The episode opens not with dialogue, but with a tone-setting cold open. We see a scientist in a dimly lit hallway at the . An alarm blares. The man frantically runs for an elevator, his face etched with pure terror. Before he can escape, an unseen force grabs him, lifts him into the air, and vanishes him without a trace.
This cold open does three critical things for : Stranger Things Season 1 - Episode 1
This episode is a perfect pilot. It accomplishes everything: The episode opens not with dialogue, but with