Just in case you have been living under a rock, Stranger Things is the story of a three young boys who meet a mysterious girl who helps them find their missing friend. It took the summer of 2016 by storm and absolutely earned its place in our hearts. Like any well-structured mystery, it gave us bits and pieces of the puzzle until it all intersected in the end. While many questions were answered, there are still several that make viewers excited to return to this world next year.
Being one of Netflix’s most popular series to date, recent news has indicated that season two was inevitable. In fact, there are even plans for multiple seasons. We know that casting for season two has already begun, it most likely has begun filming, and all the episodes all have titles. While there are still several questions that need answering we’re also dying to see more of what season one did so well. Below are 15 Things We Want To See In Season 2 Of Stranger Things.
15. Barb Fallout
We don’t think anyone, including the actress herself, was expecting the character of Barb to gain such a loyal following. The reaction to her death created a backlash almost greater than that of Will’s disappearance. And why shouldn’t it? All she was trying to do was look out for her friend, and as a result got pulled into The Upside Down to be the Demogorgon’s next victim. While there was a scene or two with police following up about the disappearance, many fans feel that Barb’s fate was too quickly glossed over.
The show being what it is, acknowledging how Barb’s death was overlooked could be a fun wink to the audience. Perhaps finding Will shifted the town’s focus to the victimized Barb. Or maybe in the months between seasons one and two, Nancy has been trying to reopen the gateway to The Upside Down in order to search for her friend. Whatever the case may be, the fans will always demand justice for Barb.
14. More Info About The Upside Down
So many things about The Upside Down still remain a mystery. As season one progressed, the audience got more glances into the alternate dimension, but we still do not learn that much about it. Other than Mr. Clarke, we have yet to be introduced to that character who provides us with the expositional knowledge dump that has become requisite and commonplace in science fiction. This leaves us with the question of how exactly The Upside Down works.
When the audience first sees The Upside Down, several things are clear. It is always dark, there is unknown debris floating, and the air may be toxic. Structures seem to be in place, but what happens when something is torn down or built up either here and over there? Do buildings magically disappear? At one point, Joyce finds Will’s fort destroyed over here right around the time that the Demogorgon breaks through its counterpart on the other side. Which one impacts the other? It is a two-way street? Furthermore, why do creatures need to come over to our world? There is so much more information we need and that’s part of what makes us so excited for this story to continue.
13. Will In On The Action
Season one began with the disappearance of Will Byers after a fun night of playing Dungeons & Dragons with his three best friends. The rest of the episodes focused on the hunt for Will by his friends, mother, and the sheriff. One of the things that connected with viewers was the camaraderie of the three boys as they developed their relationship with Eleven during their search. This dynamic was unique in and of itself, but the viewer is led to believe that Will and his friends are a tight unit before he went missing.
Now that Will has returned, what will his role in the group be? Will they ultimately resent him for causing Eleven’s disappearance? It would stand to reason that since these are the individuals that know him best and his family is just happy to have him back, his friends may be the first ones to notice that something is off with Will. Maybe Will needs his friends’ help in order to fix what is wrong with him. This new dynamic is a fresh spin on something that we have already seen but also, something that many viewers wanted throughout the first run of episodes.
12.Why is Electricity Used to Communicate?
Joyce Byers is one tough cookie. In spite of everyone else giving up on her son, she never lost hope. Of course this was partially due to many unusual things taking place in her home that indicated Will was still alive. Amongst other things, strange calls on the phone and flickering lights made her realize that something much bigger was going on. She even trusted her instincts to the point of hanging Christmas lights all around her house, including to a corresponding list of letters that would allow her to communicate with what we now know is The Upside Down.
The Duffer brothers actually did a commendable job at answering many of the questions that were posed in season one, but one of the major omissions was how individuals on the other side communicate with this side. What does electricity have to do with it? How was Will harnessing the electricity? We saw the lights glow when Joyce and Hopper were on the other side, but it seemed beyond their control. When Will was communicating it seemed to be deliberate. The connection between worlds is something very exciting that we hope to learn more about in season two.
