Forget Stranger Things: This Other Netflix Sci-Fi Thriller Is Smarter and Darker

Even after some divided reviews of the first batch of its incredibly anticipated fifth and final season, netflixthe crown jewel, stranger thingsIt remains a cultural phenomenon. The final season of the iconic sci-fi thriller series sits at around 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. For fans who’ve been along for the ride since 2016, its combination of big coming-of-age thrills and even bigger monsters, all filled with ’80s nostalgia, is like comforting viewing right now.

But if you’re like me and have been disappointed by the latest from Eleven and the gang, I recently rewatched another exciting sci-fi gem on Netflix that’s a smarter, darker, better watch. Darka German saga that twists time and is loved by both critics and the public, commercializes Dungeons and Dragons and raging teenage hormones for something bleaker and more ambitious. it’s like stranger things for adults, and you should totally watch it.

Meet Dark, Netflix’s time travel thriller masterpiece

I saw for the first time Dark when it arrived on Netflix in 2017. I was captivated then, and even more so on my recent second viewing. As stranger things, Dark is familiar: it begins in the small German town of Winden, where children keep disappearing, dead birds fall from the sky, and everyone has skeletons in their closets. But there are no Ghostbusters costumes, bloody noses, or Eggo waffles here. In Winden, there is a nuclear power plant that hides something disturbing and a deep, mysterious cave in the forest that is a portal through time.

Spanning three seasons and 26 episodes, Dark unfolds through Winden’s past, present and future. At the center are four families whose lives are intertwined along timelines. And as some of them move within this closed loop, their actions over the decades multiply in an endless cycle of cause and effect.

A scene from the Netflix series Dark. — A scene from the Netflix series. *Dark*.

The first German Netflix original, Dark It’s part time loop, part sci-fi thriller, and part slow-moving psychological drama with an extraordinary payoff. With a perfect cast of actors, young and old, its three seasons are intense, yes, and you have to pay attention. But when it’s over, it’s over: no spin-offs, no movies, no lunch boxes. And it gets completely stuck on the landing.

However, if you’re the type who looks to critics’ ratings for a boost, then Dark actually has stranger things beat there too, with an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% (with a second season 100%) in all seasons, compared to STREETit’s 90%. You should see it.

Darker, denser and scarier: why Dark is better than Stranger Things

while both Dark and stranger things They have many of the same elements (small town, missing children, mysterious government plots, timeline nostalgia) and couldn’t be more different.

stranger things leans much more toward ’80s nostalgia (season 5 is over the top, if you ask me), where Masters of the Universe sheets, old-school technology, walkmans, stereos, and big hairdos combine with the Spielbergian charm of a group of kids riding bikes on an adventure. It features genuine scares brought on by some of the most frighteningly impressive monster effects on television, and terrifying antagonists like Vecna and his demogorgons to deliver the horror.

But it also has more weight in the high school teen drama, and as one Variety the critic saidthe show has not aged well with its cast. “The truth is that stranger things In itself it has not reflected the evident maturation of its stars with the consequent complexity. All stranger things “It’s an exercise in nostalgia,” they wrote. And I agree.

DarkOn the other hand, it is, well, darker. The horror of upside-down monsters is replaced by the existential dread of wondering if we are all doomed to make the same predetermined decisions in a locked, endless loop through time. It poses mind-blowing questions like: “What if my girlfriend’s little brother, who disappeared two weeks ago, went back in time and was actually my father?”

DarkThe time travel element makes for a rich, dense and terrifying trippy experience. But it is that compensation that also makes it more demanding than stranger thingsyou can let Dustin and Steve “The Hair” Harrington argue in the background while you make popcorn. You can’t do that with Dark. Demand your attention or you will get lost.

But that is also why its impact is much more powerful. As you put the pieces of the puzzle together and the familiar timelines are completed over time, the end result is intellectual sci-fi perfection.

Yeah stranger things is eastern timeso Dark is Arrival.

How to watch Dark without getting completely lost

The family timeline wall in the Netflix series Dark. — The family timeline wall in the Netflix series *Dark*.

If I have convinced you to give Dark Try it while you wait stranger things To conclude, as I mentioned above, it’s fair to say that it can be intimidating if you’ve never seen it. I’m halfway through my second watch and I’m still learning new things, and I like that. That said, here are some tips to avoid getting lost in the Dark loop.

1. Watch in German with subtitles on.

I feel the same way about any foreign language content I watch; It is always better in your native language. DarkThe German dialogue and emotional delivery are so effective at drawing you into the story, and combined with its rain-soaked setting, towering nuclear towers, and eerie music, it’s a dish best served in German.

2. Don’t feel bad about using a family tree

Believe me: track several generations of the four main families and characters of Dark across multiple timelines is a tricky business, even the second time around. But as I did with game of ThronesThere’s no shame in taking pen and paper and making a family tree, or searching online for a spoiler-free family tree to walk you right through it. Netflix even has a cool official dark guide you can use.

3. Don’t watch it alone: it’s fun to discover it with someone

Sharing a good show with someone is always more fun, but with DarkPausing the action for a brief detective moment in which they both make revelations about who is related to who and who is the older version of so-and-so is incredible. Giving everyone a quick recap before each episode also helps, so pick your partner and start watching.

I’ll finish by saying that you don’t have to choose a side in this strange war between two of the best sci-fi thriller series of the last decade: there’s room for Hawkins and Winden on your watch list. But maybe while you wait stranger things‘ final curtain, scroll down a little on your Netflix and hit DarkThe winding, tangled knot is an attempt.