Stranger Things 2 Review

Stranger Things 2 Review

Joe Bozzella, Staff Writer

Stranger Things 2 is a brilliant follow-up to Netflix’s breakout hit-show that absolutely came out of nowhere in the summer of 2016 to become one of the premier shows in the golden age of television. The story picks up a year after the events of season one with the boys, especially Mike and Will, still recovering from the horrific events surrounding Will’s kidnapping. Once again, what makes this show special are the child actors that are naturally gifted and impossible not to love. Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas are each given great material to work with this season and each stand out in their own right. Whether it’s Dustin’s everyman qualities or Mike’s innate desire to protect his friends, every one of these kids is a distinct character that is so easy to connect with. These characters are what makes the show beloved by millions.

Along with the four boys, the rest of the cast is stellar again and have each carved out an integral role on the show. Without getting delving to deep into spoilers, Millie Bobby Brown returns as Eleven and brings her performance to the next level. Brown does so much with little dialogue and is able to get across what Elle is thinking by using her eyes to tell the story. Most of her scenes are spent with Chief Hopper, played to perfection by David Harbour, and these scenes are some of the standouts of the season. Harbour is so good at getting to a primal, emotional place that endears him to the audience because it is visible that Hop is just trying to do what he feels is right but does not know how. Additionally, the true MVP of this season is Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery. Even though Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton are great as Nancy and Jonathan, respectively, Keery steals the show this season and completely flips the stereotype that the high-school jock has to be a jerk. His scenes with Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin are so much fun because these two characters are such polar opposites, but Keery makes Steve come across as such a great guy who is trying to find his place in the world.

Most shows that have a hit first season add big-name actors in order to further grow their audience but head-showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer made a great decision in casting character actors as their new additions for season 2. By adding 80s and 90s icons, Paul Reiser (Aliens, Mad About You) and Sean Astin (The Goonies, Lord of the Rings), the Duffers were able to add people who further the nostalgia aspect of the show but do not take anybody out of it. It is so cool that in my generation’s version of The Goonies (an amazing movie), there is an actual Goonie in it. Reiser and Astin are great in this show and each add a steady presence to the show where they do not overpower any scenes but support all of the other characters around them. On the other hand, Dacre Montgomery (Power Rangers) and Sadie Sink (The Glass Castle) also join the show as newcomers to Hawkins from California. Montgomery is great in the show and is a brute force that does so much with the little writing that he was given. Sink’s character, Max, forms a great relationship with Lucas and legitimately makes her presence known without really doing much in the story. The problem with these two characters is that they unnecessarily take up screen-time because they really have no effect on the plot at all, however both impress on the show and will hopefully be given more to do in the third season.

While there are aspects of the second season that are not great, specifically Nancy and Jonathan’s road trip storyline and uninteresting monsters, Stranger Things has come roaring back with a great second season that leaves on a great cliffhanger and leaves the audience pumped for the third season.

Stranger Things 2: 9.5 out of 10.

Photo Credit: http://strangerthings.wikia.com/wiki/Stranger_Things/Season_2