• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Stranger Things season 2: Get hype!!!

AudioEppa

AudioEppa

Member
Watched it all night and just got done a few minutes ago.


Enjoyed it more than season one. I thought some of 11s away stuff was unnecessary when more interesting stuff was going on back home.

Max is a great add-on to the nerds. Her step dad needs to get killed off.
I hope Nancy doesn’t bullshit between Jonathan and Steve next season. If she does, I hope they tell her to fuck off. She’s still hot tho.

The sheriff needs to get his dick wet.

Max’s brother is totally fucking that hot mom. Her useless husband can disappear please.
The end with the d dog and candy bars got me all fucked up emotional.

11s Pat Riley look was funny.

Hyped for season 3, hopefully it’s not in 2019.
 
M

McLovin

Member
Anyone think it was weird that Joyce seems to have a weird
arts and craft scene where she looks like a psycho but it turns out she was right in the end
scene every season? Also that whole
sister
arc was a disaster imo. And I got
Spider-Man 2 levels of cringe after she became emoleven... err emoJane?
 
C

ChrisInCali

Member
Girlfriend and I just finished episode 3, and so far we are both shockingly underwhelmed and disappointed. Where's the plot? Where's the horror? I'm sure it'll pick up now that
Eleven has pretty made her way back and Will just got totally engulfed by the big Cloverfield monster.
Still, 3 full hours of not a lot of story or action. Also, some of the cinematography isn't as well done as season 1.

Season 1 felt movie-quality to me, this looks and feels like an episodic TV show so far. Even the wigs being used are terrible and cheap looking. Overall, still enjoying it though, just not as much as season 1.
 
nkarafo

nkarafo

Member
I liked the first season but the
monster
parts were by far the worst.

How is the second season in that regard?
 
C

ChrisInCali

Member
gatti-man said:
This feels like stranger things “fear the walking dead edition”. Nothing is happening. The show is moving at a snails pace. Huge step back from the first season. I’m not all the way done but six episodes in id give it a C. Just watching bc of season 1 if it wasn’t for being invested I’d be out.
Click to expand...

Ugh, well I guess I should lower my expectations then. Just about to start episode 4 and was hoping it would get better. It's still entertaining... but just enough.
 
G

gatti-man

Member
ChrisInCali said:
Ugh, well I guess I should lower my expectations then. Just about to start episode 4 and was hoping it would get better. It's still entertaining... but just enough.
Click to expand...

The ending raised it to a c+ to me. Overall just really disappointed with it. Classic example of a show that has lots of unanswered questions in season 1 that doesn't really know what to do with anything in the follow up season. Regardless of the brothers saying they have a plan for the plot up to 4 seasons the execution is just weak plot wise.

McLovin said:
Anyone think it was weird that Joyce seems to have a weird
arts and craft scene where she looks like a psycho but it turns out she was right in the end
scene every season? Also that whole
sister
arc was a disaster imo. And I got
Spider-Man 2 levels of cringe after she became emoleven... err emoJane?
Click to expand...

Agreed total disaster. I found myself wondering why I it was even in the series. Could have been done 100 better ways.

ChrisInCali said:
Girlfriend and I just finished episode 3, and so far we are both shockingly underwhelmed and disappointed. Where's the plot? Where's the horror? I'm sure it'll pick up now that
Eleven has pretty made her way back and Will just got totally engulfed by the big Cloverfield monster.
Still, 3 full hours of not a lot of story or action. Also, some of the cinematography isn't as well done as season 1.

Season 1 felt movie-quality to me, this looks and feels like an episodic TV show so far. Even the wigs being used are terrible and cheap looking. Overall, still enjoying it though, just not as much as season 1.
Click to expand...

It gets worse before it gets better. For me I started enjoying myself around mid episode 7. Series would have been much better off condensing episodes 1-7 into 1 or 2 episodes and move past the ending because it's so weak imho.
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Episode 6 was really well done, probably my favorite episode of the season (so far).

Watching Episode 7 now and...
wtf is this shit?
 
MaKTaiL

MaKTaiL

Member
Gaf hating on a second season of a fan favorite show, that sounds about right.

On episode 6 right now and I'm loving it.
 
M

Munter

Member
Just finished watching it. Really enjoyed it, with the exception of
the whole sister arc. That was completely pointless and took away from the story too much.
It was a slow burner, but overall I think I enjoyed it more than season 1.
 
E

Elegant Weapon

Member
Munter said:
Just finished watching it. Really enjoyed it, with the exception of
the whole sister arc. That was completely pointless and took away from the story too much.
It was a slow burner, but overall I think I enjoyed it more than season 1.
Click to expand...

