STRANGER THINGS Season 2 Turns Our World Upside Down

Stranger Things Season 2

STRANGER THINGS SEASON 2 HIGHLIGHTS

BY LAUREN CARRILLO

Stranger Things Season 2: Turning Our World Upside Down

WHAT. A. SEASON. From Steve being the babysitter the kids deserved to Mike and Eleven finally reuniting, this season was filled to the brim with wonderful moments. While it’s hard to nail down our favorites, let’s discuss some of the highlights from Stranger Things’ strong sophomore season.

Eleven finds a home

When we last saw Eleven, she bravely took on the Demogorgon to protect Mike, Dustin and Lucas – as well as anyone else who might have been in the school after hours. Much to our relief, this did not signal the end of Eleven as she was able to escape the Upside Down and return to Hawkins. While her return wasn’t exactly pleasant, she feasted on dead squirrels and had to brave the harsh winter on her own after all, she did find Sheriff Hopper after he had been leaving her eggos in a crate. Honestly, we hope to love anything as much as Eleven loves her eggos! From there, Eleven and Hopper started a sort of dysfunctional family as he strived to keep her out of harm’s way and away from the “bad men” as she put it. Their pseudo father/daughter relationship was one of the most endearing newfound pairings this season and filled a void they both had been missing in their life. The only downside was Eleven – or Jane if you want to go by her birth name although she’ll always be Eleven to us – had to remain hidden from the world which included Mike.

Mike is reunited with El 

Speaking of Mike he reached out every night to Eleven, or El as he so affectionately calls her, for 353 days consecutively hoping she would answer. That’s impressive if not albeit sad. Unfortunately Hopper forbid her from communicating with him in an effort to keep her safe and they spent most of the season apart. While it was disheartening to see this dynamic duo kept at arm’s length, their tearful reunion was more than worth the wait! Seeing these two crying into each other’s shoulders had us wiping our own eyes with cuff of our sleeves. The two of them reuniting was not without conflict as Mike had some words for Hopper but all’s well that ends well. We just hope Mike and Eleven never have to part again!

Stranger Things

Steve the babysitter extraordinaire 

While we’re on the topic of keeping people reunited, Steve was MVP of season thanks to him designating himself pack mom and effectively taking care of all the kids. He stepped up in a big way when Dustin needed his help tracking his soon to be Demodog, and from there he asserted himself into the group and proved he was handy with his baseball bat covered in nails. He also took over babysitting duties when Joyce needed to save Will and Hopper needed to help Eleven, even protected them when he was forced to go along with their reckless yet efficient plan. Not to mention he got his ass kicked by Max’s aggressively toxic step-brother Billy in order to keep him from hurting any of the children. We hope to see more of his parental instincts in the future and his endearing bond with Dustin. It truly warmed our hearts when we saw Steve drive him to the Snow Ball and even teach him his hair techniques, more of this please!

Lucas’ sassy sister Erica

Speaking of family bonds, Lucas’ delightful sister Erica was easily our new favorite character. As much as we love Lucas, his sister had some mean one liners that had us quaking in our boots. She pulls no punches and tells it like it is, no matter who she is conversing with. Her honesty was refreshing in a series full of secrets and we hope we haven’t seen the last of her. After all, we need to know what new code names she’ll come up with.

Mad Max

Erica wasn’t the only new female character to join the series, we were introduced to the fiery, video game queen Max who thoroughly intrigued both Lucas and Dustin. She was a fast-talking, skateboarding wiz who finds herself in the inner circle when Lucas spills beans about what’s really going on in their quaint little town. Initially an unbeliever, Max eventually starts to believe when she can’t explain the strange happenings around her and joins in on the fight. She was instantly cool in our books but won bonus points when she took on her bully of a step-brother and had him all but peeing his pants. Sparks flying between herself and Lucas was just icing on the cake. Now if only her and Eleven can become friends and we get the female friendship this series is severely lacking.

Stranger Things

Will and Mike’s unbreakable bond

If there is one thing Stranger Things does well it’s relationships, and we think it goes without question that Will and Mike’s bond is one of the most precious things on the series. Due to being trapped in the Upside Down, Will spent most of the first season riding the bench. While Will’s journey throughout season two wasn’t any easier, he did have his best friend by his side to help him through it. The term through thick and thin is an understatement when it comes to these two. We dare you to watch Will and Mike interact in Chapter 8 and not cry. Seriously if you don’t tear up at Mike’s speech to Will we will give you all the triple decker eggo extravaganzas your heart desires! Although they may not be bonded by blood, they are bonded by their love and respect for one another. Let’s hope Will is finally free of the virus and can get back to playing arcade games with his best friend.

Bob the Brain 

While we are discussing bonds, one we found ourselves surprisingly enjoying was Joyce’s new romance with nerdy Radio Shack employee Bob. After everything she went through the previous year she deserved some happiness and Bob brought her just that with his corny dad jokes and his accepting of her boys. He did his best to bond with both Will and Jonathan and felt honored just to be in Joyce’s presence. That’s why our hearts were tugged out of our chests when Bob met a bitter end saving the day. Seeing him being torn to shreds by the Demodogs had us sobbing like Joyce and wishing he didn’t know the true horrors of the town he resided in. He died a hero but at what cost? At least both Joyce and Mike will remember him fondly and his death wasn’t in vain. Rest in peace Bob, liking you was easy peasy and you will be missed.

Can I have this dance?

This was a heavy season, so it was a welcome surprise to see it end on a lighter note. With things *temporarily* back to normal or as close to normal as possible, the gang attended the Snow Ball and treated us to some heartwarming moments. We got to see Lucas awkwardly, yet adorably, ask Max to dance and her seel it with a kiss. They weren’t the only ones who shared a tender moment, Mike and Eleven also shared a dance and a kiss. Meanwhile despite his best efforts Dustin was unable to find a dance partner until Nancy came to the rescue and let him know things will get easier for him when it comes to the opposite sex. Outside of the school Hopper comforted Joyce who was scared to let Will stray too far from her and was still reeling from Bob’s death. It was wonderful to see everyone trying to grab some semblance of normalcy and allow themselves to find some comfort amongst the chaos. In other words, it was nice to see everyone somewhat happy for once.

We don’t know about you but we thoroughly enjoyed season two of Stranger Things and can’t wait to see what’s in store for season 3. Although it will be a long wait after that ominous ending!

While very little is known about the coming season we hope that our favorite Hawkins residents get to sit around, relax, and enjoy some triple decker eggo extravaganzas before all hell breaks loose yet again!