It took a special occasion (vacation), but I temporarily put aside my movies-only mentality and actually watched a popular streaming television series. “Stranger Things” seemed like an obvious choice and it ended up blowing me away with its phenomenal first season. Sure it was episodic like most television, but it played out like a well-constructed movie. So much so that it was easy to review as one continuous whole.
Right out of the gate Season 2 feels much more like a television series. Unlike the previous season, here we get some episodes that are clearly weaker or stronger than others (with one being distinctly bad). That’s a key reason why “Stranger Things 2” lacks the cohesion and steady movie-like flow that made the first season so intensely riveting.
Now don’t get me wrong, those who are more attuned to the structure of episodic television may not see those gripes as a big deal. But considering how well every episode of Season 1 gelled together, this is a noticeable difference. Even the writing in “Stranger Things 2” lends itself to a small screen style of storytelling. But lets be fair, it’s no easy task building a second season when the first one felt like a completed story in itself.
Things start a lot slower this time around and it takes a couple of episodes for the story to really get going. Show creators the Duffer Brothers return and immediately begin threading together loose ends and setting the foundation for what is to come. Season 1 had a firm centerpiece – the disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). This season doesn’t have that tight story focus and spends far more time developing characters and introducing new ones.
Interestingly, some of the main characters from the first season are back-burnered this time around (Finn Wolfhard’s Mike instantly comes to mind). Instead its those formerly in supporting roles that get more attention. Those benefiting most are Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). They are given some much needed depth despite there being some kinks in their storylines. Also Steve (Joe Keery) avoids being the stereotypical bitter ex-boyfriend and grows into a fun and fully-realized character.
A lot of time is put into building up new characters as well. We’re introduced to the new girl in school Max (Sadie Sink) and her ‘bad boy’ step-brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery). We know he’s bad news because he smokes cigarettes, listens to hair metal, and constantly peels the tires of his Camaro. Max is a fun addition but Billy comes across as a weirdly out-of-sync caricature.
A new character who manages to avoid caricature is Sean Astin’s Bob, the boyfriend of Joyce (Winona Ryder). He’s a bit of a goof but an earnest one. At first he seems like an easy character to pigeonhole but the writing mixed with Astin’s warmth subverts our expectations. You can’t help but like the guy. Paul Reiser (who is no stranger to science-fiction) is a nice fit playing the new head of the Hawkins Laboratory.
David Harbour as Chief Hopper was a true strength of the first season. He’s still really good here, but his character arc isn’t nearly as compelling and he’s often relegated to a background player. Even Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who was a linchpin of ST1 and still very relevant here, disappears for huge chunks of the season. These aren’t critical flaws but still disappointing.
It’s a good thing when a show invests time to grow its characters and the relationships between them. However in “Strangers Things 2” there is a negative effect. The narrative itself lacks the depth of the first season and you could say it retreads some of the same ground. Instead of rescuing Will from the Upside-Down, here it’s from a sinister supernatural virus. And the similarities to the X-Files mythology (government cover-ups, secret experiments, etc.) which I loved so much is ST1 pretty much vanish in Season 2.
Yet despite all of that the Duffer Brothers, along with their team of writing and directing collaborators, still manage to get their hooks in you and pull you into their ever-interesting sci-fi world. We still get so many wonderful 80s references scattered throughout which are tons of fun to discover and which add a thick layer of realism to the timeline. And once again we get to spend time with these characters who ST1 introduced so well. It all makes for a good follow-up season that may not live up to enormous strengths of the first, but does enough to keep us interested and excited for what comes next.
VERDICT – 3.5 STARS
Keith & the Movies 
Yeah I wasn’t as thrilled with series 2 either, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Just felt a lot of was retread (map for lights etc), some storylines that didn’t really go anywhere and a few things that would count as spoilers if I explain. But till great. And series 3 will blow you away!!!!!!!!!!!
I understand where you’re coming from. The retread I mentioned was referring to how similar some things feel. But you are one of several who have me REALLY excited to start season 3. Hope to get it underway this weekend.
Seriously, I’m not kidding. Cancel all plans and switch off your phone.
Oh man…sounds tremendous.
Netflix here I come!
YES! DO IT!!!!
Ok ok 😊
Although I do agree that seasons 2 lost a bit of steam with a few episodes I would still give it a 9 out of 10 . The over all quality was still there and just enjoy such a refreshing show . As to Billy , he did seem a bit off but believe it or not , I grew up with a few Billy types in my area . But I will say Season 3 was in my opinion a total blast . One thing I do agree with the Duffer brothers on , they have said that the series will have a ending and could even be season 4 but they have said that 5 would the end no matter and I like that this world will have a real end .
I knew a few Billy’s too. He just seemed so uneven to me. At first I thought he had some secret as to why he was so against Max hanging with the kids. Then it turned out he just had the tried-and-true daddy issues. But then we get this totally absurd interaction with Mike and Nancy’s mom. I just found him to be all over the place. I do like that they have a clear end it sight. It tells me there is a definite story arc they are working with which I believe is a really good thing.
I love all seasons but this one is the weakest one, even though Hopper’s little dance in that cabin is one of the greatest things in history of everything. The finale episode though is absolutely spectacular and the closing the gate scene and that charming ending with the dance are outstanding. Billy gets a very interesting arc in season 3 and the actor playing him is really great but yeah he was pretty caricature villain here even though that scene with his dad was powerful and gave a lot of insight into his character
I really loved the school dance finale. So warm and it had a very John Hughes feel to it. So good. My wife and I both figured Billy would get a meatier role to play in Season 3. Still though, I enjoyed this season and I’m anxious for Season 3 this weekend!!!
Noah Schnapp should’ve gotten an Emmy nomination for this season. One of my biggest complaints about ST in the media is how hard they push Millie Bobby Brown and just lump the rest of the kids together. He was tremendous in this season and got nothing. I’m still annoyed.
I still haven’t seen Season 3, but I felt Millie Bobby Brown was pushed to the back for a lot of ST2. I also thought there were some issues with how they wrote her character in a couple of episodes. As for Noah, I thought he was REALLY good in ST2. He had some pretty heavy scenes that relied heavily on physical reactions and emotions. He nailed it.
Gotta agree. I absolutely LOVED season one, everything about it. This one? I didn’t love, and there was a lot that pulled it down. Then there was the one episode where Eleven ran away and that really sucked as an episode.
That episode is the exact one I’m referring to as genuinely bad. So much about it made no sense and it brought the excitement to a halt.
Apart from the underuse of Kali (and maybe one or two other things), I enjoyed this season almost as much as the first.
I liked it. I just didn’t think it had the focus and movie like cohesion as the first season.