I don’t think there was anything I disliked about the first season of Stranger Things.
But second seasons of a well-loved show can be notoriously tricky. How can you top it, without damaging it?
I certainly approached season 2 with trepidation. And now that I’ve watched all of Stranger Things 2, I still have rather mixed feelings about it. (SPOILERS COMING UP).
What I loved about Stranger Things 2
Hopper and Eleven.
By far the best new character dynamic to come out of season 2. The budding father daughter relationship is so so sweet and also a very fitting character development considering the starting point for both characters where we meet them in season 1 – loss and loneliness.
Will actually gets to act
He didn’t have too much to do in season 1 so it was great to see Will actually get some proper scenes. And it turns out that he can indeed act. He was really put through his emotional paces in season 2, you can’t help but feel for his sweet wide-eyed little face.
Steve’s hair. 
And if you’re interested in the hair creation in general in Stranger Things, here’s an article about all the hair in Stranger Things.
Max
What’s not to love about the introduction of a strong female character?
The ending.
Cycling straight from supernatural horror to John Hughes-style prom was a masterpiece of a move for an unashamed 80s super fan like me.
Things that weren’t great about season 2.
Dustin and Dart.
Dustin’s naive love affair with the teeny tiny cute little demo dog was, for me, the most unbelievable part of the entire season. Surely anyone who had been witness to the events of season 1 would be immediately wary of anything otherworldly. This felt like a cheap character betrayal to drive the plot forward, when this easily could have been done in other, more convincing, ways.
The Chicago episode.
Introducing a whole new set of characters and scenes just for one small yet necessary plot device (eleven harnessing her skills) was never going to be an easy sell to the audience. Particularly at a point in the season when we were so heavily invested in what was happening with the other characters back in Hawkins. It was jarring. It was cheesy. It didn’t quite work. I do not care for a spin off with these characters.
I was one of those people who didn’t really think a second season of Stranger Things was entirely necessary. I liked the neat limited series package that was Season 1, and thought it was near-on perfect without delving further. But, on the other hand, it was satisfying to see Eleven go further on her journey of personal discovery, and it was moving to see so many touching moments between character favourites: Mike and Eleven, Eleven and Hopper, Joyce and Hopper.
Do I want a Season 3 of Stranger Things? If season 3 sticks with the same characters, I really think it would be entering the territory of watching these characters go through puberty on screen and would come very close to losing the childlike innocence that really holds the show together. That being said, there is just something about the combination of the nostalgia, the compelling characters, and the eery sci fi that would probably keep me watching anything the Duffer Brothers create out of the Stranger Things world.
If you haven’t seen Stranger Things yet, where have you been?? Get yourself over to Netflix quick sharp.
Disclosure: I am part of the Netflix UK Stream Team. All opinions are my own.
