Stranger Things, the hit show that created a phenomenon last year is less than a week away. I REPEAT, STRANGER THINGS IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY. The Netflix original series became a runaway hit last year and quite frankly one of Netflix’s best shows. It introduced a lot of new, young, fresh actors onto the scene, it re-ignited our love for some veterans (Winona Ryder excels as Joyce Byer), brought back the 80s Sci-Fi genre that we all grew up on, AND IT IS BACK FOR SEASON 2 OCTOBER 27TH!
As you can probably already tell, we here at Check The Vibes are huge fans. So in preparation for season 2, we all got together, had a season 1 marathon, and drank ourselves into oblivion. (Any excuse to get LIT!!).
In the middle of the festivities, we looked at the biggest questions that hopefully will be answered by season 2. WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN SEASON 1 (WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?) STOP HERE, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS MOVING FORWARD.
Without further ado, here are our questions for Stranger Things Season 2.
Question 1: Did the Demogorgon target Will or was it just a coincidence?
We don't believe in coincidences so we say it targeted Will. Remember the lights flickered in Mike's garage in episode 1 before Will left to go home. But since the conclusion is that the Demogorgon targeted Will we must be open to the idea that it isn't randomly taking people into the upside down. If that’s the case, what is the overall goal of the Demogorgon? Is it more than survival? Is it acting alone, or is there a bigger community of Demogorgons that we should be bracing for?
And since it’s targeting who it takes, what's the connection between the scientist in episode one, Will and Barbara and the deer?
Barbara was bleeding, so was the deer. The scientist as far as we know wasn’t injured, he was just running for his life. Will was not living his life constantly afraid or he wouldn't have a race home at night against Dustin. And when he got to his house he was ready to shoot the Demogorgon.
We never heard from that scientist and it looked like Barbara was being saved for later.
Question 2: How will the laboratory play a factor in season 2? Will the portal expand there for the Alternate Universe/Upside Down?
In season 1, Hawkins National Laboratory played a major factor in the Upside Down. It was the first portal that broke open through mistakes made by the Department of Energy. The first Demogorgon that kidnapped Will, came from the portal opened by Hawkins National Laboratory. The portal was open when the Department of Energy pushed Eleven harder during their experiments. She reached a breakthrough in power and ruptured a hole between the two dimensions, and the agents of the Department of Energy scrambled to cover it up. They went to extreme lengths to cover up their mistakes including murder.Benny Hammond who fed Eleven was murdered by an agent of the Department of Energy when they came to get Eleven. As the season ended, and Will was rescued and brought back to the real world, Hopper made a deal with the Department of Energy. It was not shown in detail what the deal was, but the apparent part of the deal was not exposing what occurred to the media, and not blaming the Department of Energy for what happened to Will. In the short term, it appears Hopper and The Department of Energy are partners. The question becomes, what happens with the Hawkins National Laboratory? Does the Department of Energy continue to make mistakes that put everyone at risk? Is the portal created in season 1 minimized or did it remain the same as before? Will any new media or new reporter gain information about how Hawkins National Laboratory played a factor in these events?
Question 3: What did Will gain from the Upside down?
Season 2 trailer shows Will seeing images from the Upside Down. One of the interesting things in Season 1 is how the Demogorgon kept Will alive. Either that or Will was able to evade it. This brings in the question, what did Will learn from the Upside Down. THe images that he sees in season 2, is this something he can make happen and will that allow him the ability to help obtain information? Is it all in his head and only serves as episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder? We shall see.
Question 4: Are the Demogorgon and Eleven Ying & Yang?
We know from the "rules" of good and evil/ying and yang that for every good there's an evil. What's the opposite of little girl? A horrible ugly monster.
They both appear under the same circumstances. They both escaped Hawkins lab and have other worldly powers. We know from episode seven that the kids theorized about the the U.S. government conducting some kind of research at Hawkins lab - possibly weapons. And when you add what Eleven is capable of you can’t put it pass the U.S. government to be doing some kind of weapons research in a small town.
