Caution, spoilers ahead.
It's back! Stranger Things has officially returned for a second season a year after the first like most Netflix series. The wait was a long and emotional one even though season one had a nicer wrap up than most series. The only real cliffhanger was where on earth was eleven? After she defeated the Demogorgon she disappeared without a trace leaving Mike and the heart of the other broke.
The bad men had been killed, the Demogorgon had been killed, Will had been found, and Steve and Nancy were happy together with Johnathan as a friend to both. Seems like a relatively happy end, right? Well of course not, there would be no season two if that was the case. Season two started out with a bang creating the mood for the rest of the season.
The opening scene was slightly confusing at first, only due to the fact that it was not the lovable group of kids we saw all of season one. It was a bank robbery with a group of random people we have never seen before. For a quick second, I thought I was watching something different but then with one small frame, it all connected. The blood coming to the driver's nose said it all.
Eleven was not the only one out there. I was shaking. It was foreseeable but not expected that any one of her kind would still be alive. After the slightly shocking opening, we return to the lives of our main characters awhile after the whole incident occurred.
By no surprise, Nancy is still dealing with the loss of Barb and Mike is still dealing with the loss of Eleven.
The thing that I found interesting that the writers executed in such a wonderful manner was how they had both Nancy and Mike deal with their losses in such different ways. Mike never truly let go and kept talking through the phone, Nancy partied and got trashed. It showed the connection between the two and what bonded them as siblings but that there are still major differences.
Another thing the writers did well, adding two new characters. As much as I love the originals, some new characters add mystery.
You don't really find anything out about these characters in the first episode which keeps you wanting to watch the rest of the season. The girl, Max, seems a little generic for my taste. She seems like an average tomboy with a crappy older brother. I see room for her character to hopefully develop this season. Her brother is an interesting character in every aspect. Yes, he seems like your typical asswipe who becomes the main bully but the show seems to give him more depth just by how he treats his sister.
You want to know more about this character. What is his purpose other than being mean?
Lastly, the biggest thing about the entire episode, Eleven is alive! Oddly enough though, living with Hopper. As a huge fan of this little girl with magical powers, I was thrilled that she did not actually disappear because there is still so much room for her to develop as a character. Now the question is, how did she get there?
Overall, the first episode of the second season was a win for me. It continued to intrigue me all throughout and kept me wanting more. Naturally, after that first episode, I continued to binge watch it and am further on in the series. I recommend to everyone that you watch the second season and if you have not watched the first season of Stranger Things, well watch it all and be enlightened.