My problem with Nancy's story is
we had already done it, the romantic triangle between her, last season. It was redundant and boring to watch her and Johnathan do all that again. On the plus side, Steve actually became likable palling around with Dustin and the rest of the kids

I'm pretty sure I like this season better too though
 
P

PhantomZhu

Banned
Anyone feel like the editing seems different than the first season?

Not saying it's a bad thing, quite the contrary, plot moves at swift pace and so much happens in one episode.
 
M

Munter

Member
Elegant Weapon said:
My problem with Nancy's story is
we had already done it, the romantic triangle between her, last season. It was redundant and boring to watch her and Johnathan do all that again. On the plus side, Steve actually became likable palling around with Dustin and the rest of the kids

I'm pretty sure I like this season better too though
Click to expand...

I meant
Eleven's sister
 
T

Thornton Reed

Member
i've just finished season 2 and its fantastic

Granted i watched 1 and 2 back to back as i've only just got netflix, but i loved the second season just as much as the first. Episode 7 will be much talked about
its utter horse shit and straight out of losts play book. The characters were lame and i hope we never revisit any of them
 
M

Masterblaster

Member
Finished S2 and while i did enjoy it its deffinately a step (or maybe two) down in term of tightness, story, pacing, character arcs compared to S1.

S1 just overall was much better all around experience then this. What i loved with S1 is that they played their homages to 80-s horror flicks so well without comming off as cheap knockoffs without purpose while at the same time not falling into the trap of demonstrating the usual cliches that go together with those movies. On this aspect S2 was deffinately more guilty and that took away from the overall experience for me.

Also 11-s story arc over this season was pretty meh for me (especially with the whole seperate story ep towards the end).

I would've really loved if the creators went with the antologhy idea but they chose not to. Given how this season wraps up i hope they reconsider for the next season and do something new and fresh again....like S1....
 
ape2man

ape2man

Member
Masterblaster said:
Finished S2 and while i did enjoy it its deffinately a step (or maybe two) down in term of tightness, story, pacing, character arcs compared to S1.

S1 just overall was much better all around experience then this. What i loved with S1 is that they played their homages to 80-s horror flicks so well without comming off as cheap knockoffs without purpose while at the same time not falling into the trap of demonstrating the usual cliches that go together with those movies. On this aspect S2 was deffinately more guilty and that took away from the overall experience for me.

Also 11-s story arc over this season was pretty meh for me (especially with the whole seperate story ep towards the end).

I would've really loved if the creators went with the antologhy idea but they chose not to. Given how this season wraps up i hope they reconsider for the next season and do something new and fresh again....like S1....
Click to expand...

read somewhere they are going to do a timeskip
 
1

120v

Member
just finished, what a ride. loved everything except
Kali and the Mad Gear
... that stuff was like something from a different, lesser show. assuming it was planting seeds for next season i hope they rework that angle.

i thought
they were going to do more with Not Rob Lowe, sort of like how Steve subverted expectations of the jock bully stereotype.
but i guess he'll get more mileage later

one thing bugging me though... was it ever clarified why Hopper got in the car with those suits at the end of season 1? i thought that was supposed to be a huge setup for this season.

RIP Bob you were too good for this world ;_;
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
I loved it. Not as good as season 1 but we are taking an 8 compared to a 10 IMHO.

I get episode 7 being divisive. My guess is it was solely a plot thread added for season 3. Hopefully it pays off for that. But otherwise yeah it was a 50 minute interlude in an otherwise strong season.

Also the finale and epilogue were better than season 1.

and yeah, Bob/Astin deserved more. A great character and even more robbed than Barb.
 
SDCowboy

SDCowboy

Member
I'm on episode 4, and loving to so far. My only complaint is
the girl
that feels needlessly tacked on and kind of forced. She totally kills the dynamic of the group (IMO of course).
 
Z..

Z..

Member
SDCowboy said:
I'm on episode 4, and loving to so far. My only complaint is
the girl
that feels needlessly tacked on and forced. She totally kills the dynamic of the group.
Click to expand...

Disagree, think she's actually great. But I am not loving it so far at all and think this second season is embarassingly average (up until ep. 6 at least) and uninventive.


Hate her brother, though. Stupid character, poorly acted and horribly caracterized. Fixable if they actually substantiate his motives, but so far he is a big pile of doo doo.

plasmawave said:
Max kinda looks like female Dave Mustaine.
Click to expand...

