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The final season of Stranger Things will hit Netflix on 27 November. As I discussed in my Season one review, new seasons of Stranger Things come around about as often as the Olympic Games. Therefore, I am re-watching the previous four seasons and creating a handy guide on each one to remind myself, and you, what the hell happened.
Maybe you lost the thread of Stranger Things at some point because of the time gap between seasons. Maybe you thought about watching it again, but it just seemed like work. Or maybe you remember most of it and are just looking to fill a few gaps in your memory. If so, then this is the handy guide for you.
If you’ve never watched the show, then this isn’t the guide for you because there will be spoilers. Best to watch it from the start, either now or once the whole series is available.
You mostly won’t regret it. Mostly.
Stranger Things season 2: Synopsis
Stranger Things season two picks up the story almost exactly a year after the events of season one. Will is plagued by disturbing visions of being back in the Upside Down, pursued by a massive, giant spider-like creature made of shadow/smoke/weird sentient particles with a hive mind. Not sure, really, but they dub the creature the Mind Flayer (another Dungeons and Dragons monster).
Average second hand smoke victim from the 1980s
Eleven has been missing for nearly a year since defeating the Demogorgon but is secretly living with Sheriff Jim Hopper. Hopper is hiding her from Hawkins lab, despite its new head, Dr Owens, assuring Hopper that the new regime is different to Dr Brenner’s rogue administration.
The scientists at Hawkins lab are attempting to contain the rift to the Upside Down, but it is secretly growing underground, spreading its toxic atmosphere through a network of tunnels and causing the pumpkin crops of local farms to fail.
Mike is still obsessed with Eleven and calls her every day on his walkie-talkie, despite never getting a reply. Dustin and Lucas are obsessed with new skater girl Max, who has an attitude problem and an unhinged stepbrother, Billy.
Nancy is plagued by guilt for her best friend Barb, who was killed by the Demogorgon in season one. It strains her relationship with Steve, so she enlists the help of Jonathan to expose the lab and give Barb’s parents much needed closure.
Dustin finds a strange creature in his trash can, which he slowly comes to realise is a baby Demogorgon, known as a Demodog. And there may be more than one.
When the Mind Flayer infects Will, the race is on to rid him of the Mind Flayer’s influence, close the gate to the Upside Down and destroy the invading Demodogs.
Stranger Things Season 2: Review
The season opens with arguably one of the show’s biggest missteps – the introduction of another former test subject of Hawkins lab called Kali (or Eight). It’s strange because she only appears in one other episode (episode seven) and hasn’t been seen since. It makes me think the show runners originally had bigger plans for her but binned them after the fan reaction.
I didn’t mind Kali and her motley crew of weirdos so much during my rewatch. The first time I watched it I hated the digression. Episode six ends on a cliffhanger, with the Demodogs invading Hawkins lab, but instead of a resolution we have to suffer through an entire episode with a bunch of unlikeable homeless people that we don’t know.
But it’s more a timing issue than a bad episode. The largely standalone entry expands the narrative beyond Hawkins and provides Eleven with the skills to close the gate to the Upside Down.
Also – killer eyeliner
The main issue with season two is the lack of an inciting incident. It takes a while to get going as it reintroduces us to the large cast one year on, as well as bringing in new characters such as Max, Billy, Joyce’s new boyfriend Bob Newby (haha).
Plus, Eleven spends half the season locked up in a cabin. It’s fine the first time around but lags a bit on the rewatch.
Max pain
As a character, Max is annoying for most of the season but becomes more likeable in seasons three and four. In season two she faces the double problem of being the new girl and a snarky pain in the ass.
I don’t understand Lucas and Dustin’s fascination with her. She beats their high score on Dig Dug and continually insults them, but they fawn over her.
It’s dangerous for Lucas to tell Max about the events of season one, but he does it anyway for no other reason than he likes her. Even the other characters, most notably Mike, just want her to fuck off.
Max is not badly written, or badly acted. She has a moment of self-realisation in episode six where she realises how badly she comes across due to her tense family situation and her psycho stepbrother, Billy. It’s the first step towards her becoming likeable, but it doesn’t change the fact that for most of the season you wish she wasn’t there.
On the bright side, Sean Astin is fantastic as redshirt Bob Newby and Brett Gelman’s Murray Bauman is a good addition and becomes a series regular.
Threads
One thing I didn’t mention in my season one review, but I think is key to the success of Stranger Things, is the inter-generational aspect. The children, teens and adults all receive enough screen time to tell their stories. Everyone has something to do and there’s someone that viewers of all ages can relate to.
As in season one, the story follows several story threads that come together for the final two episodes.
Having multiple story strands where characters spend so much time apart is risky, but the writers of Stranger Things consistently weave it into a compelling narrative. The decision to keep Eleven away from the main cast for almost the entire season is frustrating at times, but when she makes her return, it’s a great moment and feels earned (if a little ‘Hollywood’ in its perfect timing).
Some of the story strands are more like side quests this time around, rather than serving the central narrative. Nancy and Jonathan’s mission to expose the truth about Barb’s death isn’t strictly required, but I like that this unresolved aspect of season one wasn’t just forgotten or brushed over.
Plus, it gets them together. Side quests, when done right, still enrich the narrative.
Poor Steve is going to go all Negan on somebody
Eleven’s voyage of discovery that brings her in contact with her mother and then Kali may not add up to much in the grand scheme of things, but it fills a few holes in the backstory and provides character growth for Eleven.
Annoyances
Apart from Max and Kali, I still hate the idea of unstoppable monsters that are impervious to bullets. Because the Demodogs are hard to kill using conventional means, the show relies on the old ‘do one thing to kill all the monsters’ trope. This means closing the gate to the Upside Down (which they really should have thought about doing earlier).
But these are relatively minor quibbles. While season two of Stranger Things may take a while to get going, it is never boring, the characters shine, and once it gets rolling, it’s full steam ahead to the end. And it ends well.
Bring on season three.
Handy checklist
Number of episodes: 9.
Timeline: 9 days – 28 October 1984 – 5 November 1984. Epilogue 15 December 1984.
Inciting incidents: the Mind Flayer infecting Will.
The human monster: nobody! The show cast Carter Burke himself, Paul Reiser, as the new Head of Hawkins lab, but don’t make him evil! Teen bully Billy is a dick, but he isn’t a monster…yet.
The actual monster: the Mind Flayer, a giant spider-like monster made of shadow/smoke/evil dust.
Demogorgon variant: the Demodogs – quadruped adolescent Demogorgons.
Red shirt character: Bob Newby, Joyce’s new boyfriend, is the one-season wonder this time.
Main movie influences on the season: Aliens, The Evil Dead, The Goonies, The Exorcist, Gremlins, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Video games used for foreshadowing: Dig Dug, Dragon’s Lair.
Standout songs: Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Junior, Rock you Like a Hurricane by Scorpions, Runaway by Bon Jovi, The Four Horseman by Metallica, Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper, Every Breath you Take by The Police.
Season MVP: got to go with Bob Newby (Sean Astin) and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). That kid goes through some shit and acts his ass off.
Emotional moment: when Eleven is finally reunited with Mike and the gang.
‘Fuck yeah!’ moment: the final shot of the season at the school dance, where the image rotates and we see the Upside Down version of the school with the Mind Flayer looming over it.
It ain’t over yet.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 (the first 4 episodes) is released on 27 November 2025. Volume 2 (the next 4 episodes) is released on December 26, 2025. The finale, Volume 3, is released on December 31, 2025. For UK viewers, this means 1am on the following day.
The post A Handy Guide to STRANGER THINGS: Season 2 appeared first on Last Movie Outpost.
