Stranger Things 2

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BEWARE: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

     The first season of Netflix’s hit show, Stranger Things, was a critical and cultural success, combining sharp writing with 80’s nostalgia, an ensemble cast, and horrifying monsters. The second season, aptly titled Stranger Things 2, takes the Aliens approach to sequel-ing, maintaining the basic conventions of the show—many of the things that endeared it to people in the first place—while expanding the scale of the supernatural threat facing our protagonists. Like its predecessor, Stranger Things 2 has its flaws, but its atmospheric delights and satisfying drama establish Stranger Things as one of the most sensational pop culture phenomenon in recent memory.

     In Stranger Things 2, Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) adjust to life one year after Will’s return from the “upside down.” Contrary to their expectations, the upside down may not be done with Will yet, as a series of nightmarish visions featuring a towering “shadow monster” continues to plague him. The other boys, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), still reel from the mysterious loss of their superpowered friend Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and struggle to cope with the appearance of newcomer Max (Sadie Sink). Eleven, meanwhile, has returned from the upside down and is living in secret with Chief Hopper (David Harbour), who shelters her from sinister governmental forces. Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery), and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) attempt to keep the secret behind their friend Barb’s (Shannon Purser) disappearance. Unknown to them all, the upside down spreads its malevolent tendrils into the real world of Hawkins, Indiana, spurred on by a new and intelligent enemy.

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     Fans of the original season will be happy to know that Stranger Things 2 continues to pack in plenty of references to 80s juggernauts like E.T, The Goonies, the classic X-men comics, John Carpenter movies, and the works of Stephen King. Stranger Things is one of those shows that really puts a lot of attention to detail into every aspect of production, and that complexity always make a show stand out (LOST, for example). Whereas last season found its primary inspiration in Spielberg’s masterpiece E.T, season two feels more like Aliens, taking the Demogorgon from season one and multiplying it into a veritable army that faces our protagonists. (The showrunners seem to be conscious of that fact given the casting of Paul Reiser, an Aliens veteran, in a role that echoes his part in that science fiction classic.)

     Season two isn’t so tonally different as to seem inconsistent, but it does forge its own path. That’s a good thing, of course; a carbon copy of season one might please the audience but it would hardly be a worthy addition. The main difference here is that the central cast of kids spends most of the second season apart (a trick from The Empire Strikes Back), so there’s not as much of the funny-kids-riding-bikes-through-the-town vibe that permeated and powered the first season. Instead, season two favors darker and more individualized storylines for its characters—and allows for a more interesting and satisfying development of the story.

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     One of season one’s weaker spots is pacing, and that’s the case in season two as well. Stranger Things 2 starts off slow, letting the first half of its season lull. Episode four, for instance, wastes a great deal of time by having Joyce spend most of her time plastering her house in Will’s vine drawings (this season’s “frantically cover my house in Christmas lights”), which veers toward cliché. However, the show ends up compensating for its slow start by building to thrilling crescendos—with stakes far higher than we saw in season one. The junkyard battle with demo-dogs is an exciting surprise, and the shadow monster’s invasion through the gate, which sees demo-dogs unleashed on the lab, makes for a suspenseful climax before the final episode’s Eleven/Shadow monster showdown.

     In terms of plot, Stranger Things 2 displays some unfortunate tendencies. Both seasons have cut a few logical corners—a forgivable mistake when it leads to more compelling stories—but season two cuts things a little too close in key places. It has an annoying habit of letting its intelligent characters make inexplicable (and often very stupid) decisions, and at least one character (Sean Astin’s Bob, alas! We barely knew ye!) pays dearly for the error.

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     But for the most part, characterization remains one of Stranger Things’ stronger points. Each of the main cast of boys performs exceptionally well, and the show largely depends on their collective charisma. This time around, Mike has much less to do, and his place as the leader of the gang becomes somewhat eroded by the end of the season. Dustin, on the other hand, gets upgraded to a more central role, taking the lead in his Gremlins-esque Dart subplot. Hopper’s season two is a bit more introspective, giving him a bit more backstory and letting him struggle to become a worthy parental figure to Eleven.

     Speaking of Eleven, she gets the lion’s share of the backstory in Season two, which is a smart move considering her status as a new pop culture icon. Stranger Things has been criticized for its underwriting of female characters—an accusation that has some merit—but Eleven does her best to correct that trend in season two. Evolving from a more straightforward orphan hero into a complicated (and a little tragic) character, Eleven gets an entire episode devoted to her transformation. The episode sees Eleven meet Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), whose influence encourages Eleven to embrace her anger… and nearly leads her to commit a revenge-motivated murder. Eleven’s choice to return to her friends represents significant growth, and it makes her final act of intervention against the shadow monster more meaningful.

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     The other female characters get the short end of the stick. Nancy does alright for herself; she has agency, even if she doesn’t have the most interesting plotline of the series. Joyce Byers picks up her “frantic mom” act a few episodes into the new season, and although there’s a little more variety in her character this time around (a backstory with Hopper), she ends the season without the character development that she deserves.

     Newcomer Max receives the least amount of characterization, which is something of a disappointment; she appears to function mostly as a replacement for Eleven. She’s supposedly the group’s “zoomer,” but that designation feels less like a valuable and unique addition to the group and more like a justification for her presence. The bulk of her backstory is tied up with her step-brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery). Billy, too, could have used more screen-time; there’s a lot of build-up around his character for him to amount to little more than a sideshow. But he and Max aren’t entirely without purpose; the showrunners use them to meditate, however briefly, on the complex and destructive patterns of abusive relationships.

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     What’s coming in the future? The show will definitely be returning for at least one more season—it’s far too successful for Netflix to let go—but apart from that it’s hard to say. Season two’s ending focuses mostly on the character relationships and dynamics that form the heart of the show. From where the show leaves everyone, the future is really an open door; the Snow Ball sequence pays off certain season-long arcs, but it leaves the future undefined. The four budding romances (Mike & Eleven, Lucas & Max, Nancy & Jonathan, and Joyce & Hopper) will supposedly continue to develop, and Dustin and Steve’s friendship is just taking off. Meanwhile, our only hints as to what’s still to come have to do with two unresolved plotlines: 1) the ominous presence of the shadow monster, teased in the final shot, and 2) Kali, the other superpowered kid on the loose. She will almost certainly have more to do with our protagonists, either as an ally… or, perhaps more interestingly, as an enemy. We’ll find out when Netflix churns out season three, undoubtedly coming to TV screens near you very soon.

Watch the trailer here. 

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