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Rating:
Let's face it: the second season of Stranger Things starts off quite poorly. I found the handling of the "mystery" in the early episodes somewhat disappointing. As if unable to vary the setup of their TV series, the Duffer brothers also frame the second season around the trope of the knowledge journey to understand a monstrous otherness. But the strategy doesn't work well, especially compared to the first season. For two main reasons: on one hand, because that mystery has already been encountered and discovered, at least partially; on the other hand, because the knowledge journey is decidedly less interesting. The strength of Stranger Things 1 lay in the fact that the various groups of characters each took a different path towards knowledge, towards discovering the Upside Down. In this one, however, there is much more compactness among the protagonists and everything takes on more institutional, staged tones, less genuinely childlike and adolescent. Not to mention Eleven's storyline, which in the early episodes is almost unbearable.
Fortunately, the series matures well and once past the initial hurdle, it gathers particularly juicy rewards. The sci-fi story was not the main focus in 2016 and continues not to be in 2017. Thus, the beauty of the stories literally blooms around the characters, truly well-developed and well-rounded, even more so than before. Almost surprising is the character played by Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee) for his sudden evolution (or rather revelation) from a bothersome bourgeois to a genius of puzzles, an impromptu and moving hero. But Max is also exceptional, the feisty red-haired girl who adds a touch of unpredictability to the internal dynamics of the group of kids. Which in turn fortunately avoids repeating the already seen dynamics: between a Will half-possessed, a sullen Mike, and a Dustin who takes on trajectories all his own, selfish and even more reckless. Lucas finally gets more space and is not wasted.
Quite surprising is the turn that Steve's behavior takes. And it is especially here that the writers demonstrate great intelligence. From an almost villain, the young man becomes a guide for the kids. Both in terms of courting practices (for Dustin), and in organizing strategies to defeat the monstrous enemies. In his place, it's Max's brother who takes on the role of the bully of the moment. And he does so more impetuously, defiantly, and exaggeratedly.
Chapter Eleven: the initial boredom of her condition is completely overturned halfway through the season and gives new life to the fiction as a whole. Hers is a true, authentic coming-of-age journey: being almost a blank slate, the girl almost aprioristically accepts any external stimulus. But her evolution specifically involves reaching a moment where she must distinguish between good and evil.
Appreciated is the choice to give little space to Nancy and Jonathan, who are clearly less fresh than the rest of the characters, as is the emphasis on the limits and neuroses of the hero-cop Hopper. These highlight his qualities even more, making him a more realistic and believable character.
Irresistible is the crescendo of the last two episodes: if initially, they may seem too focused on action sequences within the maze of corridors that is the lab, they culminate in the final chapter in a more defined dimension akin to the universe of Stranger Things. Indeed, if the start of the season is shaky, in the lively finale it proves to be superior and more original than the first. This is due to both more peculiar dynamics (with objectively brilliant diegetic choices, such as the "problem" that afflicts Will) and a more convincing and rich stylistic filigree.
The music is more effective, although a bit repetitive, the photography and colors imprint more strongly on the viewer's eye, the tension is better distributed across the different scenarios in which the battle against the "Mind Flayer" progresses. The dramatic hyperbole of the final confrontation is apocalyptic and overflowing. And then a closure purely in the style of a romantic comedy, truly delightful, which reminds us once again what the strength of the series is: the "normal" teenage stories of the protagonists. Surpassing the surprise effect, this season demonstrates the structural solidity of the project.
7/10
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