Stranger Things Season Two
It’s been over a year since another season of the Netflix original show, Stranger Things, came out. On October 27, 2017, nine new episode were released. With each episode being around 40 minutes long, this show is definitely binge-worthy. In this season, new characters were introduced, along with monsters. We get a better understanding of the returning characters backgrounds, and we get to see relationships evolve.
Some new characters introduced are Max and Bob. Bob Newby is introduced in the first episode as Joyce Byers significant other. Portrayed by Sean Astin, this character provides a funny, dorky, and light hearted mood to help make the show seem less dark. You might recognize him from the Goonies, where he played Mikey and Samwise in Lord of the Rings. Another new character is Max, otherwise known as Mad Max. This red-headed girl ends up becoming friends with the group of boys: Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas. Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, is a pro-skateboarder and appears in most of the episodes. She also becomes a love interest for Dustin and Lucas.
In this season, there is a human antagonist, in addition to a monster being the threat. He is a new character as well,
and is the half brother of Max. Billy, played by Dacre Montgomery, is intimidating and aggressive and very angry all the time. He is abusive towards Max and bullies Steve Harrington, who is played by Joe Keery, in school.
In an interview with the Duffer Brothers, who both created the show, they said that they wanted a “human antagonist”. In season one, it was Steve who was your typical “mean guy”. As the story progressed, though, he “evolved into definetly not that type of character”. The brothers said that they knew they wanted a person like Billy from the beginning. They wanted someone who was a bit of a sociopath and “irredeemable”, as they put it. Monster-wise, we get introduced to the Shadow Monster. In the trailer, there is a scene where Will, who was lost in the “upside down” in season one, gets sucked into an “episode”. In these “episode’s” Will is mentally trapped in the “upside down”. His body sometimes shakes or it looks like he is having a seizure. In the clip from the trailer, Will walks out of the arcade and into the parking lot, but in the world where he was previously trapped. He’s having, what he calls, an “episode”. His body is on the field, but his mind is in the “upside down”. In the sky is a massive storm, raging red and black clouds with lightning striking every second. Out of the clouds comes the Shadow Monster. As you can see in the picture above, the shadow monster has a pointed face and is massive. It towers over the rest. There is a piece of that world still inside Will, and in this season we get to see what exactly is going on in his body. Along with the Shadow Monster comes the Demogorgon. We get to see how these monsters grow, and mutate.
On the last episode of season one, we see Eleven defeat a demogorgon and get brought into the “upside down”. Eleven, who has telepathic powers, is portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown. She can move objects with her mind, and force people to do things by a magnetic-like-pull. There is an episode in season two where it is just about Eleven. It’s a strange episode, and it’s definitely one of a kind. In the episode, “The Lost Sister”, Eleven is on a quest to find her sister, Eight. Drawn to her by psychic visions, Eleven finds a group of outcasts and a girl who can make people hallucinate. Throughout the episode, Eight teaches Eleven how to control her powers and channel her feelings to help her do incredible things. This episode reveals that there are others like Eleven.
Good news! There will be a season three and four! Although, it will be awhile before they come out (we are talking years away). It is said that the cast will be returning. If you are like me and still can’t get enough of the cast, you can actually catch the stars in upcoming movies and TV shows. Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, will be acting in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike, is said to most likely to reappear as Derry (in a flashback) for IT: Chapter 2. For those who still haven’t watched this amazing show, I highly recommend it. It’s retro, 1980’s theme is perfect for those who grew up during that time, and it’s twisted story will captivate your attention immediately.
