By Spencer Coile
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In 2016, the first season of Stranger Things premiered with little fanfare. Although critically well-received, it was not the cultural icon it is considered today. Roughly about one month after it dropped on Netflix, though, everyone (and I mean everyone) was buzzing about the sci-fi show that oozed 80's nostalgia. It was a total genre piece, one that many assumed the Television Academy would not honor, but that did not stop it from picking up steam throughout the television season. After its SAG win for Best Ensemble, it went on to pick up 19 Emmy nominations (winning 5).
And still, its momentum continued to build -- between merhandise, soundtracks, Halloween costumes in excess, and even a #JusticeForBarb movement that no one saw coming, Stranger Things solidified itself as a show that everyone needed to see.
This last Friday, Netflix premiered the second season of Stranger Things. Unlike the series' first season, many were holding their breath in anticipation, building yet more hype, and setting lofty expectations after such a stellar first outing from The Duffer Brothers. Would it be as good a second time around?
Stranger Things 2 -- a name the Duffer Brothers gave to this season, as if it were a movie and not a TV series -- picks up roughly one year after the incidents of the first season. The year is now 1984 and Will, having been rescused from the Upside Down is back home. He is still experiencing visions of the Upside Down. Haunted by what he lived through just one year ago, he turns to his rag-tag group of friends and his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) to help bring him back to sanity.
Interestingly, the second season starts slowly; there is no inciting incident like Will's disapperance at the start of the first season. What we are left with is a series of smaller mysteries that slowly add to something frightening. Notable characters such as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Chief Hopper (David Harbour) return, but we are also introduced to a collection of new characters to propel the story along. One notable addition (and slightly obvious, considering the time period) is Goonies star Sean Astin as Bob Newby, a love interest for Joyce.
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The Ragtag Group: Lucas (Caleb McNaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and newcomer Max (Sadie Sink)
Stranger Things 2 leans heavily into the 80's time period again. The boys dress up as Ghostbusters and a conveniently placed Reagan/ Bush '84 sign really helps sell the time frame. While it would be easy to nitpick the series for laying the nostalgia on thick (think of the alcohol poisoning if you played a drinking game where any 80s reference required a shot), there is something comforting in the synth score, the return to "simpler" days, and a story focused so heavily on family and friendships. The whole affair feels familiar, as if it were a path we had once tread.
This is not a knock at the series. If anything, it is high praise. Despite its themes of horror and the supernatural, Stranger Things 2 is like a hug from an old friend we had dearly missed.
Thankfully the Duffer Brothers seem awarethat Stranger Things could have just been a copycat show -- following all the tropes of the films that came before it. So they subvert these tropes and play with the archetypes in insightful ways. For example, Ryder's Joyce is the stock worrying, overprotective mother. But we see many different shades of Joyce. She is overprotective, sure. But she is also frantic, loving, compassionate, and firecely loyal. It helps that Ryder imbues each moment with manic levels of intensity and brightness. Years ago, Joyce would have been a throwaway supporting character, but in the hands of the Duffer Brothers, she is a powerful, three-dimensional woman.
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I do not believe in ever "bingeing" a series. I like to take my time with a show, and let the story wash over me. As such, I am nowhere near done with Stranger Things 2. After the first four episodes, though, it feels abundantly clear that this season is on a trajectory very similar to the first. The stakes are slowly raising, and the drama is starting to build for Will and company. And while it may not necessarily be as good as the first season (that'd be hard to top), perhaps we need to account for the expectations we set for a series. After all, in 2016, we had no idea what Stranger Things was when we pressed play. Now, it dominates conversation, social media, and awards seasons alike. It may not reach the heights of its first season, but it surely is still worth the hype.