New ‘Stranger Things’ feels familiar
Season 2 raises the tension, but story can wander
Things are stranger all over again.
Stranger Things Season 2 (streaming Friday, eeeE out of four) is a fitting follow-up to the first, Netflix’s supernatural drama set in the 1980s that dominated Internet chatter last summer. The new season explores new and greater threats to our heroes and the town of Hawkins, Ind.
It’s a more intimate, exciting and character-driven story but is occasionally hampered by its bloated length and by hewing too closely to the first chapter.
The action takes place roughly a year later, and our heroes are still haunted by the trauma of the year before. Will (Noah Schnapp) experiences “episodes” with vivid visions of the Upside Down that may not be real. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is wracked with guilt over Barb’s (Shannon Purser) death. Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) are continually monitoring new threats. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is still mourning Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is alive and well but separated from her friends.
Several major new characters are in the mix this year, including Max (Sadie Sink), a new girl who captures the affections of Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo); her cruel stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery); and Bob (Sean Astin), Joyce’s earnest and awkward new beau.
The new season is often more engrossing and tense than the first, and it veers much further into the horror genre. There’s a noticeable uptick in jump-scares, and the threat of death is more palpable.
Overall, the new season has a stronger character focus, and some supporting roles are fleshed out to great effect.
But the episodes each are a hair too long, which sometimes undercuts the building tension. The new season has nine episodes, up from eight, and at times the plot meanders.
Despite these faults, Stranger Things isn’t so tired that the repetitiveness overpowers strong elements. Season 2 is a mostly satisfying binge-watch that makes good use of a talented cast and an intriguing mythology.