Right from the start of the first episode, Stranger Things 2, the sequel to last year’s runaway retro Netflix original, grips you with its world of shadow monsters and demogorgons. From the get go, we get a sense that this time it is going to be darker and bigger in scale than the previous outing. The first season became a runaway success because of the world it set up by rehashing Stephen King and Steven Spielberg, with a generous mix of 80s nostalgia. But this season, the creators have ramped up the tension and horror.
Duffer Brothers continue the lavish and overt pop culture tribute with references to Ghostbusters, Mad Max, Shining, and Michael Jackson. It is generously sprinkled with 80s references, be it perfect music cues, iconic movies, and awkward fashion. The attention to detail given by Matt and Ross Duffer is commendable.
Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), the group’s leader, carries on with his season-long quest to bring his love interest home. With Eleven returning, from the upside down (world) as the trailer mentioned, right at the beginning of the season, we are set with a new character arc and relationship with Hooper. He has taken it upon himself to be a guardian and the season explores their newly established dynamics. Also, Max (Sadie Sink) adds some much needed freshness to the kids’ Dungeons and Dragons party and sparks a romantic track with Dustin and Lucas. But it is Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) who continues his rocky, grim upside down parallel world experience. Even though his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) and friends manage to get him back, this season is another harrowing one for Will.
It is obvious that the show has been injected with a bigger budget as we see better production values, special effects and more opulent sets depicting Hawkins lab and the upside down. The sound track by Survive was already the most talked about one last year. They continue their eerie retro experiments with analog synths and suck you into the dark ambient mood.
The producers probe an idea for a spin off with a detour episode of the season, where Eleven tries to explore her origins and finds Kali who is also like her. This episode has a completely different tone from the rest of the season and has been receiving a lot of flak from true blue fans. If not executed properly, it could well become a rehashed teenage version of the cancelled Netflix show Sense8. The show ends with a lot of open questions for the viewers which will make them wait for the next season. It also promises a creepier, darker and more intense season three as season two has lived up to its enormous hype.
The author is a filmmaker who enjoys binge watching movies, documentaries, and reading non-fiction, in that order