When Stranger Things was first released it became a phenomenon, with theories everywhere as to what could possibly happen next to the group of lovable kids and their new “freaky” friend, Eleven. Well now the wait is over, as season 2 was recently released, and as always spoilers lie ahead.

Season 1 had left off with many unanswered questions including: how the upside down affected Will, what happened to Eleven, and if Hopper had possibly made a deal with the people at Hawkins lab. Season 2 opens more ominously but still manages to answer the fans’ burning questions.

The season starts off seemingly normal, until Will begins to see, what the audience believes to be, flashbacks of his time in the upside down. As the storyline progresses, the audience begins to see that he is, in fact, seeing into the upside down in real time, or “now-memories” as he calls them. Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, does an excellent job of showing Will’s gradual progression of being taken over by this season’s new big bad, the Mind Flayer. Will possession is so gradual it almost goes by unnoticed until he is completely taken over. Some of the most powerful scenes in the whole series was when Will’s family and friends rally around him and share their favorite memories of Will to try to connect to him beyond the monster’s control.

Furthermore, as the season continues we get a look into Eleven’s life, and learn that she has been living in hiding with Chief Hopper for almost a year. We also learn that there are more people like her. However, it still leaves burning questions to the fans as to where they came from, who they are, and how many are out there. Although some of those questions aren’t answered in this new season, we do get to see Eleven take a journey of her own to find her mother, and discover that she has a sister. Eleven’s sister, Kali, is no relative by blood, she also has powers much like Eleven’s but slightly different. When Eleven travels to meet her sister, Kali takes her into her gang of misfits looking to get revenge on those who’ve harmed them. This is an important journey for Eleven because it puts things in perspective for her and shows her that she needs to be there for her friends. Eleven’s journey adds to the storyline by giving her motive for her actions, while at the same time giving the audience a deeper look into the complexities of the character.

It doesn’t stop there, however, because in the midst of all the chaos the show has to offer two new main characters were added to the mix. Max, played by Sadie Sink, and her older brother, Billy, played by Darce Montgomery, are Hawkins two newest residents from California. They give the plot, and town, an outsider’s perspective in relation to the events in season one, as well as a more humanized villain. This season also steps it up a notch through more CGI and animated monsters, and by bringing in other creative collaborators to direct, such as, Shawn Levy and Andrew Stanton.

In conclusion, Stranger Things season two added so much more to its plot.With other directors giving their input on scenes, it resulted in much-improved visuals compared to the first season, also managing to elaborate on the depths of its characters, and introducing new ones. It did not disappoint in visuals either. With other directors giving their input on scenes, it resulted in much-improved visuals compared to the first season. Overall, Stranger Things is highly recommended and managed to raise the bar this season, and fans expect more in seasons to come.