11. What happened to Dr. Brenner?
Matthew Modine’s Dr. Brenner was an ominous presence throughout the entire first season. This man manipulated and tortured Eleven in order to access her abilities. What made his portrayal even more chilling was how calm and almost kind he was in the way he spoke to her as her only father figure. Of course the audience eventually finds out that this was not his true nature and it was extremely satisfying when he was taken out by the Demogorgon… or was he?
Being one of the biggest names attached to the show, Modine’s casting was another meta-commentary on ’80s pop culture similar to that of Winona Ryder. He is a talented actor and his subdued performance, while appropriate, left far more to be explored. Anyone who has watched science fiction or horror (two of the genres that had a major influence on the show) knows that if you do not see a dead body, there is always the possibility for a return. All that the viewer saw was the Demogorgon jump on Dr. Brenner, and then they fell out of frame. This being the case, his return as a changed man would be interesting to watch and not at all surprising.
10. Other Creatures and the Egg
Hopper and Joyce took it upon themselves to travel over to The Upside Down and retrieve Will themselves. As they were exploring the landscape, they came across an egg that appeared to have hatched. Is this the birthplace of the Demogorgon or is there something far more ominous waiting to be discovered?
The Upside Down, while still new and foreign to the audience, is a world like any other. Just like on our Earth, there may not be just one species but many that populate it. Therefore, it stands to reason that the Demogorgon is not the only creature living in The Upside Down. It seemed like quite a threat to our heroes, but for all we know it could be the tamest creature there. If it is just an underling, who is in charge? Is there some sort of governing body? Populating this world is an exciting prospect for season two that may not only lead to greater threats, but perhaps even an ally or two.
9. A Brave New World
Season one took place in the small fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana but seemed like it could be anywhere. Still, the events that transpired took place almost completely in isolation. The time jump at the end of the season showed newspaper clippings and stories about the “boy who came back to life.” Thus, news must have gotten out to the wider population about what happened, but no one really seemed to care. Like most sequels tend to do, we want to see an expanded the world for our characters, and it would be very interesting to see how the events of the first season did this and impacted the rest of the world.
Furthermore, a larger world on our side is not all that we want to see. What does The Upside Down look like beyond its Indiana counterpart? Are there additional dimensions to be discovered? As stories grow, their landscape and stakes should too, and that is something worth exploring in season two.
8. Music
One thing that no anticipated about Stranger Things was the impact that the music had. Not only did it play a large part in setting the creepy tone, but it harkened the audience back to the time of which it was trying to invoke. The synthesizer and melodies were akin to many other popular ’80s films such as Tron or those of John Carpenter. Netflix even released a soundtrack with all the music from composers Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon.
While we are all looking forward to more of the same, can this be improved upon in the second season? If the themes and plot will go in a new direction, the music that accompanies the action should also change direction in order to compliment the new content. Of course audiences would be devastated if they did not get a taste of the music they have come to love, but any good piece of art goes through evolution and Stranger Things should not be the exception.
7. Hopper’s Relationships
Sherrif Hopper quickly emerged as the tortured (adult) hero of our story. From the moment we met him, his drinking and pill-popping indicated that he was in pain. Additionally, he developed a personal interest in Will’s case. What we soon realized was that Hopper lost his own child very unexpectedly. This also informed his bond with Eleven, which was solidified by his act of leaving waffles in the woods (presumably) for her.
Hopper earned his surrogate daughter and this relationship is worth exploring as his possible new arc in the second season. Perhaps he could struggle with this idea of fate and that were it not for the loss of his daughter, he may never have found Will and bonded with Eleven. He also grew quite close to Joyce and many people think that they may have had a past. After everything she has been through, a relationship with Hopper would be fitting. He is the only one that believed her and ultimately saved her son. Judging from her ex-husband, she does not have the greatest history with men. Seeing Hopper and Joyce continue to heal one another would be a satisfying emotional journey for them both.
6. Nancy/Steve/Jonathan Triangle
At the end of the season, we get a glimpse of Nancy giving Jonathan a gift before returning to Steve on the couch in an amazingly ugly Christmas sweater. If not for this epilogue, most viewers would probably have expected Nancy to end up with Jonathan, and we need an explanation. The Duffers have stated that they did not originally have Steve returning to help battle the Demogorgon, but they liked the actor so much that they worked him in.
