stranger things second season disappointing

And Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin is a continual wonder his attempts to raise and then trap that cute little version of Dart were great.Īnd thanks to these excellent combinations, I have ideas for Season 3: Dustin and Nancy hang out! Lucas and El go on important missions! Joyce and Steve go shopping for hair products! The combinations are endless. Nancy and Jonathan’s budding romance was generally quite sweet, subtle and engaging. Steve and Dustin were also pure gold, as were Nancy, Jonathan and their new friend, the slightly sketchy but generally lovable freelance journalist Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman FTW). Hopper’s anger toward El was frightening, but Harbour, with his typically detailed performance, made it very clear that his rage was a cover for his deep love for El and his worries about her future and safety. That’s no surprise, given that David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown are both extraordinary actors. Though it was a bit annoying that Eleven was separated from almost everyone else for much of the season, she and Hopper together were generally quite effective. (Spoilers from here on out.)Įxcellent new character combinations. Whatever other highs and lows, the last two hours were certainly among the most entertaining “Stranger Things” outings ever. If I had to rank the two seasons, I’d still put Season One first, but after a slow start, “ Stranger Things 2” turned out to be a solid endeavor, and eventually, in the home stretch, it was a lot of a flat-out fun. Thankfully, Season Two did a respectable amount of the latter, as I noted in my review. What if an intensely retro show became nostalgic for its own first season, copied what had made it popular, and repeated the same story (with slightly different pop-culture references) in Season Two? Would “Stranger Things” become a bloated celebration of itself and forget to tell a story, or would it have fun with Stephen King, Devo and “Alien” but still go for the emotional jugular? Season Two would have to up its game in order to be as nearly addictive.Īnd there’s no doubt Season Two ran the risk of turning into a nostalgia ouroboros. The show is now a known quantity, and so the joyful sense of discovery that accompanied Season One could never be recaptured.

Stranger things second season disappointing