Image Credit: Netflix
We’re just a few weeks away from returning to Hawkins. As you probably know, all 10 episodes of the brand new animated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 are set to release on Netflix globally on April 23. But ever since the show was first announced, there’s been a huge, Demogorgon-sized elephant in the room: is this show actually canon?
For months, fan accounts have been debating this question. After all, it features all the main characters from the main live-action series, and with what has already been revealed (such as new monsters, secrets, and, of course, the inclusion of Nikki Baxter), there are a lot of questions the show will need to answer. When the show was first announced, the Duffers called it an evocation of ’80s cartoons, which often deviated from the canon of the properties on which they were based. In the end, during Annecy, I just saw it as a fun spin-off, based in the real world, but an anthology-esque adventure. Since then, whether or not the show is part of the official history has become an important question.
a fan account Announced back in February: “Confirmed: ‘Stranger Things: Tales from ’85’ is canon in the Stranger Things universe.” Is this really the case (they left a source), or are they making it up?
thanks to a awesome new interview With showrunner Eric Robles (hosted by Alex Zalben) at IGN, we finally have (some) concrete answers. Let’s dive deeper into what we learned and find out how these new adventures fit into the broader Stranger Things universe.
timeline problem
As we’ve previously covered here at What’s on Netflix, Tales from ’85 is set between seasons 2 and 3 of the major live-action series. But here’s the surprise: At the end of Season 2, Eleven famously closed the gate to the Upside Down. Things were considered relatively quiet for our favorite Hawkins crew until the Mind Flayer became active in the summer of 1985.
So, how are Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will and Max coping with brand new supernatural threats in this time of supposed peace – like the newly revealed “Pumpkin Creatures”?
Image Credit: Netflix
“We respect the canon”
When pressed about the canon status of the show, Robles immediately defended his approach and assured fans that he had not thrown the rule book out the window.
“We respect the principle of it, OK? We respect it,” Robles said. However, he accepted the creative challenge of setting a high-stakes, monster-of-the-week show during a period when kids were authentically just hanging out and playing arcade games. Solution? creating a contained “mini-universe” within that timeline interval.
Robles explained, “We’re frozen in time between these two seasons, 2 and 3.” “But within this frozen time, now we’re going to expand this mini-universe of ’85 stories in a way that makes it feel bigger.”
Why doesn’t anyone mention pumpkin creatures later?
If the kids go on these big, dangerous adventures in Tales From ’85, why do they never pick it up during the chaotic events of Seasons 3, 4, or the recently concluded Season 5?
Robles has a practical answer: The Hawkings team simply had bigger fish to fry.
“I don’t remember if they talked about pumpkin creatures in Season 3 or 4 or 5, right?” Robles said. “First of all, when the show was going on I didn’t know the show was going to exist, but at the same time, kids have bigger things to worry about. By the time you get to Season 4, you’re worrying about Vecna. You’re worrying about bigger things than pumpkin creatures… and a lot of times they don’t remember a lot of the things that happen in [previous] season’s”.
To that end, Robles views the animated series as a “lost season” of the show. To ensure that the narrative really meshed together, the creative team brought in Stranger Things writer and director’s assistant Caitlin Schneiderhan as a story editor. They were careful to make sure that the characters are exactly where they need to be by the time the Starcourt Mall (something that receives several Easter eggs in the animated show under construction) opens its doors in Season 3.
But Robles also made an incredibly telling statement about how fans should ultimately see the show’s place in the timeline:
“Now you can easily delete this entire series from the timeline and it will never exist. Or… do you want to hang out with your best friends and go on new adventures?”
Image Credit: Netflix
Verdict: This is “soft canon”
So, what’s the takeaway here? Stranger Things: Stories from ’85 It is perhaps best described as “soft canon” or “alternative canon”.
The Duffer Brothers gave it their blessing, and the writers made sure it didn’t break the starting point of Season 3. They’re also using this space to give Will some much-needed emotional growth. While he feels like “zombie boy,” the third wheel to the newly minted Mike/Eleven and Lucas/Max romance, he’ll be bonding with a brand new character named Nikki Baxter (voiced by Odessa Azien).
However, because the events of this series are never referenced in the main live-action show, you don’t need to watch it to understand the main Stranger Things story. But if you’re craving ’80s nostalgia, high-stakes adventures (Robles has repeatedly named The Goonies and Ghostbusters as inspirations), and spending more time with the Hawks Investigators Club, then this show is absolutely made for you.
Do you agree that the animated series is a “lost season” that you can alternatively remove from the timeline? Will you watch ’85 Ki Kahaniyan’? Let us know in the comments below!
