what they achieve so brilliantly, and with such amazing accuracy, is the ordinary, suburban, basement "rec room" 80s.
it's not some slick "Wall Street" 80s or glossy "Dynasty" 80s or cool "new wave" 80s or any of the usual references.
i lived the life those kids lived (minus, of course, alternate universes, faceless monsters, government conspiracies, and so forth...). we had so much freedom then. kids weren't coddled and overprotected. you just got on your bike and took off for the day until mom called you home for dinner. it was a different world they captured perfectly.