Jonathan and Nancy ended up having quite a strong bond. While Steve did redeem himself to a certain extent, he did also do some despicable things throughout the season. There must be more to this story. What did Steve say to get Nancy back? How did Jonathan blow it? Many films from the ’80s have the thoughtful loner eventually getting the girl and it would be interesting to find out why this is one trope that the Duffers do not adhere to.
5. Who is in Charge Now?
As mentioned above, Dr. Brenner was unceremoniously taken out by the Demogorgon. When any leader is removed, it creates a power vacuum. If Dr. Brenner does not return or is injured, someone has to take his place in the work that he was doing. We know that some leadership still exists that must have filled this void, as indicated by the deal Hopper made with the men in suits, but who is truly running the show now?
This could be a fun thing to explore not only from a plot point of view, but also from a casting perspective. Which ’80s icon could they get to fill this role as the new head of Hawkins Power and Light? Given the success of the first season, they could probably have their pick. A few fun suggestions: Emilio Estevez, Judge Reinhold, or Molly Ringwald, all of whom are due for a comeback.
4. Sequel Homages
One of the most enjoyable aspects of season one was the blatant yet brilliantly handled homages to films from the ’80s that Duffer brothers loved growing up. The young cast members were even asked to read scenes from Stand By Me as part of their audition process. Spotting these tributes was part of the fun and what created such a strong emotional connection to the material. They did not try to imitate their influences, but rather captured their feel and tone. It is almost as if someone found a lost series made in the ’80s, dusted it off, and released it.
Nods to films like E.T., Alien, and The Goonies were clear, but these just whet our appetite. The Duffers said that they want to accomplish a similar feat with season two by using the sequels that they love as an influence. That said, these sequels often go in a vastly different direction while working with the same characters the audience has grown to love. Sequels are not always a guaranteed success, but this show has earned has earned our trust. It is exciting to think about how they will pull it off, as well as which films they will choose to honor.
3. 1-10
The world instantly fell in love with the character of Eleven. Whether it was due to her power, innocence, or flirtation with Mike, the character immediately became a part of our cultural lexicon. We know she was taken from her mother and tested on in order to develop her powers. That said, her name is Eleven, which indicates that she is not the first and 1-10 existed at some point. Who were they and what happened to them? Are they still out there or was Eleven the first one to make it through the tests? Perhaps they are even stuck on the other side.
Recent casting announcement indicates that they are looking for young ladies willing to shave their heads, so all signs point to this being addressed at some point in season two. Since we do not yet know what happened to Eleven, it leaves the door wide open for a number of options. Was she reunited with them when she vanished? Are they putting together an army in order to protect our world from Ihe Upside Down invaders? Perhaps they all are not quite as friendly as our beloved Eleven.
2. Hopper’s Deal with the Government
The finale of season one answered many questions and tied up the story nicely, but any good serialized show answers questions while proposing new ones. At the end of the season, Hopper begins to head home but is flagged down by a shady government agent. Cut to months later, when he is leaving food in the woods for someone we only can assume is Eleven.
What deal did Hopper make with the government? Was he offered a relationship with his new surrogate daughter in return for his silence? And if so, what price did he pay for it? He seemed to know exactly what they wanted when they approached him. He has proved himself more than capable, so maybe they want him for some larger role in policing the bridge between over here and over there. Regardless, it is clear that Hopper’s role in this story is far from over.
1. What Happened to Will?
At the climax of season one, Will is rescued from The Upside Down and it seems like everyone will live happily ever after. As the epilogue continues the audience quickly becomes aware that this is not the case. While Will Byers is looking in the mirror in his bathroom, he has quick flashes of The Upside Down before spitting up a slug reminiscent of the one we saw crawling on Barb in The Upside Down.
What does this slug do to people? Are there more inside of him? Now that it is loose in the sewers of our world, what impact will it have? Furthermore, does Will have the ability to see into The Upside Down now? Clearly his time over there took its toll, but we do not know exactly how. Will did not tell his family about it, so he is either afraid or unconcerned, both of which could make for some very interesting storytelling.
Stranger Things season 1 is available now on Netflix. Season 2 arrives in 2017.
