This year’s 4th July brought with it the parties, the celebration of independence… Oh, and the third season of Stranger Things, of course.
The third season of the retro, sci-fi show has been highly anticipated, with the first 2 seasons being monumental successes around the world. Many Americans opted for a night of binge-watching the shenanigans of Dustin, Will, Lucas, Mike, and Eleven rather than having the usual 4th July celebrations. And it was brilliant.
However, despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback of the third season, Netflix has been flagged for a major issue concerning the amount of cigarette usage in the series. They have been criticized for featuring smoking too often and their new policy could change the way that the show, and many others to come, will be filmed in the future.
Stranger Things has taken over the world.
Created by the Duffer brothers, Stranger Things was first shown on our screens back in 2016.
The show, which is set in the early 1980s, is an alluring mix of sci-fi, comedy, and, most poignantly, horror.
When Will goes missing in his hometown of Hawkings, Indiana, his friends and family start the frantic search for him but begin to uncover secrets of a government lab, portals to another world, and sinister monsters from “the upsidedown” along the way.
Including this formidable-looking Demogorgon.
When the portal to the parallel dimension, “the upsidedown,” is opened, an array of ghastly creatures are released into the world. It just goes to show, opening a portal to another dimension is never a good idea, kids.
The captivating mix of horror and gore with comedy and fantasy was certainly a risk, but it was pulled off spectacularly.
However, the second season brought with it a slight flop, with the narrative and overall plot feeling slightly dragged out. This was a mild disappointment compared to the roaring success of the first season, so the third was highly anticipated, to say the least.
Now that the gang have entered their teenage years, they find themselves fighting with more than just monsters from a different universe… They are now fighting with their hormones.
Though it follows the familiar Stranger Things plot (a new monster unearths, the kids fight together to save the world et cetera et cetera…), the third season portrays the once-childlike cast in a more adult and mature light, as they begin forming more mature and romantic relationships with one another.
From the cast’s wardrobes to the soundtrack, everything about Stranger Things has a bit of ’80s nostalgia to it.
It was smoking cigarettes. A lot of cigarettes.
So, of course, cigarettes are featured amongst the adult characters in the show quite frequently.
Because we just can’t enjoy something without a bit of controversy for too long, can we?
The show has recently been criticized for its high use of cigarettes, with people arguing that it will encourage smoking amongst its younger audience.
The report focused on the fact that young people are much more likely to start smoking if they see their favorite characters doing it on TV. And the US Public Health Service has backed up this claim, stating that people with more exposure to tobacco in movies are twice as likely to pick up the potentially fatal habit.
Because witnessing the characters smoking cigarettes is more harmful than watching them be eaten alive by monsters, apparently.
The report, which was titled “While You Were Streaming: Smoking On Demand,” noted that all nine episodes in the second season of Stranger Things depicted some form of tobacco use.
And, since the release of the third season, Netflix’s depictions of smoking has tripled.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, a Netflix spokesperson stated, “Netflix strongly supports artistic expression. We also recognize that smoking is harmful and, when portrayed positively on screen, can adversely influence young people.”
“Going forward, all new projects that we commission with ratings of TV-14 or below for series or PG-13 or below for films will be smoking and e-cigarette free — except for reasons of historical or factual accuracy.”
It is odd that none of the characters have the delightful, hacking smoker’s cough…