Graydon Bagwell (11) went from watching Stranger Things on his living room couch to movie premieres with the creators. He was surrounded by fans of the show, influencers and content creators. He sat in the theater amongst fellow invitees, buzzing with anticipation for the series finale.
Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series set in the 1980s created by Matt and Ross Duffer on Netflix. The show has amassed millions of viewers and several Academy Awards. Stranger Things Season 5 became the biggest English-language debut on the streaming service when half of the season premiered November 26. Fan reactions, theories and commentary have gone viral online since then. Bagwell had been spectating and interacting with fan communities of the show since the show started. And on December 31, Bagwell attended the Stranger Things Season Five, Volume Three premiere in Los Angeles.
“It was a gift,” Bagwell said. “I’ve always wanted to go to L.A. I saw some of the most amazing things that someone like me would like to see.”
The trip to Los Angeles and the premiere was all arranged by the Escape Pod podcast hosts Andrew Parker and Alex Azor. The Escape Pod Podcast is a pop culture, superhero and science fiction media-driven podcast. Bagwell has been a longtime fan of the podcast, and he attended a Stranger Things trivia event hosted by Parker in Michigan. At the event, he gifted Parker a custom Funko Pop, and he won the trivia contest while interacting with other fans of the podcast.
“I made a good impression on Andrew,” Bagwell said. “And a week later, I got a call from him, FaceTiming me, and he said that he was just going to fly me out to L.A. to watch the premiere [of] the finale with them.”
It was Bagwell’s first time in Los Angeles. He attended the premiere with his father. Before attending the premiere, he and his dad visited tourist attractions like the Chinese Theater and the Walk of Fame. This trip was a long-time dream for Bagwell.
“[There were] lots of fun things to do,” Bagwell said. “The experience at the event by itself was a 10 out of 10.”
At the premiere, the Duffer Brothers, the creators of Stranger Things, gave a short speech to the audience. The premiere was filled with notable content creators like Angel Arreola, creator of Double A Rugs, and Jake Prime, a musician. After the premiere, Bagwell participated in Stranger Things trivia with new friends, like Haley Lynch, a content creator he met at the Michigan meet-and-greet.
“I talked to many influencers and many people there that have a major following, made connections with pretty much all of them, and it was just a really fun and good experience,” Bagwell said. “It did not feel like the people I was talking to were famous; they just felt like regular people.”
Stranger Things is much more than just a show to Bagwell. Stranger Things has allowed Bagwell to forge a community, as he participates in online forums surrounding the show and Escape Pod, where he discusses the series with others. Bagwell also relates to the characters, which makes the show more sentimental to him.
“In Season 1, there’s a quote [where Dustin is] talking to Mike on the bike,” Bagwell said. “He said that he came in in fourth grade and joined the group last. I’m originally from Michigan, so that’s how I kind of feel with my friends. I’m just the outcast, but [Dustin is] also probably the funniest person in the show. His connections, he’s loyal to his friends—I feel like I resemble him a little bit.”
Stranger Things has led Bagwell to places and communities that have opened him up personally and socially. While he’s usually more reserved, the premiere and trivia events provided an opportunity for him to become more social.
“I can be myself,” Bagwell said. “I can go up and talk to people. I can state my opinions without being scared. My dad said this was the most he’s ever seen me talk at [an event]. And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s because I was with my people.’ I was with people who I enjoy. I was with people who I can connect to and relate to.”