It was the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Stranger Things released its highly-anticipated second season onto its Netflix platform last week- just in time for Halloween. After it’s wildly successful first season, there was a huge amount of hype around the series- and the stakes and expectations were certainly high for its sequel. Read on if you’ve finished watching the series (spoilers ahead) for my take on the new season.
Before watching season two, I have to admit I was a little nervous. Stranger Things has received so much hype, pop culture and media attention from its explosive and terrifically paced first season. There was definitely a slight concern that the second season would not be able to follow the smash-hit that was the first.
But let’s just say the Duffer Brothers have done it again.
While the show did have a bit of a slow start, by the third episode I was hooked – again. Between the eerie Spielberg-esque influences, the dynamite cast of kids who make us believe in the authenticity of their friendship akin to brotherhood, the smooth 80’s references, and the Upside Down “resurfacing” to torment Hawkins once more, the show demands to be binge-watched. There’s just something about a band of loveable and close-knit misfits solving mysteries and delving into the supernatural that captures an audience.
I absolutely loved the timing of the show’s release (a few days before Halloween), with the first episode set on Halloween night. I thought this season succeeded extremely well at creating and developing multiple plot lines throughout each episode without losing interest or attention, creating an investment in all of the major characters as individuals. A lot of characters stepped up into hero territory this season, from Lucas to Steve to Dustin, helping develop their characters further and become even more loveable to audiences.
The episode “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister”, following Eleven’s psychic “sister” with similar supernatural abilities and her gang of criminals felt a little out of place and a bit sloppy in the season. That being said, I do appreciate the show’s nod to the speculated question of whether or not there are more kids from Hawkins’ lab with abilities like Eleven. And while the show did split off into multiple plot-lines and conflicts, the momentous last two episodes of the nine-chapter series see the gang – the core group from Season One – reunited and working together once more: to seal the gate to the Upside Down and save Hawkins.
I truly commend the show on doing a fantastic job at filling the dreaded “sequel” position, while maintaining much of the original energy and dynamics of its first season. The characters face up against the terrifying realm of the Upside Down but in a new, fresh way. Loose end plot lines like Nancy and Jonathan finally getting together are resolved, with Hopper and Joyce Byers looking like a potentially promising pair for the show’s third season.
Keeping the season to nine tight episodes, I think Stranger Things has done it again folks – and now here we all are again, after binge-watching the show in a day or two … waiting for the next chapter.