Stranger Things: Season 2, Episode 1

On October 27, 2017 a wave of excitement rushed through Friends’ Central Middle School. Yes, this was the day…the long awaited release of Stranger Things Season 2! This is the first chapter in an ongoing adventure as 8th graders guide you through an overview of Stranger Things, and you can trust me, the reviews will only get stranger as time goes on.

WARNING! This series contains spoilers. If you want to watch the season yourself before reading spoilers, leave NOW. But thanks for reading anyways.

Chapter 1, titled MADMAX, introduces a brand new character and sets the stage for a breathtaking season. After a high speed car chase at the very beginning of the first episode we are introduced to the fact that another person from Hawkins lab had previously escaped and that El isn’t the very only person with supernatural powers. Next we are introduced to a mad scramble for any quarters that Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas could possibly get their hands on as the party prepares for a trip to the arcade. Dustin soon finds out that his record holding scores on both Centipede and Dig Dug had been brutally crushed by someone going under the name of “MADMAX”. During this revelation, Will is transported to the Upside Down for a split second before being snapped back to reality, thanks to Mike. Back at school it is revealed that there is a new kid in town named Max, whom the party thinks is the fated “MADMAX” that smashed Dustin’s scores. At the store where Will’s mom works, it is soon found out that Will’s mom has acquired a boyfriend named Bob who has never been seen before this scene.

Switching gears, we find Hopper at a pumpkin patch that has been infected by some disease. Hearing a noise in a nearby field, Hopper investigates only to find that it was just a bird going about its own business. Back in Hawkins High, Nancy is seen trying to invite Jonathan to a party, only to be ambushed by Steve when she is mid-conversation. Back at Hawkins Middle School, Will is pulled from recess to go to an appointment at the Hawkins Lab. After meeting up with Hopper at the Lab, a fast-paced series of test follows along with an interrogation of what Will saw at the arcade. Next, the doctor who questioned Will is seen talking to Hopper and Joyce and telling them to just ignore his episodes as they are probably due to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). As Will, Hopper, and Joyce leave, the doctor is pulled aside by a secretary who says that people are ready for him. Soon after this, it is revealed that Hawkins Lab is still secretly experimenting with the Upside Down.

One scene change later, Dustin and Lucas are seen in front of the arcade as a car parks and lets out Max. She then proceeds to go inside the arcade, and she is soon observed playing Dig Dug. Next we find Nancy and Steve having dinner with Barb’s parents, and it is soon found out that Barb’s parents are selling their house so that they may pay for a detective. Back in Mike’s room, Mike is seen calling for El on his walkie, asking for a sign that she’s ok. Dustin interrupts him, and produces the results of their research: Max is MADMAX. Mike hangs up, and it cuts to Dustin and Lucas on their bikes going home. Dustin turns into his driveway, and some mysterious gurgling noises are heard from around the trash can. Dustin goes inside, and a quick transition from a shaking gurgling trash can to popcorn on a stove happens. It’s apparently movie night in the Byers household, and a sappy emotion brotherly bonding scene soon occurs between Will and Jonathan. Later in Hawkins Lab, every sensor that could even possibly indicate that something is wrong is going off. Back at Will’s house, Will has another episode, seeing the Upside Down outside of his house, complete with a terrifying humongous monster. Cut to Hopper in the woods, entering an old rickety house. He begins saying that he’s sorry he’s late, and it is soon revealed that El is inside of this old house, and she is very much alive.

That’s it for the summary, folks, so now for the review! As a starting episode for this season, this episode came off really well. It left you with a million unanswered questions and perfectly set up for the rest of the season. Having watched the entire season myself, I have to say that it was extremely hard to choose which scenes I should summarize and which scenes could be cut, as almost every scene in this episode set up for a later used plot device. I personally think that Max isn’t a necessary character and could have been cut completely. The trash can gurgle cutting to the popcorn popping was a really clever use of sound mixing, so props to whoever came up with that one and then labored over it so that it was perfect. I personally really enjoyed the arcade scene, mostly because who doesn’t like old retro games and visions of the Upside Down all in one? If I had to rate this episode on a scale of one to ten, I’d give it an eight, as it’s not the best episode ever but it is surely a strong one.

That’s about it for this chapter! Make sure to stay alert, as the next review should be out shortly.

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