stranger things second season disappointing

In many ways it hewed close to the story template set by season 1, but also took a few risks – some of which paid off, some of which really didn’t. Season 2 was more uneven but still a lot of fun overall, at least in my humble opinion. It was less about the plot and more about the people, and I was surprised to find myself quite happy with that. They were all very Spielbergian characters with their believable everyman qualities, and that was enough to pull me in even if the spooky-sci-fi-evil-laboratory stuff felt a bit half-baked. The popular pretty girl was smart and conscientious at the same time the world-weary cop had a kind of fatherly compassion struggling to get out of him the self-obsessed boyfriend showed signs of actually being a good guy if he would just permit himself and the smart-alecky neighborhood kids were a potent mix of spunk and fierce loyalty and terror. They had a texture that made them more than just dolls in a picturesque ‘80s diorama. More than that, however, I realized how likable the characters actually were, as were the actors portraying them. Part of it was probably that I’m just a sucker for monsters, and the freaky “upside-down” beastie made a bigger appearance in that second episode. And I’m not sure exactly what it was that hooked me.

I honestly don’t remember how that happened, but suddenly I found myself sucked in.

Then somehow, weeks or maybe even months later, I ended up watching the second episode. So I watched the pilot and then pretty much forgot about it for a while. The kids were cute, the ‘80s trappings were immersive, and the pacing was brisk and entertaining but the story itself struck me as kind of derivative and not anything I felt compelled to finish. But when the pilot episode actually started it left me relatively unimpressed. With its brooding synth score and imitation optical typography, it captured the retro sci-fi vibe in a simple, beautiful way, and my inner graphic design nerd was delighted. I remember thinking the title sequence was a slam-dunk when I first saw it.

It took a little while for me to jump on the Stranger Things bandwagon when the first season came out three years ago.

Stranger things second season disappointing