Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will and Eleven return to Netflix for the second season of “Stranger Things,” and what a ride it’s been.
As students, we’re all very busy with the last month of the semester coming on us strong, but what many of us did last Friday was sit down and binge-watch the award-winning Netflix Original, “Stranger Things.”
The Duffer Brothers did a remarkable job in recreating the sequel to the series, which is classified more as a sequel than a season season by the creators themselves. On the opening theme song, they clearly show “Stranger Things 2” rather than just season two.
I won’t give away any spoilers, but the Duffer Brothers have again recreated a complete storyline with another definite end, though of course with a hint of more to come for our young heroes and heroines.
The child stars bounced back into their roles with the same enthusiasm. The young teens now include a little more crude language, but they also reflect how these kids have matured in the year that’s passed since the first season.
The “Stranger Things” cast have also released a mini-series on Netflix similar to the “Walking Dead”’s “Talking Dead” with their new discussions and interviews called “Beyond Stranger Things.”
In a discussion with Finn Wolfhard, he says they describe Mike as “emo Mike” in season two because his character’s purpose is needing to “save” someone. With Eleven gone, the audience can see just how affected Mike even a year after her disappearance.
While the last season mainly focused on Eleven and her interactions with the all-boy party, season two takes a dive into Will’s character and what he’s experiencing since his life in the Upside Down. We also get a chance to see the other families of the boys, including Lucas’ and Dustin’s.
Then again, with all of Eleven’s loose ends, the Duffer Brothers had to include her back into the series. Viewers follow her story after killing the demogorgon and how she copes with her life outside of the lab and delving more into her personal life and relationships.
The Duffer Brothers have also added a new girl among the mix. This new girl Max is a complete Tom-boy but more on the sporty side than the nerdy side. Max makes a wave in the party as Dustin and Lucas develop a crush on her while Mike pushes away the idea of any other girl being added to the party besides Eleven.
Other characters make a reappearance, including Steve Harrington, the jock and jerk now changed to a better person than you realized.
In turn, Max’s older brother becomes the new “human antagonist” as the Duffer Brothers call him. He’s essentially a worser, scarier version of Steve’s previous character adaptation. He’s nothing like Max and reveals themes of abuse, violence, sexual tension and racism.
Also, Joyce Byers finds a suitable companion through her new boyfriend Bob. He’s a sweet and affectionate character, but is he as good as he seems?
Overall, the character development that runs this series was not forgotten. The Duffer Brothers made a note to maintain the roots of the show through the characters’ maturity, interactions and experiences.
It’s clear “Stranger Things” was granted a larger budget for season two. The cinematography has increased triple-fold, especially the CGI involved to create the Upside Down and its creatures.
The directing style hasn’t changed either but has actually gotten better too. The directors of the show, including the Duffer Brothers, have kept their signature camera angles to show the switch between reality and the Upside Down.
“Stranger Things” season two certainly went by much faster than I anticipated. I wanted to draw it out as much as I could, but the story’s far too captivating for patience to win out over letting the next episode play. Some would say this season was better than the first, but I disagree/ It’s hard to top the first, but I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself.
