Suffice it to say, the TV series Stranger Things is no stranger to any of us. When it made its debut back in 2016, it first reminded me of the movie Stand by Me. But then, as it was set in the 1980s, it began to resonate with me for a variety of other reasons. From the kids playing D&D (I played in the 70s) to the shenanigans of high school teenagers (I graduated in 1983), to the adults living the 80s life, the series from day one just worked as it brought an unreality to reality—the upside down.

What made Stranger Things such a global phenomenon is that it appealed to countless demographics and age groups. This will probably be the only TV series that my great niece and I watch together. We started when she was 6, and I was 50 (she’s now 16 to my 60). Even after the finale, we had long discussions on a variety of aspects of the last episodes. I don’t know if the Duffer Brothers planned that type of broad attention when they created this world, but all their storytelling ingredients worked.

The series was a success because, unlike other shows that start successfully and then wane, the Duffer Brothers stayed with it from the very start. To be frank, I don’t think any other showrunners could have taken over Stranger Things. The depth of story, character details, world-building, and multiple overlapping genres would have made it an impossible task for even the most gifted of writers. The only other franchise I can think of that worked from beginning to end was Downton Abbey because of Julian Fellowes’ steadfast commitment to the series.

When I was watching the series finale, there was one scene that particularly resonated with me. At the end of the final episode, the characters of Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers gathered on the roof of the radio station to reminisce (at the start of the series, they were in their last years of high school and graduated around 1985). They talked about their shared experience of taking down Vecna and various life choices they made after the traumatic moments that bound them for life. They vowed to meet up once a month.

But as the scene progressed, it became clear that while they missed what they once had, they could never go back. Simply, life takes over. I remember after I graduated high school, I got together with a few friends about a year or so after graduation. We reminisced a bit and planned to regularly get together. But it never really happened. Life moved on, and some of us moved away. That was another brilliant thing about Stranger Things: how a simple scene about reflection and friendship can touch us all decades after we experienced it in life.

Stranger Things is the type of series that will be rewatched over and over again. With each watch, we will discover new details and story elements that were originally missed. As other successful franchises have accomplished, I have a feeling that this isn’t the end of the Stranger Things universe (there is a Broadway show).

To the Duffer Brothers and the brilliant cast and crew, thank you for a decade of adventure and journey. As for the story Mike Wheeler told about Eleven…

I believe.