiana is absurdly lax about? The child protection laws and safety measures in place for their kids.
It's one thing that the adults frequently shuttle the children of Hawkins into danger at an absurdly expedient clip. It's another that Eleven is just allowed to seemingly choose who she lives with? She's just able to bounce from Hopper to Joyce without any resistance from officials? Sure, it works for her, but what about those tasked with helping kids find safety?
Only The Characters Know
Speaking of these characters, how can they possibly get away with being the only ones to know about the stranger things happening in Hawkins? The show is built on conspiracy theories and yet no resident of Hawkins ever bats an eye?
Seriously, there are explosions and monsters and car accidents and fake dead bodies. And yet, only the main characters of the show are looped into the goings-on of Hawkins. It seems absurd that no other Hawkins resident would happen to be out and about at a crucial, climactic moment.
Dead Residents?
Not to mention, the rate of suspicious deaths in Hawkins, Indiana is through the roof. In any small town, if a few teenagers and a few able-bodied, middle-aged adults went missing and were revealed to have died gruesomely, wouldn't that raise some flags?
Instead, Hawkins continues to go about its days as if everything is fine. One death of that magnitude would probably be national news, but a pattern seems to be completely forgotten by Hawkins and its corrupted leaders.
Quite The Police Force
Speaking of corrupted leaders, is this seriously the best police force they could come up with? Hopper is a great officer, but even he was forced to rise to the occasion.
Sure, maybe at first it makes sense to not have a thorough police force. But once these insane happenings start to occur, one would think expansion was in order. Instead, Hawkins is keen on remaining minimalist, even when all signs point to not doing that.
Invasions Of Hawkins?
However, the biggest question and the biggest thing that makes no sense about Hawkins is why. Why Hawkins? Why is Hawkins, Indiana the center for all the major supernatural goings-on of others realms and all the Russian infiltrations considered most pressing?
On Stranger Things, it's to show that danger and adventure lurks behind every corner. But in reality, this small town would never be a hotspot. It just doesn't make any sense - and that's the strangest thing of all.