What I’m Watching: Stranger Things

Stranger Things: Season 2, Episode 2 “Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak” (B+)

On most shows, a Halloween installment might be especially scary, but on this show, it’s just par for the course. Explaining Eleven’s time between when she disappeared in the classroom to her wandering in the woods and throwing animals at passersby and eventually ending up in Hopper’s house. Her idea to go trick-or-treating as a ghost was actually pretty smart, but it is likely that something would have happened that might have revealed her. The four boys dressing as the Ghostbusters for their excited parents to take pictures of was great, and they handled the fact that they were the only ones in costume at school pretty well. Dustin and Lucas did an awkward job inviting Max to join them, and she got them back by scaring the hell out of them later on. Whereas Eleven got Lucas mad at Mike, now it’s Max who is making Mike angry at Dustin and Lucas while Will isn’t really taking sides since he keeps going to the upside-down. Max’s brother is pretty crazy, and I’m curious what his story is. Hopper’s investigation into the corrupted pumpkin crops was eerie but well-timed, and it’s clear that there are malicious forces at work. Nancy is not in good shape, with Steve’s attempts to curb her drinking failing miserably, and I wonder whether she’ll press on and we’ll soon see Barb again. Something tells me that Bob’s suggested move out of Hawkins won’t happen anytime soon – Joyce is pretty tethered to this place and the people in it.