Stranger things 2

It may seem that the toughest thing in Hollywood is to create a hit TV show, but it’s not. The toughest thing is to create season 2 of that breakout show and keep viewers just as invested and attracted to it – or even more so – as the first time around. For fans of Stranger Things it’s going to take a couple episodes to find that groove we want to be in. The one where we feel the show is firing fast and on all cylinders, keeping us riveted. I have confidence we’ll get there, but we have to get over the hump of resetting the series to a position of relative normalcy.

That doesn’t happen off the bat with episode 1 of season 2, which opens on unexplained and vague action from a group of characters we’ve never met. Based on one of the participant’s reaction to a tight spot (and her tattoo) we’ll probably get to know these new folks at some point. But for now they’re just left as a hanging chad. We have to assume the scene is a reference point for upcoming plot expansion. We get back to our favorite characters pretty quickly but find them somewhat fractured at this point.

Mike is pining for Eleven, who is nowhere to be found. Mama Byers (Winona Ryder) has a brand-new, annoyingly chipper boyfriend, played by Sean Astin. Will is dealing with the residue of his time in the upside down and trying not to let on how afraid he is. Nancy and Steve are closer than ever, but the stress of Barb’s disappearance is pulling at their seams. If there’s any theme unifying our friends in Hawkins, Indiana these days it’s the ways we keep the hardship of moving past trauma to ourselves.

But in the midst of that the show is still the Stranger Things we know and love. The 80s references are abundant and should pull many viewers in with nostalgia. A new character, in the form of a cool girl, has our boys all aflutter. We’re getting to see and know more about the boy’s homes and families. And the best part…Dustin and Lucas are intact and as goofy fun as ever. This start to season 2 may feel a little rocky but hang in there fans, Stranger Things will suck us in soon.