The Very Right Side Up

A review by Kimia Faroughi

 

Last year, the Netflix drama, Stranger Things, took the world by storm. It was met with critical acclaim after its release in July 2016, and by October 31 practically everyone, from young girls to grown men, were dressed up as characters from the show.

This year, Stranger Things gets bigger, better, and stranger. The second season of the show was released on October 27, 2017 and fans hoped it would answer all of their questions about Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Eleven, the Demogorgon, and, most importantly, Barb. The real question, however, is if the second installment of this widely popular television show lives up to everyone’s expectations.

To put it mildly, Stranger Things 2 is amazing. The new season goes beyond exceeding my expectations, and has left me in a state of happiness, exhilaration, and slight confusion. Even though there are a few flaws and events that I wish were different, season two manages to astound me just the same as, if not more than, the first season.

This season of Stranger Things begins approximately a year after where the last season left off. The characters, although more developed, are still affected by the events of last year and it seems like they have not achieved closure yet. This all changes when a new threat looms over Hawkins, Indiana: the shadow monster, also known as the Mind Flayer.
This organism, creature, whatever you want to call it, is a massive entity that functions as a hive mind. It is a parasitic type of creature that has the ability to possess other creatures to form a group of organisms that functions under its commands. The mind flayer itself functions as the brain of the hive mind, while all the creatures it uses as a host are considered the body of the hive mind. Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, the boy who got kidnapped by the Demogorgon in the previous season of the show, eventually becomes a host for the mind flayer. As you would imagine, this does not bode well for the city of Hawkins. Throughout all nine episodes of the season, the characters deal with the growing threat of the mind flayer as well as their own issues. This makes for an extremely interesting season full of twists, turns, conspiracies, romance, and monsters.

The most obvious question you can ask about this season of Stranger Things is if it functioned well as a sequel. It is a difficult task to make a sequel of a television show that has already received so much praise and commendation, especially if that show is one as popular as Stranger Things. However, Stranger Things 2 works wonderfully as second installment, using exactly what made the first season of the show so special and worthy of acclaim.

At the same time, it managed to grow in size, quality, characters, and budget, creating an even more immersive universe. For many viewers, the first season of the show was so amazing due to its ability to create a story around such a far-fetched concept while also making it realistic and relevant. This is because many of the character’s interactions, reactions, and general acting seemed very authentic. Additionally, both the casual and formal conversation topics addressed in the show were applicable to our current lives, further making the show seem realistic and relevant. The show manages to do the same thing in this new season: it is still paranormal yet somehow representative of our lives. In addition, the same 80s nostalgia many felt in the first season could also be felt in the second: from movie references, song choices, outfits, and to even the “Reagan, Bush ’84” campaign signs.

Lastly, the same sort of charisma and dynamic that the cast of Stranger Things had in the first season is echoed in the second. The children are able to execute their lines in a way that expresses both their youth as well as the mature emotions their characters feel throughout the story.
In this season, Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, stands out because he does a phenomenal job in playing the part of a traumatized and literally possessed young kid. The role that he takes on is extremely difficult, especially because of his young age, and I’m not going to go too much into it because I don’t want to spoil too much, but his acting is insane. The dynamic that these group of kids have is a major part of why this show is so great. The comedic timing of Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin Henderson on the show, is perfect. Additionally the squabbles and arguments that the kids get into further adds to the comedic aspect of the show. It helps balance out the fear and dramatics that we so often see throughout the episodes, providing comic relief for the audience.

The adults and teenagers of the show also do a wonderful job in executing their parts. Once again, David Harbour and Winona Ryder, who play Chief Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers, become one with their characters and convey their emotions so well. In addition, newcomer Dacre Montgomery, who plays the resident douche bag Billy Hargrove, does a great job in playing his part. He plays it so well to the point where I hate his character more than I hate the shadow monster. Although his character is insane and evokes hatred from the audience of the show, Montgomery is surprisingly able to elicit sympathy from viewers due to the abusive way his character’s father treats him.  

While all of this may be true, is this season better than the original Stranger Things season? Many viewers have differing opinions. For me, it depends how you look at it. In terms of production, this season is  much better than the last. Now that Stranger Things has gained popularity and actually has a sufficient budget, their post-production work and graphics are much better. This season, the stakes are even higher; therefore, it is necessary that the special effects and graphics are bigger and better than in the previous season. In addition, the soundtrack of the show, full of 80s hits, is so much better than last season’s which mainly consisted of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by the Clash. This season we have hits from Bon Jovi, The Police, DEVO, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran, Motley Crue, and other iconic 80s artists. This adds to the feel of the show, emphasizes the time period the show is in, and even provides comedy (some songs are hilarious). Because this season of the show is much better in terms of production and it also retains most of the aspects that made the first season so phenomenal, Stranger Things 2 rises above and beyond my expectations, and even exceeds the first season in quality.

Others may complain about the lack of development for certain characters in the series or other issues that make this season inferior to the first, but I think the flaws of Stranger Things 2 are overridden by all of the positive parts. The scale, the effects, the soundtrack, the acting, the characters, the comedy, the drama, the storyline–practically everything in Stranger Things 2 is all that I could have hoped for.

So yes, the second installment of the show has lived up to the hype and my expectations. For anyone who has not seen Stranger Things go watch it. The sooner you watch it, the sooner your life will turn upside down (ha-ha).