After the global phenomenon that was season 1, the second season of Stranger Things takes us on a Curiosity Voyage that’s almost better than Hopper’s homemade Triple-Decker Eggo Extravaganza.

Winning 21 awards, the first season exploded through 130 countries.

Many critics and viewers believed that another season would be a mistake. With the monumental rescue of Will (Noah Shnapp), there would be no momentum left to continue.

They were wrong. Despite a couple subplot issues, The Duffer Brothers came through illustrating another season of suspense and intricate plot development. They applied the consistent stylistic clues they had in the first season and harnessed amazing acting.

As we ascend into Season Two, we begin to understand the mechanics of the Upside Down. That being said, many new questions arise as we witness the Mind Flayer – as the characters have come to call it – inhabit our young host, Will Byers.

Taking this new found knowledge, we’re thrown straight back into the tense, vicious action. We begin to explore the new creature, we realize we only really know a tiny drop in these new discoveries.

Because we saw so little of Will, last season, the new introduction to him was even more pleasantly surprising. The horror of the Mind Flayer being on fire while inside Will is an intense scene that is acted out with a scary realness.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) returns, stunning us with her same quiet fury. During the season finale, she engages in a face-to-face showdown with the Mind Flayer displaying the same brilliant, intense rage, developed in her confrontation of the Demogorgon.

The realness of the story is also intensified by the application of consistent little clues to keep the setting saturated. Although the second season was a brilliant continuation of the first, there were a couple things that could have been adjusted.

In season two, we’re introduced with more comedic breaks usually featuring Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). The development of this relationship, helps to detangle a lot of the mixed feelings the audience has about Steve.

In the first season, Steve is introduced as slightly self-important cool-kid. All the while, everyone is rooting for Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer). With the newly developed power duo, we see a completely different side of Steve. He takes on an air of maturity, gathering Dustin under his wing and acting as the poster-child of a good babysitter, protecting – to the best of his ability – Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max.

As addressed frequently in social media, the infamous Chapter 7 – where Eleven meets her long lost sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) – is a hot topic of controversy. Writer Rebecca Thomas is often ridiculed for the awkward break in the story, the abrupt change in scenery, and unnecessary development of the rag tag group of “villains.” The whole subplot feels forced and, unnecessary to the development of the story and even of Eleven as a character. It makes Eleven’s spot in Season 2 seem much more miniscule. The only helpful piece of the subplot was the revelation of Eleven’s powers which could have easily been developed without the break-away from Hawkins.

Now that Eleven has closed the gate and the Mind Flayer has left Will, all seems resolved in Hawkins, but in the very last scene of the second season, we’re left with a dramatic ominous shot of the Mind Flayer watching over the middle school. Searing an entirely new set of burning questions into our minds we are ready us for the release of the third season which is expected to release around Halloween of 2018.