'You’re Not Alone': A Catholic Take on 'Stranger Things'

A Catholic reflection on communion, identity and resisting the lies that isolate us.

(Photo: Stranger Things' Facebook page)

By Catriona Kerwin

I’m not usually a fan of science fiction or horror, but the Netflix original series, Stranger Things, has recently captured my heart and imagination. 

Reader, be warned — it is not a Catholic series, nor is it appropriate for all audiences. The series contains violence, excessive gore, mature content and themes that are inconsistent with a Catholic worldview. 

However, the series also beautifully portrays a fundamental truth: man is created for communion. 

Spoilers ahead!

Set in the 80s, the story follows a group of teenagers and their families after another dimension opens up in their small town of Hawkins, Indiana. This unleashes a series of problems, monsters and villains. 

The most sinister villain, Vecna, attacks his victims by isolating them and speaking lies about their identity. He tells them things like: “You’re all alone,” “You can’t be forgiven,” and “This will never get better.” These lies lead most of his victims away from community and into his traps. Sound familiar?

To escape from Vecna, the characters must remain in communion with their loved ones. Over the course of several seasons, the characters learn to see their own goodness reflected through the care and love of their friends and family.

In my opinion, one of the most compelling characters is a girl named Max. When the other teens first meet her, she is hurting, tough, hardened and resistant to any friendships. Through the other teens' patience and persistence, Max gradually learns to receive love and let people in. 

When Vecna starts to tempt Max to believe that she will never heal, she initially isolates herself. She pushes away her friends and starts to think that there is no way out of her broken past. As Vecna gets closer to attempting to kill her, she remembers her friends. Her communion with them brings her hope and a way forward. Together, they are able to save her life and remind her of her dignity and goodness. 

We may never experience attacks from intergalactic monsters (fingers crossed!), but we do have an enemy. Like Vecna, Satan whispers lies to try to separate us from God and from each other. They sound very similar: “You’re all alone,” “You can’t be forgiven,” “This will never get better.” In short: “You are not good.” These lies can make us feel trapped in our own brokenness, sin and despair. And when the Enemy is able to capture and isolate us, chaining us with our own weakness, things get dire.

But the Enemy’s refrains are bald-faced lies. Love himself came to rescue us from all the lies, sin, trauma, brokenness, fear and shame of this fallen world. God will never stop seeking communion with us. We are never alone. We have been baptized into a communion of love — in the Trinity and in the Church. We are not alone.

It might be tough to remember that truth sometimes, when feelings of loneliness, the weight of difficulty or the lies of the Enemy come crashing down upon us. If you are struggling with any of these lies, I encourage you to bring them to the light. Invite your family, friends and loved ones to speak the truth of your identity as a beloved son or daughter. Most of all, I encourage you to run to him who is perfect communion and perfect love and ask him: “Who am I in your eyes?”