by Dr Kain » Sat Oct 28, 2017 10:30 am
We spent last night watching all 9 episodes to Season 2 and outside of one instance, it was utterly fantastic.
Some minor spoilers may be within:
Poor Will. Last season he was kidnapped by Silent Hill, I mean the Down Under, and this season he was possessed by it. What's going to happen next year? He becomes the Down Under? Anyway, I really loved the way they pulled off his visions as they were really well done and makes sense given how much time he spent there.
Mike seemed kind of a dick this season. Some parts I get, but not others. Plus, it didn't feel like they did very much with him.
On the other hand, I did like the bigger forcus on Dustin and Lucas since we got to see their families this year. Plus, I loved the interactions between Dustin and Steve. The last scene with those two together was hilarious.
I'm very confused about Max's family life though. They made it seem like it was this white trash type thing when it isn't. A nice little bait and switch there, although I really want her step-brother to die. God damn he is completely unlikable. I do laugh at her name being Madmax on the Arcade games.
I did like what they did with Nancy and Jonathan. They slowly continued to build up what they started last season without it feeling unnatural. The episode where they visited the conspiracy theorist was great, especially when Nancy starts to tell them he is wrong about 11 being a Russian weapon.
My god, Will's mom just can't catch a break, can she?
Hopper remains one of my favorite characters of the show. I was really expecting for him to buy it early on in the season.
I love how the sixth episode feels like it was paying respect to Aliens. God damn that was awesome. Hell, the Down Under creature looks like a Xenomorph in its overall shape! So damn cool!! Also cool that the actor who played Burke in Aliens was the lead scientist.
Sadly, episode 7 to me is the worst episode of the entire series. I thought what they were doing with 11 made sense, as it was something I expected to happen last season, but that episode just felt out of place. How the hell did 11 go from Hawkin to Chicago and back all within the day Hopper and gang escaped from the lab and did the stuff with Will at his house? Especially when she was traveling by bus? Well, that is a minor nitpick compared to the episode as a whole as it just didn't feel like a Stranger Things episode. I think the problem is that it felt way too rushed and out of nowhere. This is something that should have been saved for the next season so it could have been developed better. It doesn't help that her "sister" is a terrible person for tricking 11 into helping her. Other than that bit, I enjoyed what they did with her, especially the way they did the scene of her return when everyone was up against the Demodogs.
Overall, it wasn't as flawless as the first season, but still utterly phenomenal. The jokes were spot on, the suspense remained, the music continued to rock, and the Down Under feels a lot more threatening than initially envisioned. Oh, and the ending was so sweet. Not to mention conclusive. I'm sure there will be a third season and I will definitely welcome it, but if they choose not to do another one, I wouldn't mind either. The show still remains Netflix's best show thus far! If I had to give Season 2 a score it would be a 9/10.