Stranger Things Season 5 was tough for me to get through. It wasn't because it felt bloated by the dozen or more characters who all needed screen time and some sort of emotional arc. It wasn't because of the many, many scenes where a plan was devised using a prop-assisted, strangely out-of-breath classroom demonstration (I did actually really enjoy this season, honest). No. It was the show's D&D references that had me squirming in my seat.
That's because, while I appeared to be sitting silently on the sofa, somewhere deep inside my inner nerd was screaming. The temptation to interrupt and 'um, actually' the show on its Dungeons and Dragons knowledge was the strongest correcting compulsion I have ever felt. It was kept in check only by the certain knowledge that no one I was watching the show with would care even a little bit.
Fortunately, I write for a tabletop games website for a living, so here is the opportunity I've been waiting for…
…Um actually the sorcerer DnD class didn't exist in the 80s. It wasn't added to the game until the third edition which came out in the year 2000. Oh and also 'Um actually' (as Polygon has already pointed out) Will isn't a D&D sorcerer anyway. He's a Warlock.
That's right, just like Holly Wheeler's under armor sleeve, the entire 'sorcerer vs wizard' conversation was out of place in Stranger Things' 1987 setting. But I think it was more grating for me than for the fashion nerds who spotted the wardrobe whoopsie because the under armor wasn't a plot point, whereas the sorcerer class came up in multiple conversations. And frustratingly, the Stranger Things writers got it wrong in more ways than one.
Firstly, as I mentioned, it's an anachronism. Mike, Dustin, Will and Lucas would've been totally unable to quibble about the lore differences between a wizard and a sorcerer. That's because the definition of a sorcerer - someone who doesn't learn their spells but has innate magical powers gained through a mysterious heritage - simply didn't exist.
Secondly, this is a terrible description of how Will's powers work, anyway. He wasn't born with them. Eleven was. So while I suppose the point is that Eleven had to practice her 'magic' and Will just has it, from another perspective she is more of a sorcerer than he is.
This wouldn't be nearly so frustrating, if there wasn't a modern class which fits Will's situation to a tee. The 5e Warlock is a spellcaster who has no natural magical abilities, but gains powers thanks to a pact with a more powerful supernatural being - perhaps some sort of faerie, angel, or demon.
They often offer excellent roleplaying opportunities for their players, as common tropes play on the tension between the Warlock character and their mysterious benefactor. For instance, you can have a morally good Warlock character trying to survive and thrive under the yoke of an evil eldritch/fiendish patron who powers their slightly sinister magic. Remind you of anything?
Given that they weren't trying to stay loyal to the '80s version of the game anyhow, it seems very odd that the writers didn't pick up on this opportunity. Perhaps the lines had already been recorded and the D&D experts in the room were afraid to speak up (we can be a timid bunch). Maybe everyone was worried there was too much SEO competition for the term 'Will Warlock'. Or maybe they were just relying on viewers not thinking too hard about what the word 'innate' actually means.
Phew. Now that's off my chest, we can have a conversation (admittedly, it's quite one-way - I'm assuming you're the strong, silent type) about Stranger Things' rather odd connection to Dungeons and Dragons, which probably should've been dropped after Season 3.
It started off as a fun backdrop to the children's adventures. The geeky kids used the Demogorgon as a metaphor for the monster, because it represented the terrifying beast threatening to TPK the party. At this point, it didn't matter at all what D&D monster they used, because the characters had so little information about the baddies that it simply meant the unknown threat.
But as the show went on, the friends started to attach more meaning to the metaphors. Mind Flayer made some sort of sense in Season 2, but things got more stretched and strained from there, especially as the characters grew up and seemed less and less like they were spending each weekend gaming in a basement.
Season 3 sort of dropped the Dungeons and Dragons connection but then 4 brought it back in a big way with Eddie, which meant the main baddie going into Season 5 was stuck with the name Vecna. You guys, he has a name. It's Henry!
It's honestly hilarious when you take a step back and realize that the end boss villain would be completely and utterly confused by his nickname. Or that the mission 'briefings' are still taking place using D&D language, but now there are 12 people in the room who we have no reason to think have ever touched a die with more than six sides.
The thing is, from a rational standpoint there's no point in getting too annoyed about Stranger Things' D&D mistakes. We could go deeper: wizard technically isn't right either, it was magic user until 1989. And we've previously had Erica describe her 'rogue' instead of the thief it should have been. I'm sure every appearance of D&D lore or gameplay in Stranger Things could be dissected and criticised and perhaps found wanting.
It would be a futile effort though, because Stranger Things isn't really a show about D&D. It's a coming-of-age show with themes of friendship, feeling like an outsider, and found family, running alongside a pretty sweet sci-fi-fantasy tale.
So I won't sweat the small stuff. I'll just be glad this Netflix phenomenon got so many people at least a little curious about our nerdy swords-and-sorcery pen-and-paper game.
…I do really wish they'd said Warlock though.