Stranger Things 2 Review
By Maeve Donohue
WARNING: Spoilers for Stranger Things seasons 1&2 below.
On Friday, October 27th, we were brought back to the creepy goings-on in Hawkins, Indiana, 1984. Netflix’s Stranger Things’ second season was released, thrilling fans all over the country.
Set one year after Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared, and was found, the characters we know and love find themselves battling a new creature from the Upside Down: the Shadow Monster. The town of Hawkins is also terrorized by “demo-dogs”, the Shadow Monster’s army.
While all of this is going on, the characters are all still dealing with the events that happened in season one. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is mourning the death of her friend Barb (Shannon Purser). Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is suffering the loss of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is thought to be gone but is only separated from her friends. Will is experiencing “episodes”, reliving the nightmares of the Upside Down.
We are also introduced to new characters, including Max (Sadie Sink), who captures the attention of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), her step-brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and Bob (Sean Astin), Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) new honest and awkward beau.
The new season was more terrifying than the first and turns more into the horror genre. There were definitely more jump-scares and a stronger threat of death throughout the whole season. One episode, in particular, was incredibly tense, as the characters found themselves trapped in a building, trying to escape.
Throughout the creepy episodes, we see many characters creating new bonds, and strengthening old ones. Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) form a new friendship. Joyce and Hopper (David Harbour) work together once again, and Nancy and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) get closer as the season goes on.
Another storyline is added when Eleven, or El, seeks out to find her family, learning about the things her “Papa” did to torture her mother. El struggles the whole season trying to find where her “home” is, and where she feels the safest.
The new season follows closely to some things we saw in the first, the biggest being the Byers’ living room. In the first season, their walls are covered in string lights, and in the second, those lights are replaced by Will’s drawings, this time spreading from the living room into the kitchen, dining room, and hallway.
Overall, Stranger Things 2 was a big success. The added horror, new characters, and thrilling plot came together to create nine incredible episodes, ending on a cliffhanger. After finishing it over two days, I’m looking forward to watching it again, and I’m already anticipating season 3.
By Maeve Donohue
WARNING: Spoilers for Stranger Things seasons 1&2 below.
On Friday, October 27th, we were brought back to the creepy goings-on in Hawkins, Indiana, 1984. Netflix’s Stranger Things’ second season was released, thrilling fans all over the country.
Set one year after Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared, and was found, the characters we know and love find themselves battling a new creature from the Upside Down: the Shadow Monster. The town of Hawkins is also terrorized by “demo-dogs”, the Shadow Monster’s army.
While all of this is going on, the characters are all still dealing with the events that happened in season one. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is mourning the death of her friend Barb (Shannon Purser). Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is suffering the loss of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is thought to be gone but is only separated from her friends. Will is experiencing “episodes”, reliving the nightmares of the Upside Down.
We are also introduced to new characters, including Max (Sadie Sink), who captures the attention of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), her step-brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and Bob (Sean Astin), Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) new honest and awkward beau.
The new season was more terrifying than the first and turns more into the horror genre. There were definitely more jump-scares and a stronger threat of death throughout the whole season. One episode, in particular, was incredibly tense, as the characters found themselves trapped in a building, trying to escape.
Throughout the creepy episodes, we see many characters creating new bonds, and strengthening old ones. Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) form a new friendship. Joyce and Hopper (David Harbour) work together once again, and Nancy and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) get closer as the season goes on.
Another storyline is added when Eleven, or El, seeks out to find her family, learning about the things her “Papa” did to torture her mother. El struggles the whole season trying to find where her “home” is, and where she feels the safest.
The new season follows closely to some things we saw in the first, the biggest being the Byers’ living room. In the first season, their walls are covered in string lights, and in the second, those lights are replaced by Will’s drawings, this time spreading from the living room into the kitchen, dining room, and hallway.
Overall, Stranger Things 2 was a big success. The added horror, new characters, and thrilling plot came together to create nine incredible episodes, ending on a cliffhanger. After finishing it over two days, I’m looking forward to watching it again, and I’m already anticipating season 3.