Stranger Things: A Second Look at the Upside Down

Stranger Things has made this Halloween so much better. Originally supposed to come out this past summer, the show got pushed back to this month for scheduling reasons. I’m okay with the timing, especially since they celebrate Halloween in the second episode.

Everyone is still recovering and trying to move on, almost a year after the upside down came crashing down around them.

First and foremost, Dustin’s teeth came in and he can roll his tongue. Nancy is still dating Steve, along with Steve’s hair and insecurities. Mike is still hopeful that Eleven is alive and safe, and desperate for any kind of news from her. Meanwhile, Will is just trying to be a normal kid who came back from the dead.

But the upside down comes knocking on his door, yanking him back to meet it’s new ruler.

The adults all think Will is experiencing post trauma and flashbacks because of the anniversary of the time he lived inside death for a week. But we all know how adults are portrayed on this show. Mike picks up on it pretty quick and together, they start this year’s investigations.

Also, surprise, Eleven is not only alive and safe but NOT in the upside down.

I totally thought we would see her living in the upside down, desperately trying to escape and return to her friends. But that’s not the case. She finds her way back almost immediately after destroying the demogorgon and decides Mike is safer without her. So she and Hopper sort of adopt each other.

And while Mike reflects on what might have been with Eleven, Dustin and Lucas fall over themselves when Max moves into town. She’s a skater with serious video game skills and more importantly, willing to put up with a couple of nerds. 

Nerds do make the coolest friends, after all.

I love how we get to meet Dustin and Lucas’s families. Dustin’s mom dotes on both her little boy and her fluffy cat, and Lucas has the sassiest little sister. We also see more of Barb’s parents, which is sad because they still think Barb is alive.

But no one survives the upside down… except the all powerful Eleven and also Will.

And thanks to Dustin’s new character development of extreme stupid, there’s a new demogorgon on the loose. And because everyone else is busy being more important than him, he recruits Steve.

Unlike the first season, the adults and kids actually talk to each other. Will and Mike work with Joyce and Hopper and sometimes a very oblivious Bob to bring down the shadow monster, while Nancy and Jonathan work together to bring down the evil scientists. I like the different pairings this season, it’s different and a good way to mix things up.

While Eleven doesn’t interact with the main players for most of this season, she does have adventures. She tracks down her mother, which leads her to Kali. Kali can change the way people perceive their surroundings and she has an eight tattooed on her wrist. She and El bond over their abilities but while Kali has chosen to lash out at the people who have wronged her and her gang, El decides to use her powers for good.

She was the good guy when she was helping Mike but she hasn’t really used her powers that way since then, so she returns to him and decides to be a hero. I really like how we saw the process of her using her powers now that she has the freedom to, and deciding how she’s going to recover from her horrifying childhood.

El returns to help her friends defeat the shadow monster, save Will from it’s clutches because Will is always the damsel in distress, and defeat the new demogorgons. And also find out that Max is not Mike’s new girlfriend. She finds her friends just in time to save them from the demodogs. It’s pretty epic.

As Will loses his mind to the shadow monster, everyone bands together to take it down.

I wasn’t sure how this season was going to turn out. The trailer didn’t seem amazing, but I like how it didn’t give away too much. There are many surprises, adventures, heart wrenching moments, and of course a bit of humor. It’s not predictable, nor does it take the viewers’ trust too far.

Most of all, I love how even though the plot has some crazy twists and turns, it doesn’t overpower the character development.

This show has strong characters. There are no cliches, no horror movie stereotypes. Everyone matures, everyone has a purpose. Eleven is not just a traumatized lab rat. Mike is not just an awkward nerd. Nancy is certainly not your classic girl next door. They take time with their characters, which I deeply appreciate.

The writing, acting, and directing, it’s all incredible. These kids are seriously talented. I’m so excited that we’ve reached an age where we pay more attention to the characters onscreen, even the kids. These child actors are going to grow up with higher standards in regards to the shows and characters they sign up for.

Stranger Things is pushing this industry to a higher level, and I’m definitely looking forward to future seasons.