Stranger Things (2017)

Season 2

Director: The Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Andrew Stanton, Rebecca Thomas
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard
Episodes: 9

Synopsis:
Life seems to have gone back to normal in Hawkins, but Will Byers continues to have nightmarish visions from the Upside-Down that may be a harbinger of a new threat.

Impressions:
The first season was a tough act to follow, but I thought they did a good job of continuing the story, expanding the lore and escalating the threat. If the series was planned to go for five seasons from the start, maybe the threat gets escalated a too much, but let's deal with the larger narrative once we're further down the line. I particularly like the father-daughter dynamic between Hopper and Eleven, though their respective tempers are an inevitable source of conflict. I also liked how they handled Will's character, the lingering trauma from his time in the Upside-Down and the effects of the Mind Flayer's influence on him. With the influences of films like The Goonies and Aliens abundantly clear, casting Sean Astin and Paul Reiser was a nice treat (and I especially liked Astin's role as the adorkable Bob).

Although I had heard this season was a step down, I didn't really feel that. I will admit that the novelty factor is significantly diminished, but the biggest criticism I have is that I felt the subplot with Kali was underdeveloped. If you were a fan of the first season, I'm quite sure you'll like this one as well and I'm happy to recommend adding it to your collection.

Rating:
Own It