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Netflix has begun streaming the second season of the critically acclaimed television show “Stranger Things.” The series stars several young actors that have proven themselves worthy of praise. Amongst them are; Millie Brown (Eleven) a young girl with mysterious telekinetic powers, capable of incredible feats. “El” (as she is affectionately called), is the product of scientific manipulation before birth and has been groomed to explore the reaches of an alternate reality known as the Upside Down.
In Season One the audience saw the protagonist, Eleven liberating herself from her captors who had continued to exploit her psychic abilities, to her dismay. She finds comfort with four local adolescents who, (unbeknown to their parents) take her in providing her with food and shelter while searching for their friend Will Byers.
Coincidentally, Will had disappeared just before the appearance of Eleven, and for a significant part of Season One, we had presumed him to be dead. The show gained popularity over the 2016-2017 period, where it also acquired an enormous cult following. The attachment to the series revolved around the 1980s aesthetic that the show promotes at every turn. While the majority of critics praised the show for its accuracy in depicting the 1980s era, the film received harsh criticisms for appearing “too familiar.”
Several scenes directly mimic movie scenes of “E.T.,” “The Goonies” and other 80s styled movies and television shows, which the directors have admitted to being heavily influenced by.
Season Two has provided a more in-depth view of the world while fleshing out the main characters of the show. One of the age-old questions when comparing similar shows and movies has been, “Where are their parents?” In this season questions like these are answered, as there is more dialog between the children and their family. One such relationship exposed beautifully, was that of Lucas’ (Caleb McLaughlin) sister Emily, portrayed by Holly Wheeler. With the brief moments spent on screen, the young actress stole the show and our hearts. Shoehorned into this season like Emily, is a roster of several characters who add even more suspense to the plot including a young adolescent female named Max (Sadie Sink, “American Odyssey.”)
Additionally, we peered into each character a bit more and understood the dynamic of each member of the original cast as their world was opened up to us. Chief Hopper’s (David Harbour), frustrated relationship with the new representatives from Hawkins National Laboratory, which exposed the town to the Upside Down. The angst of single-parent Joyce, (Winona Ryder) as she struggles to help her son Will (Noah Schnapp) to recover from his experience in the Upside Down.
The script-evolved leader of the group Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is shown somewhat broken for much of the season, as he desperately hopes that Eleven is somewhere safe. As the season continues though, Mike shows himself stronger and more logical than the other members of his group.
The other protagonists’ lives are exposed and are interwoven seamlessly throughout the season, as it takes four out of nine episodes to reach a climax. What the slow progression in plot allowed for this season was an intense immersion into the lives of its characters. The anxiety of the previews and the prior season made the plot development seem arduous. However, it pays off in the end with a spectacular finale.
As lines connect to the previous season, a tremendous appreciation grows for the series surpassing the first impressions the show had made. “Stranger Things” overtly shows us that it is more than a collective totem of 80s troupes and stolen aesthetics, by proving its unique viability sans massive explosions and over-the-top computer graphics.
The script continues to build solid rapport between the characters, despite expanding the shows list. The direction is immaculate with camera angles that are simple while providing tiers of understanding within the approximate 55-minute runtime of each episode. The net result of the cast and crew’s effort is another great season of “Stranger Things,” with the only flaw centered on the year-long wait for the Season Three.
