First Things First…
I found the season premiere disappointing, but I’m still excited to see where this season is going. So far, the most interesting storyline is the exploding rats. And the place where they all swarmed to is—I think—the same place Billy got sucked into. So my peak interest lies with a character I haven’t loved so far.
Hopefully Hopper and Steve bounce back in this episode, because I thought they were both doofuses in the last one. And hopefully poor Dustin can get in touch with his girlfriend (if she really exists).
5 Things I Like
5. Mr. Clarke Returns
I was all set to knock the idea that Joyce would grab a whole stack of physics textbooks because of the weird loss of magnetization she saw at home and now at work.
But then she shows up at Mr. Clarke’s house.
My guy is back!
I’m still waiting for them to bring him into the fold. If there’s any character who needs to know about the Upside Down—because of how much he could help, and because of how cool he’d find it—it’s Mr. Clarke.
But for now, I’ll settle for him explaining electromagnetic fields to Joyce.
Oh, and when Joyce rings his doorbell, he’s listening to “My Bologna.” What a king.
4. Love Advice from Lucas
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna be bad. But… you can fix this. It’s just one little mistake. I’ve made hundreds, thousands. Max has dumped me five times. But what have I done? Huh? Have I despaired? No. I’ve marched back into battle, and I’ve won her back every single freaking time.”
Lucas
Last season ended with the Snow Ball, and this season is taking place during summer vacation. So that’s probably a jump of six months, give or take.
Apparently that’s enough time for Lucas to have gotten dumped by Max and then gotten back together with her five times 🤣
It’s funny, though, listening to him talk to Mike as if he’s an old pro at this relationship stuff, when prior to Max, he had probably never even talked to a girl.
3. Cracking the Code
“I can’t believe I’m about to agree with this strange child, but, yeah, totally evil Russians.”
Robin
I’m still not sure how much I care about the Russian piece of this. But I liked the code-breaking scenes for two reasons…
One is that Steve and Dustin reunite, and it looks like they became even closer than I realized. Steve treats him like a genuine friend—definitely not the same as he treats the other kids, even though he obviously cares about them, too.
Then there’s the new girl, Robin. She constantly pokes fun at Steve, but it seems good-natured. And she wants to help, not because she cares but because she’s bored. I have a feeling she’ll be a fun character.
2. More Exploding Rats
The exploding rats were the most interesting piece of the first episode. Now, we learn a little more about them.
The rat that the old lady who contacted the paper caught explodes, liquifies into a puddle of goo… and from that puddle of goo, a monster is born.
I don’t know how to explain what’s happening any better than this right now, but it’s pretty sick. And I think it leads into the final good point from this episode…
1. Psycho Billy
I also don’t know how to explain what’s happened to Billy. Did he really go to the Upside Down, or is he just having visions? Did he really encounter his own doppelganger, or is that a vision too? And did he really get infected by whatever creature grabbed him? I don’t think he’s possessed by the Mind Flayer, but the sun sure seems to bother him when he’s out by the pool the day after he was attacked.
It’s impossible to know so far. But Billy is in a bad way. I gasped when I saw him bash Mrs. Wheeler’s head against a shelf, before I realized it wasn’t real.
But what is real—I think—is Billy abducting his coworker, the female lifeguard. The episode ends with him basically serving her up to a monster. We don’t get a good look at it, but just by the way it moves, it looks like it’s a fully grown version of the little monster that emerged from the liquified rat.
I’m totally IN on this storyline right now.
2 Things I’m Mixed On
2. The Mall Vs. Downtown
Now here’s a storyline I’m not really into—at least not yet. I’m just not attached enough to Hawkins to care.
Maybe if this was a show with a whole cast of townspeople who were recurring—like Schitt’s Creek—I’d be more into it. But outside of the main cast and their families, who else have we ever met from the town? The other cops and secretaries Hopper works with? Joyce’s boss? The librarian Hopper had one date with? It’s pretty sparse.
1. Questionable Advice
“He’s a piece of shit… Mike doesn’t have jack shit to do today, and his Nana obviously isn’t sick. I guarantee you, him and Lucas are playing Atari right now.”
Max
So far, it looks like the rivalry I was worried would bubble up between El and Max hasn’t materialized. I’m glad for that.
And their scenes at the mall are fun. It’s important for El to start forming her own identity, independent of Mike, Hopper, or anyone else. Max is good for her in that respect.
But Max—who is one of my favorites from Season Two, and who always seemed very down-to-earth—comes off as a bratty teenager.
Her advice to El…
“You’re going to stop calling him. You’re going to ignore his calls. As far as you’re concerned, he doesn’t exist… he treated you like garbage. You’re gonna treat him like garbage. Give him a taste of his own medicine” …
… feels like the type of stupid games she’d be totally against.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Old Boys’ Club
Through two episodes, the men Nancy has to put up with at the newspaper are awful.
Awful people—but also awful clichés.
It’s a shame, too, because I’ve liked Jake Busey going all the way back to Shasta McNasty 20 years ago. But the misogyny and sexism from him and the others—I don’t doubt it’s accuracy. But they just don’t feel like real characters. If they’re going to remain part of this season, I hope the show takes time to develop them at least a little. Right now, they feel too much like the bullies from Season One.
Then there’s the mayor. I was excited to see Cary Elwes show up. I figured he could follow in Sean Astin and Paul Reiser’s footsteps as big-name 80’s actors with cool recurring roles. But with his big goofy grin and chomping his cigar right in Hopper’s face, he also feels more like a caricature than a real person.
1. Hopper Catching L’s
Man, for the second straight episode, I really don’t like Hopper. His pride in messing up El and Mike’s relationship, his pushiness with Joyce (while pretending he’s not being pushy), and his boorish behavior at the restaurant when Joyce stands him up—he’s really taken a downturn this season. Here’s hoping there’s better material in store for him.
Tim Matassa
