Stranger Things: Episode 2

2. The Weirdo on Maple Street

Looking for Will, his three friends encounter Eleven in the woods. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) brings her back to their house and hides her at the basement. A flashback shows her being dragged into a lab. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) threaten to tell on Mike, but “El” telekinetically shuts the door. She tells them that Will is hiding. When they ask her from whom, she shows them the monster icon from Dungeons and Dragons. The bad guys break into the Byers’ shed in hazmat suits. Joyce receives another phone call, followed by fluctuating electricity leading her into his room, where a mysterious white figure emerges from the wall causing her to run. Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) pays his estranged dad a visit, but doesn’t find Will there. He goes to the woods later on with his camera in search of his brother, but instead finds Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Mike’s sister, at a house party. He watches from afar as she makes out with her boyfriend in his room, leaving their friend Barbara alone by the pool. And then vanishes too.

So the police officer lost his daughter some time back? What if Eleven is his daughter? Anyway, is it just me, or does this show cater to a particular audience? I’m finding it really hard to watch. I mean, there are exciting parts alright, but I keep on looking at the timer and I always find myself bored waiting for the episode to end. I am also intrigued about what is really happening, but I guess the 80’s setting just makes me feel like I am watching something really, really old. But I’m not giving up on the show. Feedback has been generally positive and the pacing is just fine. I guess my short attention span just requires more excitement. As for the guessing game. Well, I think we are now 90% sure that Eleven was experimented on. The nosebleed is kind of cliché for this kind of setup. The teenybopper factor is covered by Mike’s big sister and Will’s big brother, who are engaged in the typical she’s-hooking-up-with-the-jock-and-I’m-a-loser storyline. I hope things get more thrilling in the next episodes. I’m bored.

"We never would’ve upset you if we knew you had superpowers" –Dustin Henderson

<<Episode 1                Episode 3>>