To my genuine surprise, Netflix’s Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is a remarkably well-crafted entry in the franchise. This animated expansion, set between the second and third seasons of the flagship show, does an excellent job of translating our favorite Hawkins youths into a compelling animated format. Furthermore, the tighter, character-driven nature of these episodes captures the whimsical, youthful charm that defined the show’s early run.
However, the series leaves behind some glaring inconsistencies regarding the broader Stranger Things timeline, almost all of which stem from the introduction of its original cast.
Image: NetflixTales from ’85 introduces a trio of key newcomers. There is Nikki Baxter (voiced by Odessa A’zion), a transfer student at Hawkins Middle who integrates into the inner circle with startling speed. Her mother, Anna (Janeane Garofalo), appears as a botany-obsessed substitute science teacher, while Anna’s partner, Daniel Fischer (Lou Diamond Phillips), is a disgraced former Hawkins Lab researcher. Together, they collide with the main cast as the group attempts to stop an outbreak of deadly, plant-like entities.
Nikki becomes the primary focus of the spinoff, forging a bond with the gang following a harrowing encounter with the monsters. With her signature pink mohawk and tough demeanor, she definitely stands out. Yet, her utility is questionable; she’s portrayed as a scientific tinkerer similar to Dustin, but the group dynamic feels crowded. By the series finale, she is so fully integrated into the fold that she even receives her own Dungeons & Dragons character sheet.
Image: NetflixGiven how difficult it was for characters like Eleven and Max to be accepted into the group, it feels jarring how quickly Nikki is adopted. More importantly, her total absence in seasons 3, 4, and 5 is a massive narrative hole. Unless the show intends to explain her sudden departure in a hypothetical second season, her complete erasure from the group’s memory—and their conversations—remains an baffling oversight.
The conflict surrounding Daniel and Anna also raises questions. Daniel, the architect of the botanical infestation, meets his demise when his own creations consume him. Ultimately, Eleven seals a new gate to the Upside Down to neutralize the threat, a feat mirroring her actions in the second season. It remains highly suspicious that this secondary, equally world-threatening gate closure is never once referenced in later seasons.
Perhaps the series has a master plan to reconcile these events, but without a clear explanation for Nikki’s disappearance and the lack of mention regarding these cataclysmic events, the spinoff feels like a footnote that the rest of the Stranger Things timeline has conveniently ignored.
Source: Polygon
