'Dark': Fans are upset with the constant comparison to 'Stranger Things', say the German series is far better
It has been a while since the second season of 'Dark' premiered on Netflix. With that, it has elevated the bar the show set in the first season.
To be honest, it is actually very difficult to sum up the German series. Created by partners Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, 'Dark' is the first German-language Netflix original series that made its debut on December 1, 2017. 'Dark' is a saga of four families living in the small fictional German town of Winden. The families of Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler and Tiedemann have secrets buried deep – secrets that begin to unfold through the first season, and only become more complicated in the second season. At first, children begin to go missing. And while first impressions are a mashup of a lot of things, we haven't even scratched the surface.
But one discussion point that has been ongoing since the show first started was its comparison to Netflix's other sci-fi supernatural thriller 'Stranger Things'. It began quite early on, in the first episode precisely. Reddit user 'too-much-cinnamon' points out that that's because "the first episode has a pretty 'Stranger Things' vibe to it, what with the missing boy and all. People watch the first episode and write it off as a slower moving, German 'Stranger Things' knock off. Obviously, it's not, but I assume that's where the idea comes from."
'Stranger Things', a sci-fi horror web series, is "set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in November 1983, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural events occurring around the town, including the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities who helps the missing boy's friends in their search."
So that explains a lot.
Many viewers like 'Stranger Things' for what it is, and see these comparisons unnecessary. Others, however, don't believe the two shows are all that different. "Well, I wouldn't say completely different themes. They do share the theme of "Large Organization Bad" as shown by the US/USSR Gov in 'Stranger Things' and the Nuclear Plant in 'Dark', though it is diluted and not a focus. They also both take time to flesh out a narrative about small towns and how they work. 'Stranger Things' paints an optimistic picture by showing the main cast being more competent than major work powers at containing these threats. 'Dark', on the other hand, paints a pessimistic view of them, as Winden is layered with secrecy and lies (sic)," points out 'CokeBoiiii'.
These similarities are also what got the viewers to give 'Dark' a try. See, 'Dark' first premiered in 2017. But it wasn't until a year later that the rest of the world caught on to the show – through word of mouth.
'bottleofwishes331' was one of those. "I actually watched the show because I heard it was like 'Stranger Things' and I was amazed at how wrong that comparison was. I enjoyed 'Stranger Things', but not only were the shows completely different in atmosphere, pacing and themes, but I found 'Dark' to be vastly superior. I still love 'Stranger Things', but I don’t think it has nearly the depth and magic that 'Dark' has either. I get that from the first episode they have similar plots, but the similarities end there. But I’m glad I heard that they are similar or else I would’ve never stumbled upon this show. Still pretty crazy though."