Stranger Things, The First Shadow: Why This Origin Story Matters More Than You Think

I booked to see the play Stranger Things, The First Shadow last December for my husband’s birthday as a bit of a last-minute thing, and to be honest, we went along not really knowing what it was going to be about or how it would tie into the current Netflix series. But after watching it, we realised how much information this brought to the twisted story and enabled us to learn so much more about the characters, the plot and, most importantly, Henry’s past.

This is an absolutely fantastic show, it totally blew us away with the spot-on casting, brilliant acting and incredible special effects. We came away wanting to immediately see it all over again! If you get a chance to see this, please do it’s well worth the money. In typical me style, I was going to write a review but never got around to it, however, we are currently a few days in from the release of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things and having seen post after post questioning certain aspects of the show, I’ve realised how important it is for viewers to know about this origin story and how much of what we saw laid out in the play matters now that we have hit season 5. Here’s the back story low down… (this is full of spoilers, turn back now if you want the show to be a surprise).

The Opening

The play begins in what feels like quite an unusual way. A ship on the stage, soldiers panicking, bangs and crashes, a monster… It’s 1943, and the army has been experimenting with trying to make a warship invisible to the Germans, but they in fact send it to another dimension: Dimension X.

As it turns out, this part of the story was based on something called The Philadelphia Experiment, which was also known as Project Rainbow (very relevant name for the show), that allegedly saw wartime experiments leading to the disappearance of a US Naval Ship – although there were no reports of Demogorgons or the upside down!!

Moving Forward

We are then moved forward in time to 1959, where we see the Creel family moving into their new home in Hawkins. Henry is clearly already distancing himself from his family, and with his powers taking hold, he is disturbed by what he is feeling. He starts at Hawkins High (yes, with our well-known, familiar favourites from the show) and struggles to fit in. However, one student manages to build a rapport with him, Patty Newby (adopted daughter of the high school principal and Bob’s sister). After learning Henry’s strange powers, she convinces him that these don’t have to be an evil gift but could be used for good.

In the meantime, we see Bob running and hosting the school radio station, Joyce putting together the school’s production of Oklahoma and Hopper, well, being Hopper!! The story builds between these characters and their parents as the strange goings on begin to take place…

Photo credit Stranger Things, the First Shadow official program

Henry’s safe space is the attic in his home, this is where he becomes fascinated with spiders, drawing them and also where the darkness creeps in. With this starting to take over his mind, he begins killing animals (in the way we see him kill his family and others in the Netflix show). The police and the teens start to investigate, and the town goes on high alert.

Photo credit Stranger Things, the First Shadow official program

Once back with Patty, Henry can think more clearly, and he is obviously falling for her. She asks if he can track down her biological mother via the void, but in doing so, he unwittingly releases a monster within his mind that attacks her adoptive father, almost killing him. Patty releases Henry from his trance by telling him she loves him, which saves her Dad but leaves him blind. Later in the hospital, Mr Newby is asked to draw the monster that attacked him – it’s the Mind Flayer. In the meantime, Henry’s mother contacts Dr Martin Brenner to have him assessed.

Photo credit Stranger Things, the First Shadow official program

A Dark Past

Having taken Henry to his lab, Brenner begins to dive into his past, and this is where things get important. It turns out that Brenner’s father was the sole survivor from the opening scene of the ship attack. With severe injuries and a change in blood type, these events are what led Martin Brenner to begin his Nevada Experiment.

This is key to that cave scene in season 5 of the show. As a smaller child, Henry was exploring the Nevadan caves with his spyglass and stumbled across some of the technology that another scientist had stolen and hidden. This transported Henry to what they were then calling Dimension X and introduced him to the dark entity. Even though he did get returned back after 12 hours, he was already changed, as was his blood. From learning this, Brenner immediately sets about trying to use Henry and his powers to kill a prisoner. Henry resists, attacks the guards, and, after telling Brenner about his love, he returns home.

And this is where Henry allows the darkness inside to take over. Reading his mother’s mind, he learns that she intends to hand him over to Brenner because they cannot cope with him. Henry loses it, and well, you know the rest. Mum and sister are killed, and Dad is left unconscious.

Henry passes out, too, but awakens dazed and confused. Realising that Patty is in danger from Dr Brenner, he heads to the high school in order to save her. There’s a huge altercation on the rafters above the Oklahoma show between Henry, Patty and Brenner which results in Brenner tormenting Henry until the Mind Flayer takes hold, throwing Patty and the rafter down (this was THE MOST AMAZING scene). Thinking Patty has died, Henry allows Brenner to take him back to the lab.

Some Year’s Later

Brenner has been working closely with Henry to harness his powers via his blood. Henry uses the void again to check on Patty and learns that she did survive and that she finally got to meet her biological mother. In the final scenes, Henry is released from his restraints by Brenner, and he is allowed to work with the children. It ends with him and Eleven meeting and walking together towards a door. There’s a sudden flash of light which shows us a familiar shadowy figure on the wall…

So, if you have already watched the first few episodes of season 5 and had a lot of questions and theories, maybe this origin story has now filled in those blanks and brought the story together for you. Yes, Henry has been controlled by the Mind Flayer, yes he did go to school with Joyce and Hopper, yes he did find love and yes he has been poorly treated by people in his past.

Stranger Things, The First Shadow really is a must-see and is integral to the entire Stranger Things story. If you are a big Stranger Things fan, you’re going to love this!

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