Forget Game of Thrones, forget Westworld, there was only one geeky TV show that ruled 2016. Netflix’s Stranger Things, with all its nostalgic weirdness, captured the imaginations of sci-fi and horror fans everywhere. But, the tale of Hawkins, Indiana and the Upside Down is not over. During the Super Bowl, a teaser for Stranger Things season 2 stole the show (until Tom Brady decided he wanted that fifth ring), and it raised a lot of questions about what was in store for Eleven and the Hawkins kids this Halloween.
When will season 2 take place? How is everybody dealing with the harrowing events of season 1? What was the eerie new threat seen emerging from the sky? Where is Eleven? Will that kid actually l’eggo of his sister’s Eggo? SO MANY QUESTIONS!
Thankfully, new plot details for the hit show’s second season have just been released, and they go some way to answering a few of our burning questions.
A detailed description comes from EW, telling us that the second season will pick up just one year after the demogorgon-bashing events of season 1. It’s Halloween, and although Will seems to have recovered from his time in The Upside Down, he’s still plagued with the after-effects.
“He seems to be seeing images from the Upside Down—the question is whether they’re real or not,” co-creator Matt Duffer tells EW. “So it seems like he’s having some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
One of the big sensations from season 1 was Barb and her short-lived stint on the show. Barb captured the hearts of many viewers, and her disappearance has really wormed its way into the head of poor old Hopper, who is finding it hard to cope with losing a Hawkins resident.
“It kind of falls on Hopper to be the voice of authority to say, ‘This did happen and this didn’t happen,’” says David Harbour, who plays the character. “He’s struggling with the compromise that takes him to, having to lie and cover things up.”
EW’s report also outlines a few new characters who are entering the fray. A Billy and Max are a brother and sister who have joined the school, but while Max (Sadie Sink) gets on like wildfire with Dustin and Lucas–both of whom have romantic interests in the new addition– her older brother Max looks set to be the season’s human bad guy.
There’s no word on how Eleven is getting on, but her absence is having a big impact on Mike, just as Barb’s absence still haunts Nancy.
“She and Mike are both the most screwed-up because they’re the ones who both lost someone,” says Ross Duffer. “They’re both grappling with that, and we see the effects.”
Finally, because being weird was what Stranger Things season 1 did best, season 2 will be continuing that trend by adding in a whole bunch of new horror tropes and even giving Dustin his very own otherworldly pet. What’s so weird about the pet, you ask? It apparently resembles a polliwog. Stay weird Stranger Things, stay weird.
