Drama
Stranger Things
The newest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things continues to blend ’80s nostalgia with ever-darker spiritual content and horrific violence.
Simon sits on the park bench. If the texted tip he got about her whereabouts is good, it shouldn’t be long before she shows up.
It’s good. Simon sees her, busking for money on her guitar. His face softens as he approaches.
“Paige? It’s Dad.”
It’s been six months since he last saw her. She’s covered in bruises and blood. The joy of her youth has long since left her eyes. They look at each other for a moment.
Paige sprints away.
Simon can’t bear the thought of losing his daughter again. He chases after her, begging her to stop.
He’s intercepted by Aaron, Paige’s boyfriend. Everyone who knows Aaron knows he’s trouble—but Paige has stayed with the man regardless.
Aaron mocks Simon, and he prevents the father from getting to his daughter. In response, Simon beats the man bloody, but Paige still manages to get away.
Simon suffers some public embarrassment from the brawl. In the age of smartphones, an out-of-context recording of the beating goes viral, describing him as a “rich man beating on a homeless person.”
But that’s just a blip. Soon, things return to shaky normalcy—for a few days.
Then, two police detectives stop by. Aaron’s dead, they say, brutally murdered in his own flat. And given the beating and Paige’s unhealthy relationship with Aaron, police think he’s quite the prime suspect.
Of course, Simon had nothing to do with Aaron’s death. But the murder brings about a bigger issue: What happened to Paige?
He knows she was living with Aaron, but there’s little evidence of her whereabouts now. And the police are far more invested in Aaron’s murder than Paige’s whereabouts.
It’s why Simon decides to track her down, wherever she may have run.
But following her tracks will take Simon through some dangerous places.
Run Away quickly rose up the ranks of Netflix’s Top 10 when it released on New Year’s Day of 2026. As of posting, the crime drama sits at a comfortable second place in the U.S.’ top shows (just behind entertainment behemoth Stranger Things, which just premiered its finale).
It’s not hard to see why the show has garnered an audience; despite the occasional cheesy moment, the story is full of twists, turns and action. It does a fine job of setting up its mystery, weaving a handful of storylines together into a tapestry of intrigue.
But the miniseries also comes with noteworthy issues. Violence is the main concern here. Plenty of characters die, often with shocking suddenness, and there’s an exorbitant amount of blood to go with those deaths. Severed fingers appear onscreen; sexual violence is referenced.
Outside of violence, we hear some references to LGBT issues, and we see a man and woman in their underwear. Crude language is heavy and frequent, and drug use plays into the plot, too. Oh, and the plot also revolves around a mysterious religious cult filled with murder and sexual abuse. Sure, might as well toss that one in there, too.
So despite its popularity, discerning viewers might do well to heed the show’s title.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
After Aaron is apparently murdered, Simon worries about the fate of his daughter. Meanwhile, police attempt to find evidence of Simon’s involvement in Aaron’s death.
We see the bloody aftermath of Aaron’s murder. Three fingers lay severed on the ground, and his body is soaked in the red stuff. A man shoots another man in the head after forcing the husband to text in a way that would imply his death to be a suicide.
Someone gets shot in the neck and bleeds heavily. We watch the first-person perspective of someone being hit in the face with an object, followed by the character spitting up a large amount of blood. Days before Aaron’s death, Simon attacks him. He lands multiple blows on Aaron, punching and kicking him, forcing the man to spit blood. Others tackle Simon to the ground, thinking him to be a random attacker. In a flashback, Paige throws her mother to the ground. People light a car on fire.
A woman wears a revealing sports bra.
We see a naked baby angel statue. When asked about Aaron’s death, Simon states that, while he didn’t kill the man, he hopes “he rots in hell.” Someone asks if another person believes in fate, explaining that she heard a story about a man who avoided death so many times that it must be “more than luck. That’s the universe keeping him alive.”
A private investigator steals a woman’s dog so she can “find it” and return it to her—all in a ruse to become close with the woman to investigate her.
We are told that a boy was in trouble with the law for possession of drugs. A man uses a bong and gets high. Simon states that Paige had a drug problem. People drink wine and beer.
We hear the f-word 11 times and the s-word once. Words like “h—,” “b–tard,” “pr–k” and “b–locks” are all used, too. God’s name is used in vain six times, and Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain once.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
The newest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things continues to blend ’80s nostalgia with ever-darker spiritual content and horrific violence.
‘The Copenhagen Test’ is a spy thriller with an antagonist who can see and hear everything our protagonist sees and hears—including the content issues.
After a seven-year hiatus, the wacky town of Elmore is back, as Gumball and his family embark on even more weird adventures.
The Amazing Digital Circus places its digitized humans under the terrorism of a maniacal AI ringmaster and his chaotic adventures.