Coming off the heels of Stranger Things's fantastic first season, Season 2 had a lot to live up to. I think it mostly did a pretty great job, especially when it comes to the endgame, though unlike the previous season its flaws are a bit more glaring.
Season 2 of Stranger Things continues where the previous season left off, with Will having returned from the Upside Down only to be influenced by another creature from there called the Mind Flayer. Meanwhile, Eleven has disappeared since her sacrifice and spends the season on the run before ultimately reuniting with Mike and the gang in the finale. There are also plot points about these smaller Demodogs, one of which Dustin ends up befriending, as well as a gate to the Upside Down that has been slowly growing. I wouldn't say this storyline is inherently bad, as it is well-executed and the final few episodes pay off all these elements masterfully, but I'm sure you can tell that Season 2 feels a bit more unfocused than Season 1. The Mind Flayer is still a creepy villain, but since it hides in the Upside Down all season, it's not as involved as the Demogorgon was. It also doesn't help that Season 2's first few episodes feel a bit slower than the start of Season 1, lacking the propulsion that Holly, Jolly brought to the table. Still, I also can't sell short how great those final few episodes are to begin with. Not only do they bring together the cast once again, but they put them in much scarier and higher stakes situations that lead to an (almost) nonstop series of tense and memorable sequences.
Thankfully, the character work is still just as great as in Season 1, if not even better in certain aspects. This is the season where Steve Harrington really comes into his own, as his redemption arc, friendship with Dustin, and Joe Keery's charming performance helped elevate him to becoming my favorite character of the show. Speaking of Dustin, he also gets a lot more development and focus this season, and so did Lucas, who befriends a new kid named Max with a fascinating and complex character arc of her own. And I can't go without bringing up the amazing and charming Bob Newby, Joyce's new boyfriend whose death is easily the saddest in the show to date. However, another thing I can't not bring up when talking about Stranger Things's second season is the infamous The Lost Sister, an episode that shifts focus entirely to Eleven as she joins a gang and figures herself out. It's a not bad episode, per se, and I think it has some merits in its contribution to Eleven's character arc, but it comes right in between two of the most intense parts of the season and brings the pacing to a screeching halt. I think The Lost Sister's story would've worked better if it was just scattered throughout the season like any other subplot, turning it into its own episode just didn't work here in the slightest.
As mentioned above, Season 2's best episodes are all in its second half, with the exception of The Lost Sister, of course:
The Spy: This whole episode is pretty much just Dustin and Steve bonding, and it's a ton of fun. The hunting party storyline is just so much fun, a great balance of scares, fun action, and genuine character development for everyone involved. And then there's also the killer cliffhanger which has much of the cast in a lab with a bunch of monsters... only for the next episode to be The Lost Sister...
The Mind Flayer: Okay, now that we got The Lost Sister out of the way, The Mind Flayer gets back to resolving the cliffhanger left by The Spy. Pretty much the entire first half of this episode is super intense and great, it's a fun chase through the lab culminating in Bob's legendary and heartbreaking sacrifice.
The Gate: While the actual plot resolution was a bit weaker than in Season 1 (Eleven closing the gate just isn't as cool as the Demogorgon fight), The Gate is still a very satisfying finale thanks to the fantastic school dance sequence that makes up its final third. Seeing everyone get together and tie up loose ends is super heartwarming, and aside from the final shot, I like how this was a much happier ending than that of Season 1.
Overall, Season 2 is still a great season for Stranger Things, but it definitely suffers from a more unfocused plot and much weaker pacing, especially when The Lost Sister is concerned. Still, the character work is great, the eerie tone remains intact, and the final few episodes are an incredibly fun and tense way to end off the season.
4/5 Stars (-1 for The Lost Sister)
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