The problem with this theory is that their powers aren't opposites of each other. Eleven has telekinetic offensive capabilities (throwing a door open hard enough to knock a grown man into a wall, knocking out possibly killing a man and flipping a van over). And as far as we know the Demogorgon takes people to a different dimension that's basically some kind of dark version of the real world. Stranger Things is set in the 1980s, in the height of the Cold War, so it makes sense for the U.S. to be thinking of what to do in case the Ruskies invade. But is the Demogorgon a created specimen, a bi-product of mental experimentation or something unleashed through inter-dimensional transportation experimentation. This brings about an even bigger question, is the Upside Down something that's only experienced in this small town or are there other cases and phenomenons across the globe? It clearly is a parallel universe, but in that setting, have other towns discovered what the Department of Energy discovered in this small town. Will those themes be explored in season 2?
Question 5: What factor will Barb’s disappearance play in season 2?
Barb who was/is Nancy Wheeler’s best friend became a sympathetic figure in season 1. She was the second person to disappear after Will but unlike Will, there were no search teams sent out for her. There was not a huge focus on her disappearance outside of Nancy Wheeler trying to find where she was. It’s hard to say how much of that was based on guilt by Nancy for indirectly being the cause of her disappearance. (Barb was captured by the Demogorgon while waiting for Nancy to hook up with Steve Harrington.) As the season progresses, we see Barb in the Upside Down being captured by the Demogorgon and being dragged by it. When the gang recreates a sensory deprivation tank using a kiddie pool, bags of salt, and lots of water to amplify Eleven’s powers to use her abilities to see if Will is alive, Barb was an afterthought. While Eleven eventually found Will’s whereabouts, she came across what was Barb’s body completely engulfed in the goo of the monster and appearing lifeless. We are to assume that Barb is gone. As anticipation is built for season 2, the creators of the show suggest that Barb will be given justice in season 2. Justice? How? Will it be a sort of re-incarnation? Will the guilt of her loss haunt Nancy Wheeler in unimaginable ways? Or is it simply a memoriam. There are a cult of fans who want to see Barb honored for her demise solely because of her loyalty as a friend. How will that be implemented while advancing the storyline?
Question 6: How does the love triangle between Steve, Nancy, and Johnathan Byers end? How does Steve contribute?
Steve Harrington became a more likable character towards the end of the show. Throughout most of the season, he fits every stereotype of the mean cool kid we see over and over. He was somewhat charming in his interactions with Nancy Wheeler but he had terrible friends. He was cocky, arrogant, and even pretentious at times. When Nancy Wheeler and Johnathan bonded over the disappearance of Will and Barb, Steve saw an ugly downfall. He of course assumed that Nancy and Will were messing around, and he took part in plenty fuck boy activities; however, he redeemed himself at the end. When Nancy and Johnathan set up a plan to capture the Demogorgon, Steve inadvertently walks in trying to get Nancy back. As the Demogorgon neared, it was Steve’s efforts that saw their plan through. He struck the monster over and over allowing it to fall into the trap set up by Nancy and Johnathan. His efforts eventually led to he and Nancy reuniting after Will was rescued. So will Steve join the gang in trying to uncover what is going on, or will he continue to compete with Johnathan over Nancy’s attention.
Question 7: Eleven: How will Eleven’s powers manifest during season 2.
How Eleven’s character changes during season 2 is probably the most intriguing question of the season. The young child was kidnapped, captured, and experimented on by the Department of Energy. Through the experiments performed on her, she achieved the power of telekinesis and the ability to connect with the other side. Season 1 was marked with her use of the power but every instance of her using it made her weaker. (Whenever Eleven used her abilities, her nose bled making her weaker and weaker). What will be interesting to see, once she is back in the fold, is how much stronger she becomes. Will she develop new abilities to deal with the bigger challenges the group will inevitably face in season 2? Will she be able to hone her skills better? Will the nose bleeds still continue? And is this something that we will be able to see her develop through the second season? Season 1 ends with a clear indication that Eleven is still alive, and Hopper leaves her food in the woods (with a lunchbox full of her favorite snacks, Eggo waffles). This brings in a new set of questions. We know that Eleven can access the Upside Down through her mind consciously and subconsciously; however, being that Hopper leaves her food in the real world, did she go back to the Upside Down to begin with? Did she increase her abilities to now include easily navigating through the Upside Down and the real world? Who will actually open the new gates to the Upside Down? At first, we see that Eleven could, the Demogorgon can in many places; but will Will be able to? How else will it open?
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