Since Netflix has gone to the trouble of treating this season of Stranger things like a cinematic experience... so am I. So here is episode 2's Geeky Guide.
Luckily they scrapped this multi hour episode idea.
First off I am so happy that they decided to split these episodes into hour long chunks instead of keeping them as more movie length. Whoever edited the first and second episode deserves a 1980s high five! Episode two picks up in the absolute perfect spot. Of course I won't reveal any spoilers but suffice it to say, it starts off with one of the most exciting and scary scenes of the entire series. My heart was racing before the credits even started!
This episode also reminded me that I probably should have watched the previous seasons or at least a really thorough recap on YouTube or something. For the first fifteen minutes I kept asking my family, "Didn't that character die last season"? But that is OK. Even without remembering everything, I still thoroughly enjoyed this episode.
The writers solved a huge problem in this episode... how to handle Will Byers. Not only is his character incredibly boring but of all of the kids, he may be the worst actor. They needed to figure out a way to get the most of the scenes with him. Du da da da... Robin Buckley to the rescue! They decided to pair the incredible bland Will with the biggest personality on the show. And it works so well! Robin needs a straight man (no pun intended) to allow her quirky freak flag to fly. This pairing allows her to joke and be weird pretty much interrupted. She was neurospicy before neurospicy was cool and she gets to show her neurospiciness in all its glory.
We also get to see Mike and Nancy acting like a brother and sister for once. Their relationship has grown and matured and we finally get to see the fruits of that growth. They team together to find a very important piece of the puzzle. It was cool to see them working together and showing some actual emotion for once. usually things happen in Hawkins and no one is phased. They are definitely phased in this episode and it is great to see.
In case you forgot that this is a supernatural show, when Will isn't setting up Robin for jokes, we are reminded that he has some special abilities himself. It was cool to see them use him in this new way.
But here are a couple words of warning. These kids are going through puberty faster than anyone in the history of time. It seems to be playing havoc with their emotions as EVERYONE (except Robin) has become full on emo. They are all so serious and miserable. But I guess growing six inches and your voice dropping three octaves in two weeks and living in the hellscape of Hawkins will do that to you. Also, characters only seem to get hurt and knocked unconscious when it is convenient for the writers. It is amazing the punishment a character can take if the story requires them to be alert. There is also a little cringe. worthy dialogue with a couple of really bad jokes. But it is the 80s... there has to be some good mixed with the bad.
Did I mention that I loved the editing? The episode ends on the perfect mini cliffhanger that made me dread teh fact I could not watch the next episode and had to go to bed.
So far I love what I see. How about you?