We waited over a year for Stranger Things to come back into our lives and it’s finally here. I don’t know about you but I spent my Halloween weekend devouring the entire thing. Now I’m sad I finished it.
The boys were amazing. We were getting to know them last time but now we know them and they all have their own lives and they now also have crushes on girls.
It was really sad watching Mike (Finn Wolfhard) pine over Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) not knowing if she was even alive. I think he convinced himself that she was dead. At the same time, he felt her presence. He knew she was there at the school but she was so hurt by seeing Max (Sadie Sink) that she didn’t stick around.
Let’s talk about Max for a minute. I loved her. It was nice to have another female character in the mix. She was badass and I loved when she finally stood up to her brother. It was so cute watching Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) swoon over her. Max turned out to be a valuable member of the party in the end even if Mike didn’t want to let her in. He only didn’t want to let her in because he was missing Eleven so much.
I was really waiting for when Mike and Eleven would finally be reunited and it was everything I could have wanted and more. I’m glad they gave her a great entrance and I’m glad we had a little bit of a teary reunion too. I really liked Mike punching Hopper (David Harbour) and getting all those emotions out.
I liked Hopper last season but there was just something about him taking care of Eleven that made me like him even more. He was so protective but he was definitely pulled into two different directions. He did his best though, for everyone.
Nancy (Natalia Dyer) finally ended up with Johnathan (Charlie Heaton). They just seemed to be perfect for each other in season one but they were brought together by tough circumstances and Johnathan had to take care of his family. They also got justice for Barb. We were promised justice for Barb and the writers delivered.
Last season I didn’t really like Steve (Joe Keery). He was pretty much an ass hole but there was something very different about him this season. He may not have wanted to help Dustin out in the beginning but he definitely came through. This was a bromance I didn’t see coming and didn’t even know I needed. The scenes with Joe and Gaten were some of my favorites in this second season. It was great getting to see Joe work with all the kids but there was definitely a good chemistry between Joe and Gaten.
We did not get to see very much of Will (Noah Schnapp) last time but we saw a lot of him this time. Last season the acting from Millie was incredible and she was great again but this time the breakout star would have to be Noah. He had to be Will and he had to be possessed by the shadow monster. He was also having episodes and his whole body was freaking out. None of that is easy for a young actor, so I give him major props for how well he did in his role.
Winona Ryder as Joyce was also amazing. She’s slightly insane but we like her that way. She is a very caring mother that would do anything for her sons and she really does.
Sean Astin was a new addition to the cast playing Bob. He was also great and that death was shocking and brutal. It took me most of the season to trust him and by the time I really liked him, he was dead.
I think Joyce should really be with Hopper. There’s definitely something between them and maybe the writers will explore that in season three.
There really isn’t any official word if there is a season three. There’s still a shadow monster, so there could be more to the story but I love how they ended it at the dance. Lucas and Max dancing. Eleven came in looking very pretty to dance with Mike and thank you to Hopper for making that happen. Then Dustin was dancing with Nancy because girls just don’t see how cool he is yet. Steve tried to give him dating advice but it wasn’t the best. It was still really sweet, though. And it kind of broke my heart when Steve was looking in at Nancy. It’s amazing how an entire season can change your mind about a character.
If this is how it all ends, it wrapped up nicely but you know we all want more.