The X-Files/Goonies Mash-Up

When a show I love ends, sometimes it legitimately feels a little sad. You've watched the characters grow and change, and you likely relate to at least one or two of them. And then, just like that, they're gone. And you're looking for something to fill the void those characters left behind. That's what happened to me when X-Files was taken off the air.

I have vivid and oddly comforting memories of watching the X-Files with my siblings when we were growing up. I know it’s not exactly the kind of show you’d associate with “comforting” feelings, but it was a constant in my life when I was a kid.

We’d watch X-Files every Sunday night. Then my older brother would drive us to the 24 CVS my Mum worked in. We’d harass her for a little bit and then say goodnight and go home. It was understood but unspoken that the trip to CVS was intended to lighten the mood after whatever episode we had just watched inevitably scared the pants off me. Without it, I likely wouldn’t sleep.

As far as I’m concerned, that show was perfect. It was intelligently written and had an incredible balance of action, mystery, and comedic relief. Not to mention the love story between Mulder and Scully that constantly left viewers hanging.

X-Files is unique, it’s in a class all its own. So what do you recommend to someone who likes X-Files? Stick with me, you’re about to find out. But first, let’s talk about The Goonies.

Because “Goonies never say die!” To this day it’s my go-to feel-good movie. I don’t know a single kid growing up in the 80s or 90s who didn’t wish they could live their own Goonies experience. I longed to find a treasure map in my attic.

It’s a classic underdog-triumphs-over-evil story, with the timid, asthma-ridden unlikely hero Mikey taking charge and leading the group on an adventure they’d never forget. Showing the strength, courage, and loyalty that kids are capable of, it’s always been a fan favorite.

So, what do you get when you combine The X-Files and The Goonies? Ladies and gentlemen I give you: ‘Stranger Things.’

I’ve watched it and then rewatched it and I stand by my assessment. It’s an X-Files/Goonies hybrid. Even the eerie trance theme song during the opening credits reminds me of the song that would play as “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE” flashed across the screen on a Sunday night.

‘Stranger Things’ begins inside a classified government facility in rural Indiana where it is immediately obvious that an experiment has gone horribly wrong. In the immortal words of Chandler Bing “Could that BE any more X-Files?”

Naturally, a government experiment gone wrong means strange things start to happen in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. A town where up until now the most awful thing that ever happened was when an owl attacked an old lady because it thought her hair was a nest.

And then of course we’re introduced to a few of our main characters - the nerdy group of boys holed up in the basement playing Dungeons and Dragons for ten hours straight. They’re not the cool kids, and they get bullied at school. But what they lack in popularity and charisma they more than make up for in character, integrity, bravery, problem solving... and humor. They are our Goonies.

Mike, Duncan, Will, and Lucas are besties. And then, just a few minutes into the first episode Will goes missing. Not long after he disappears, a girl they've never seen before - Eleven - seems to materialize out of thin air. And Eleven has some interesting… abilities.

What unfolds next is a sci-fi adventure wherein two families, a small group of friends, one sort-of-enemy-turned-friend, Eleven, and the town's skeptical and reluctant police chief race to try and save Will.

Wynona Ryder absolutely nails the role of Will’s mother. She manages to portray the character as both a mother who has come almost completely undone under the emotional stress of a missing child, and a heroine who will stop at nothing to get him back.

Its action packed, at times terrifying (note: I’m easily scared so take that with a grain of salt), it has a decent dose of government conspiracy, and a bunch of young kids having each other’s backs and being badass. If you want something that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and still make you laugh, I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

Honestly, when I first started watching it, it was like the void that was left when X-Files ended got filled just a little bit.