Since day one, I have been a huge fan of Stranger Things. The 80’s nostalgia, the music and fashion, the diverse characters, the science fiction, the suspense. What’s not to love? And when Stranger Things Season 2 came out, I knew I had to see it. WARNING: Spoiler alerts ahead!!!
Season 2 opens with a mysterious scene of a woman (who we later learn is named Kali) and her friends in a car chase with the police. The mystery woman clasps her fist, closes her eyes, and says, “boom”. All of a sudden a bridge collapses, but in reality, its just an optical allusion and the police were imaging this. The camera pans to her face, nose bleeding, the number 8 tattooed on her arm. Later, we learn that this is Eleven’s sister who has the power of controlling minds and can make people “see” things (I wish I had this power, I would make all my professors see an A plus grade on my papers!)
Season 2 focuses upon Will’s transition from being in the Upside Down to being back at school. Being bullied and called zombie boy, spending a lot of time at the arcade, having traumatic flashbacks and also visions of evil lurking in the shadows. We learn this evil is the Mind Flayer. It’s bigger, more destructive, and human like, which makes it all the more exciting to watch.
As for the other characters, Dustin is still the same loveable, dorky kid that we know and love. Except this season he has teeth implants (which even Eleven points out when she reunites with the party) and he saves the day when the boy are about to be attacked by Dort, the demodog, by feeding him chocolate. Nancy is mourning the death of Barb and the guilt that comes with Barb’s parents not knowing the full story (And might I say I sure miss Barb, every time I watched Season 1 it was like I was watching my awkward quirky self on screen).
In the beginning of this season, Nancy and Steve are dating but break up and finally Jonathan and Nancy get together. Two people who I have been rooting for to be together since day one (are you team Steve or team Jonathan?) This season, Steve surprisingly became one of my favorite characters, serving as a mentor to Dustin and often places himself in danger to protect the kids.
As for Mike, he becomes increasingly sad and angered over the disappearance of Eleven in Season 1. He seems lost without her… oh young love.
Now on to the character I love the most- Eleven. Turns out that Hopper, the sheriff, has been hiding her and acting as her adoptive father (he legally adopts her near the end of the season). The highlight of this season has been seeing Eleven grow so much- she has more lines, we see her rebellious side, we get to learn more about her past (including her mother and her sister Kali), and watch her navigate the world as a teenager with emotions and special powers.
We are also introduced to a lot of new characters like Bob, a loveable and dorky man who is dating Joyce. Bob being the guy he is, just wants to help Will with his “nightmares about his past” and tells Will just to yell at his nightmare to just “Go away!” Nice try Bob, that advice might have been helpful in an actual nightmare but this is no nightmare, it’s real. (Side note- I knew that the Duffer brothers were going to kill off Bob. He’s a nice guy but also an easy prey for the demodogs. Bob will be missed).
We also meet a brother and sister- Billy and Maxine (who goes by Max). Max eventually becomes close friends with Lucas and Dustin and it is obvious the boys are both interested in her. I mean she skateboards, plays games at the arcade, and has an awesome tomboyish style. What boy wouldn’t like someone her? But in the end, Lucas ends up with Max. Don’t worry, even though Dustin is left without a girl, he is shown dancing with Nancy at the school dance. At first I was hesitant about Max because I thought she was taking the place of Eleven in the party. Once you get to know her, you can see her number one priority is the party. As for Billy, the new “bad boy” of Hawkins, he is such an unlikable character but you can’t help but appreciate how perfectly his look reflects the 80’s.
Throughout the season, poor Will is overtaken by the Mind Flayer but with the smarts of Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy, he is freed. I can’t imagine the trauma the poor kid has gone through, not only once but twice. Eleven defeats the Mind Flayer and closes the gate.
Viewers are taken into the Hawkins middle school gym for the school dance and see sparkly letters reading “Snow Ball” (and man I wish my middle school dances were this extravagant). As Mike is depressingly sitting alone as all the other boys slow dance with girls, in comes Eleven. The two dance and share a kiss. As “Every Breath You Take” by the Police comes on, we see that not everything is as it seems in the Upside Down, even stranger things are to come (is it a coincidence that this song has the line “I’ll be watching you” as the Upside Down is shown? I don’t think so, I see what you did there Duffer brothers).
So why watch Season 2? The characters are more developed and many of them surprise you. It’s a suspenseful show that’s perfect to watch with friends this fall while cuddled with blankets and hot chocolate. Also, it’s a show for everyone- it has thrills, humor, suspense, romance, and characters of all ages and backgrounds. Overall Season 2 gets 5 stars from me!
Finished the season and having withdrawals? (I know I am since I watched this season in just two days!) Check out on Netflix “Beyond Stranger Things” where we sit down with the Duffer Brothers, the director Shawn Levy, and the majority of the actors to get your questions answered.
As Season 2 ended, I still have so many questions. In Season 3, how will high school be for the kids? What about the romantic relationships? What about Kali and Eleven’s relationship? Are we going to ignore the fact that Eleven met her mother? Are we going to meet the other 9 kids with special powers? What’s going on with the Upside Down? What does Dustin’s mom think what happened to Mews (RIP)? Guess we will just have to wait for Season 3!