The thing most critics, and, as a byproduct, most
viewers, of the Netflix original series Stranger Things seemed to
like about its first season was usually built more around what it
wasn't (an E.T./Stephen King hybrid) than what it actually was (a
confidence-free, bygone-era sci-fi series that ran too short and had
little real need to exist in the first place). Regardless of the
quality that Season 1 actually displayed, most people tended to roll
over themselves either praising a poorly written throwaway character
(Shannon Purser's Barbara) or not realizing that no one in the Byers
Clan (Wynona Ryder, Noah Schapp, Charlie Heaton) was actually that
interesting. And, while the the season was able to salvage itself in
the final two episodes with some downright amazing production value
(The Bathtub might be one of the best hours of television in
Netflix's history), the season ultimately struggled with anything
resembling a cohesive narrative, instead being forced into a lousy
cliffhanger ending and a tacked on “Coming Soon” moment that felt
pandering at best. The Duffer Brothers' (the creators) response? Make
a second season and ANSWER THE STUPID QUESTIONS. The result? What
season 1 should've been: an awesome E.T./Stephen King hybrid that
focuses on its talented young cast and its own mythology. Why did it
take a year to figure THAT out?
Yes, readers, Strangers Things 2 is the awesome we were
promised that finally delivers in the amazing way we should have
expected. The new additions to the cast (Sean Astin, Paul Reiser) are
fun and show unexpected depth, new group member Max (Sadie Sink) is
both a welcome female foil to the boys club she joins while
displaying enough vulnerability to make you care about her and Eleven
(Millie Bobby Brown) is just as awesome as you would expect a
telekinetic middleschooler to be. Throw in a competent narrative that
finally tries to give the audience nuggets of information about its
own universe (The Upside Down actually makes a little more sense now)
and you have the easiest reason to argue with Netflix about extending
their episode allotment. Its like the entire season was dedicated to
answering its own stupid questions. That's meta.
Unfortunately, much like season 1, the short episode
run (9 this time) tends to feel cramped with the amount of
information they are trying to feed us and, as a result, certain plot
threads feel like filler segments meant to draw something out that
didn't need to be explored in the first place. Eleven's weird journey
to Chicago to find her adoptive sister (Linnea Berthelsen) felt like
little more than a training montage that expanded over an entire 50
minute episode before being completely abandoned for the sake of the
main plot and Sheriff Hopper's (David Harbour) two-episode adventure
into the Upside Down was both underwhelming and forgettable. Maybe
these were just arcs meant to be explored in later seasons and I'm
just being nitpicky, but it felt like the writers were trying too
hard here. You managed to impress me in 9 episodes, guys. You don't
have to trip over your own legs trying to take a victory lap.
As for watching it, yeah, go for it. Considering the
lackluster catalog currently running through Netflix (Orange is the
New Black, House of Cards, 13 Reasons Why) that seem to be absorbing
resources from much better productions (The Unbreakable Kimmy
Schmidt), this feels like a breath of fresh air in terms of creators
understanding what paying customers actually want to see. Go for the
pretty outstanding young cast, stay for the gonzo plot lines and
Cthulu monsters. What else would you need for the Stephen King fan in
you?
The Duffer Brothers (I'm not naming them because that's
literally how they name themselves) finally, mercifully find their
footing in a series that has more popularity than value with Stranger
Things Season 2, a brilliant follow-up that does what follow-ups are
supposed to do (close narrative gaps, fix plot problems, explore
characters properly). What can I say here? Have you seen season 1? Go
watch it, temper your disappointment, watch season 2 and then wonder
why they didn't just combine both seasons and thereby spare us all
the suffering of having to wait a year for all those stupid loose
ends to tie up. Need more convincing? A telekinetic tween uses her
mind powers to fight inter-dimensional slime monsters named after
classic Dungeons & Dragons villains. The nerd power is strong in
this one...
My score: 9/10. Does anyone like this idea of me
reviewing TV series? Or is it just more of me ruining your favorite
TV shows by pointing out their inconsistencies and lack of
intelligence? If that second part is the case, I can promise to never
review Big Bang Theory or Supergirl out of the fear of making you
feel like you've given up too much of your life watching
underwhelming and overrated TV shows. Did I just ruin those shows for
you?
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