“Stranger Things,” the water cooler show of 2016, is getting its second season later this year. It’ll have plenty of questions to answer, since the first season left off with Eleven missing and presumed dead, but then presumed alive when Hopper left Eggo waffles, her favourite food, in the woods, and speaking of him, he’s got some unexplained business with the feds that got him and Winona Ryder out of a tight squeeze with the government, and Will is seeing visions of the Upside Down despite his escape from the hellish nightmare-scape.
Obviously, SPOILERS for Season 1 of “Stranger Things” follow.
There will be more seasons beyond Season 2
The Duffer brothers, who created the series and also direct and write some episodes, say that they don’t like shows that go on just because they’re popular and people are watching, but at the same time they’re not stopping at Season 2. They like the idea of having the end in sight, and they foresee the show continuing until its fourth or fifth season before giving “Stranger Things” “a really finite ending.”
Season 2 takes place a year after Season 1
The second season of “Stranger Things” will pick up a year after the first season, with its premiere taking place on Halloween (which is also its release date on Netflix) where the gang’s costumes will be the Ghostbusters.
Will Byers is still recovering from his tumultuous time in the Upside Down dimension, still experiencing the visions we saw at the end of the Season 1 finale. Nancy is still dealing with the grief of Barb’s death (and she is definitely dead, by the way), while Mike is mourning Eleven’s apparent death (she’s not definitely dead, don’t worry about that).
Also, Dustin will find “a little creature” from another planet and/or dimension at some point to be his adorable little Gizmo-style pet.
New actors are joining the cast
Sean Astin from “The Goonies” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is joining the cast of “Stranger Things” as a new boyfriend for Winona Ryder’s Joyce called Bob Newby, being described as a nice guy who used to be a nerd in high school with Joyce and Hopper and is now the manager of the RadioShack in Hawkins, Indiana, where the show is set.
Also joining the cast is Paul Reiser from “Aliens” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” playing Dr. Owens, a high-ranking Energy Department executive undertaking a dangerous “clean-up” job to keep the first season’s events from getting out.
Old actors being featured more
Since Will spent most of the first season of “Stranger Things” missing, he didn’t appear in it very much except for the beginning and end. He’ll be spending a lot more time in front of the camera for Season 2, as will (unfortunately) Steve Harrington. In more positive news, Eleven is rumoured to be returning following her apparent death in Season 1, so that’s good.
