Round Two: Stranger Things

Stranger Things: Season 1, Episode 2 “Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street” (B+)

Okay, I’m starting to see why people like this show. This second hour was a solid improvement over the first, and I’m intrigued to see where things go. I like that Mike is trying to get to know Eleven and that he’s determined to protect her despite some resistance from his other two buds. She doesn’t talk much and she revealed her powers quickly, but I think she’s a great character. It’s interesting to see the police investigation playing out at the same time, with Hopper discovering an apparent suicide and learning about a nearby boy that he erroneously believes could be Will. We learned a lot about Joyce and her history, and her ex-husband seems like a real winner. We also got definitive confirmation that it is Will on the other end of the phone, and having it short out again after Joyce had to beg her boss to front her two weeks’ pay and a new phone had a very detrimental effect. It’s not clear how prominent all of the supernatural stuff on this show is going to be, but I think it being limited the way it was in this episode is a positive development. I’m also not sure where all the teen drama, including the party that included blood, secret photography, a pool, and some sex, will tie in to everything and just how involved it is in the regular plot. And I’m intrigued to see guest actress Shannon Purser’s Emmy submission, which is episode three coming up next.