Season Two of Stranger Things starts in fine form with an exciting chase scene, a van full of robbers being pursued by the police, at least until one of the gang, a girl with special powers and a tattoo on her wrist, helps them to make their getaway.
After this fast paced opening, things settle back into the leisurely pace that typified the first season, episode one setting the scene for things to come, much of the running time spent reacquainting the viewer with the show's kids—Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Eleven, Nancy, Jonathan and Steve—while introducing several new characters: Sean Astin as Bob, Joyce Byers new love interest; Paul Reiser as mysterious Dr. Owens; Sadie Sink as arcade ace 'Mad' Max; and Brett Gelman as conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman, who is sure that there is something strange afoot in Hawkins, something vehemently denied by town sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour). A brief glimpse of the upside-down reveals what appears to be a Lovecraftian creature of immense proportions, a 'character' we will no doubt see more of in episodes to come.
As before, directors The Duffer Brothers steep their show in nostalgia, featuring arcade games, BMX bikes, video tapes, and an excellent soundtrack of '80s classics, all of which makes matters more fun for those who were teenagers during the decade that taste forgot.
All in all, not the most gripping episode, but I have high hopes that now the groundwork has been laid, we can get on with the really good stuff.