Holy crap, this! ^^
 
ape2man

ape2man

Member
shaneo632 said:
Just finished it. It was decent but definitely underwhelming. My spoilery analysis:

PROS:
+ Acting is still really good across the board
+ Strong direction
+ Original music is great
+ Max is an excellent addition to the cast, also really liked Paul Reiser's character
+ Sean Astin was awesome

CONS:
- Not having Eleven rejoin the gang until episode 9 was an ambitious gamble that didn't really pay off for me. Her three main arcs weren't particularly interesting; being locked in with Hopper was good at first, but hunting down her mother was boring and the group of outcasts was goofy crap that felt like it belonged in a different show
- 80s pop-culture stuff still feels very pandering and insincere. Like Dusty with Dart was just riffing lazily on E.T./Gremlins with him hiding the creature from his family and using candy to placate him.
- Use of pop music felt aggressively on-the-nose.
- The demo-dogs were crappy and generic looking
- Some really bad CGI
- Didn't care at all for Nancy's storyline. zzzzz
- The giant Cthulu monster that featured prominently in advertising is barely in it, and the final shot is a fucking cocktease for it appearing in S3
- Final dance scene was mega-cringe.
Click to expand...

Just finished it with my girlfriend

- Way better than season 1, better rounded
- loved episode 9 with the snow ball. that was so cute and nice.
- loved the dynamic between 11 and the cop. cant remember his name.
- and that little warriors refference
 
SDCowboy

SDCowboy

Member
Z.. said:
Disagree, think she's actually great. But I am not loving it so far at all and think this second season is embarassingly average (up until ep. 6 at least) and uninventive.


Hate her brother, though. Stupid character, poorly acted and horribly caracterized. Fixable if they actually substantiate his motives, but so far he is a big pile of doo doo.
Click to expand...

To me, I just find season 2 to feel even more 80's movie-ish, and I love it. And i think you're supposed to hate the new guy. His characterization fits in perfectly with how that kind of character would have been played.

As for the girl, I don't mind her individually. I just feel like she was shoehorned into the group.
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Episodes 6, 8, and 9 "saved" the season for me. Didn't find the lead up to that very compelling, especially since it kinda just repeated a lot of the beats from Season 1. But there were nice moments and the show as a whole is very well directed, most notably the Duffer Brothers episodes.

Season Spoiler:
I think I'm most disappointed by how little some of the characters interact over the course of the episodes.

I enjoyed myself though. Some major failings as a show, but if you look at it as a really really really long movie it comes out a little stronger. Worse ways to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon
 
SDCowboy

SDCowboy

Member
One more think I really dig about this season - to me the first season felt like a show that takes places in the 80's, where as this season really feels like I'm watching something from the 80's (in the best way possible). The 80's-ness has been cranked up, IMO.
 
K

Kimawolf

Member
SDCowboy said:
One more think I really dig about this season - to me the first season felt like a show that takes places in the 80's, where as this season really feels like I'm watching something from the 80's (in the best way possible). The 80's-ness has been cranked up, IMO.
Click to expand...

Yeah thats something I noticed to. It really REALLY feels like I am watching a show made in the 80s and I am loving every moment of it.
 
S

Strax

Member
My biggest issue is the big setup at the start up ep 1
which isn't dealt with at all until ep 7 and is a single episode and handled very poorly. I was expecting this to be the main driving force for the season.

This season is a slight step down for me. Season 1 was 8 and this is 7.
 
A

Atrus

Member
Finally finished it. Wasn't as good as the first season but still quite good overall.

There was 1 episode that was really out of tone in relation to the rest and frankly I think they used it to lead in to any potential future seasons which sort of takes away a bit from the one they're telling.

This series really shines when the ensemble cast comes together so they shouldn't stray from that unless necessary.

There were some basic, predictable plot elements as well but it's one of those situations where you know the outcome but enjoy the result anyway.

The kids are all really talented actors so here's hoping they don't share the downfall of child actors in the past.
 
I_D

I_D

Member
Just finished the binge.

Overall, definitely not as good as season 1. It was pretty solid as a tv show, but season 1 had something quite special about it. I think it was the detective-esque feel. Season 2 doesn't seem to have a specific focus about it.

Spoilers:
The episode with 008 was a joke. It felt so completely out of place, and it didn't further the plot at all.

Episode 8 was super corny. Samwise's death was seen from a million miles away, and the one-liners were so bad. "Mother of God," "Open sesame" etc.

And I still have questions:
What happened to the graboid in the fridge? One month later and nobody cares about it?

Why is Billy cool with his sister drugging him? He should have retaliated in full-force, based on his character thus far.

What about the doctor? All of Hawkins lab is shut down, but the lead doctor is totally fine?

