Release date: Oct 27th on Netflix.
Spoilers: Please spoiler tag any (spoiler) discussion for two weeks. And make sure to label your spoiler discussion. (i.e. Episode 3:
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Links:
Cast:
Reviews:
Winona Ryder as Joyce, David Harbour as Chief Hopper, Finn Wolfhard as Mike
Millie Brown as Eleven, Noah Schnapp as Will, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas
Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan
Until "Stranger Things 2" really gets going — and that takes a while — it trails an air of self-consciousness that veers into strained fan service at times. The good news is, the show's core cast remains an extremely versatile and effective ensemble, and once the story kicks into a higher gear about halfway through the nine-episode season, a lot of the old magic returns.
There are missteps in the second season, many of them revolving around thin or unfortunate writing for some of the new characters. But once you get past the clunky first few installments — which largely restate much of what occurred last season and set up plot points that were easily inferred from the trailers — the drama's momentum picks up noticeably. As fine as the show's justly lauded young cast is, the adult actors — especially Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery — anchor every psychological nuance with subtle skill and ease.So there, I just described the initial setup and the first half of this pointlessly overlong, quarter-baked season of television. Yes, after an unexpected opening scene that looks like a worse version of The Gifted, Stranger Things 2 settles in for five straight hours of pure unfiltered Netflix bloat. Tantalizing possibilities are hinted at, then hinted at again a full episode later.
The cast remains full of delightful performers, but they sprawl in different directions, many of them boring.
On the whole, I can't help but like the new season of "Stranger Things" way more than I liked Season 1. Last year, "Stranger Things" was a cute diversion, but ultimately aimless. For the most part, Season 2 acts with more of a purpose and a vision that feels like it truly belongs to its creators, the Duffer Brothers.
But I also can't help but feel unsatisfied by how it all plays out because of a pair of plot threads that, for now, never pay off and a third that seems to exist entirely to address a situation that doesn't really matter. With a tighter focus "Stranger Things" season 2 could have been great — as it stands, we'll have to settle for almost great, and hope the Duffers are planning to make those apparently divergent threads make sense in season 3.
On the whole, I can't help but like the new season of "Stranger Things" way more than I liked Season 1. Last year, "Stranger Things" was a cute diversion, but ultimately aimless. For the most part, Season 2 acts with more of a purpose and a vision that feels like it truly belongs to its creators, the Duffer Brothers.
But I also can't help but feel unsatisfied by how it all plays out because of a pair of plot threads that, for now, never pay off and a third that seems to exist entirely to address a situation that doesn't really matter. With a tighter focus "Stranger Things" season 2 could have been great — as it stands, we'll have to settle for almost great, and hope the Duffers are planning to make those apparently divergent threads make sense in season 3.
On the whole, I can't help but like the new season of "Stranger Things" way more than I liked Season 1. Last year, "Stranger Things" was a cute diversion, but ultimately aimless. For the most part, Season 2 acts with more of a purpose and a vision that feels like it truly belongs to its creators, the Duffer Brothers.
But I also can't help but feel unsatisfied by how it all plays out because of a pair of plot threads that, for now, never pay off and a third that seems to exist entirely to address a situation that doesn't really matter. With a tighter focus "Stranger Things" season 2 could have been great — as it stands, we'll have to settle for almost great, and hope the Duffers are planning to make those apparently divergent threads make sense in season 3.
To start, "Stranger Things 2" feels a great deal like its predecessor. Once again, nostalgia is a MAJOR part of the narrative of the show, and it's even less subtly so in the first two episodes of this new season than it was the first.
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To be fair, that execution isn't flawless. There are times when the new "Stranger Things" feels over-crowded and sometimes clunky. Through much of the season, many characters are divided into different subplots. So, as Dustin is dealing with something unexpected, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) are off on another subplot, and, oh yeah, Steve (Joe Keery) is still around looking for something to do, and so on, and so on. There are times when the "more" aesthetic of "Stranger Things 2" verges into "cluttered."
Promo photos:
