WARNING: SPOILERS!
I realize that I’m bit late on the Stranger Things train, but it’s not my fault they decided to release season two while I was drowning in term papers. Now that I’ve had a bit of free time, I binged the entire season in a day and a half and am eager to share my thoughts.
First things first, can we talk about how amazing the attention to detail is in the set and costumes?
From the hairstyles to the soundtrack, the smallest details are authentic to the 1980’s. Watching the opening scene at the arcade, I felt as though I was transported back in time to an era that I was never even alive for. I called my dad immediately to tell him about it, as he was also a preteen in the ’80s. After watching the show for several hours without a break, I honestly feel like I’ve lived in that era too; I’m asking my hairdresser for a mullet next time I go in.
Following the theme of 80’s nostalgia, I absolutely loved the train track scene with Dustin and Steve because it gave me Stand By Me vibes as this is one of my favourite movies.
Also, their bromance in general is an unexpected treat of this season. They work so well together that it’s now weird to watch season one and not see them discussing hair while tracking monsters.
It’s also important to note the development of Steve’s character as a whole, as I had all kinds of negative emotions towards him in season one and now I’m kind of in love? He definitely served some serious Dad (not Daddy) moments. Overall, I love the direction that the writers took his character and I’m excited to see how they further it.
Speaking of character development, let’s discuss Eleven’s solo episode. After talking about this episode with others, I was surprised to hear that some people hated it because I absolutely loved it. Honestly, this was one of my favourite episodes of the entire series. I loved that she was able to meet her sister and I also enjoyed that they gave Kali different powers than Eleven. In addition, that badass makeover was everything.
Furthermore, I appreciate how this episode focused on something that has largely been overlooked throughout the majority of the series: the abuse that has dominated Eleven’s life. That kind of constant abuse would impact anyone’s life, and I think it’s important that we see how it has hurt Eleven. It’s also interesting to see a character as strong as her be so vulnerable, especially during the intense scene where Kali makes Eleven see Papa. We also watch as Eleven is faced with the choice to either let her anger control her and seek revenge, or to return home to her friends. I was glad that Eleven chose to move forward and not become lost in missions of vengeance, but I also hope this wasn’t the last time we see Kali. Either way, I believe that this episode was a critical catalyst for Eleven’s decision to return to Hawkins, and, as we see later, Kali’s “lessons” allow her to unlock the secret to harnessing her power: anger.
Eleven’s return is one of my absolute favourite moments of this season; everything from the confusion of the retreating Demo-Dogs to Mike’s reaction is perfection. Not going to lie, I cheered aloud when this happened.
I kind of imagined her saying, “I’m back, Bitches.”
Right…I should probably discuss my feelings about the Shadow Monster and his army of demons. I thought that the Demogorgon from season one was terrifying, but this season took my initial fears and super-sized them – literally. The exorcism scene with Will was so intense that I wanted to hide under the blankets. That said, I really enjoyed that they made the monster possess him. My jaw actually dropped when we found out that the Shadow Monster used Will to lead the Demo-Dogs right to them.
This leads us to something I didn’t expect and was quite angry about: Bob’s death.
I’m sorry but why??? I loved Bob’s character and was very sad to see him go. Also, can Joyce catch a break? Not only does her son get possessed, but she also gets to watch her boyfriend be brutally murdered in front of her. I really hope that she and Will get a break next season because I’m not sure how much more they can handle.
Finally, the last scene: what does it mean?
Personally, I think it’s just a reminder that they may have closed the gate, but The Upside Down remains, and so does the Shadow Monster. I’m excited to see where they take this story, but, again, I really hope they leave Will alone for awhile.
My predictions for next season:
1. We will meet more of Eleven’s “siblings”; we know that there at least eleven of them out there, and I’m sure Kali isn’t the only one we’ll see.
2. Eleven, AKA Jane, will talk with her mother; whether in real life or not, I am sure we will see Jane and her mother have an actual conversation.
3. The Shadow Monster will return; I’m not sure how, but the ending scene definitely suggests we aren’t finished with this evil force.
4. The younger characters will deal with more human dangers in high school; real life bullies might be scarier than the Shadow Monster.
5. We’ll learn more about Max and Billy’s backstory; we were given a glimpse when we saw Billy’s abusive father, but I’m sure we’ll see more. I’m really excited to see how Billy develops.
Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to survive until the release of the next season. At least Netflix provided us with a behind-the-scenes mini series, Beyond Stranger Things, to pass the time.
Gifs taken from https://giphy.com/; images taken from Google images