Overall, I really enjoy the show. This season definitely didn't live up to the first, though. Now it just feels like a regular tv show instead of something particularly unique and awesome.
 
Y

yukianderson

Member
Wink said:
Episode 3 or 4

Nancy uses the fucking phone to tell Barb's mum to meet cause she hasn't been honest... god I hate when characters established as smart and levelheaded do stupid as fuck things for plot reasons.
Click to expand...

That is the point they want to get caught to record them and get proof.
That's is why they make the call.
 
Y

yukianderson

Member
Elegant Weapon said:
My problem with Nancy's story is
we had already done it, the romantic triangle between her, last season. It was redundant and boring to watch her and Johnathan do all that again. On the plus side, Steve actually became likable palling around with Dustin and the rest of the kids
Click to expand...

I felt this way too, now the made Steve more likable, this will make Nancy seem like a bad person for cheating and for playing them both. Even at the dance they made it seem like Steve was still interested and not moved on. Hopefully they just move on for the third season and not have so many pointless love triangles that lead nowhere.
 
1

120v

Member
Immortal_Daemon said:
And I still have questions:
What happened to the graboid in the fridge? One month later and nobody cares about it?

Why is Billy cool with his sister drugging him? He should have retaliated in full-force, based on his character thus far.

What about the doctor? All of Hawkins lab is shut down, but the lead doctor is totally fine?

Overall, I really enjoy the show. This season definitely didn't live up to the first, though. Now it just feels like a regular tv show instead of something particularly unique and awesome.
Click to expand...

i took the gorgon dog in the fridge as setup for next season, since it's the only cadaver available in the wild. or if not i guess it was just kind of funny Dustin taking liberty to stuff ms. byers' fridge with a rotting alien thing. but hard to not see it come up in season 3

my takeaway was billy felt de-nutted in the end. never really explained why he was so abrasive with his sister fitting in at Hawkins (daddy issues?) but it was clear everybody had her back and it was something he had to accept

the lab was shut down due to an "environmental" conspiracy so i don't think they'd have the on-site doctor taken away in cuffs anymore than they would a janitor or secretary. but of course he was way more complicit than was led to believe
 
A

Anustart

Member
Liked this season more than the first.

Of course it's not going to feel as unique, it's not new anymore.

What it did do was take what happened in the first, grew the characters and plot naturally out of that. Bring on another season. Speaking of which, is the show signed for another?
 
H

hokagespit

Member
Season 2 was pretty good, loved all the homage melodies that ran throughout on the synths

Gonna wait til tmrw and start it again 😊
 
R

RastaMentality

Banned
Anustart said:
Liked this season more than the first.

Of course it's not going to feel as unique, it's not new anymore.

What it did do was take what happened in the first, grew the characters and plot naturally out of that. Bring on another season. Speaking of which, is the show signed for another?
Click to expand...

It was never new or unique to begin with. Just a series of 80s/sci-fi film tropes + nostalgia baiting
 
dealer-

dealer-

Member
Anustart said:
Liked this season more than the first.

Of course it's not going to feel as unique, it's not new anymore.

What it did do was take what happened in the first, grew the characters and plot naturally out of that. Bring on another season. Speaking of which, is the show signed for another?
Click to expand...

Yes, a third season is one the way and the Duffer Brothers want to do a final fourth season.
 
S

Symphonia

Banned
Just finished it now. I enjoyed it greatly but, overall, the first season was better. The budget had obviously been increased for this but it felt kind of wasted. The pacing was all over the place, and the ‘big bad’ for this season was kind of meh.
I assume the shadow monster is coming back for next season if the last scene is anything to go by
? Anyway, yeah, I enjoyed it. Nancy was my favourite character by far this season, followed by Mac, then Dustin. Max’s brother can fuck right off.
 
t-storm

t-storm

Member
matthewuk said:
I love to watch this with my hi-fi on, so that those big synth sounds epic.
Click to expand...
The synths were on point this season. :D

Just finished it, overall I thought the season was on par with the first, expectations met!

I found it was only lacking in the suspense department compared to the first season but I think the trade off was that's because we know the characters more now and so there were more warm and fuzzy/endearing moments this time around.

Looking forward to season three, hope we get a spin off with
eight and her gang.

Linnea Berthelsen is amazing <3
 
Sosokrates

Sosokrates

Report me if I continue to console war
I enjoyed it as much as the first, and I think the first is great.

One thing I dont get is why were Nancy and Johnathan let into the energy plant and shown a top secret expriment?.It makes no sense to show 2 kids one of the greatest discoveries of humankind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom