The first season of Stranger Things was so marvelously perfect, but it left us with a ton of questions about Eleven, Will, the Demogorgon, the Upside Down, and more. Since most of us blasted through the first season’s eight episodes, so waiting for a second season to be announced and the second season’s Halloween premiere has been rough. Still, we’re getting closer and closer to the new season’s release, so let’s break down everything we know about the show’s second season so far.
UPDATE, 10/23/2017: New Clip!
We’ve got another clip from Stranger Things 2! The clip is short, but it appears to be shortly after the events of the first season, with the Department of Energy grilling Mike on Eleven’s location. So the question is: is that really Eleven in Mike’s window? Is she out of the Upside Down at that point, or is she peering between the veil? Take a look and see what you think:
Who’s Back?
sƃuıɥʇɹÇƃuÉɹʇs#
ɹÉÇÊŽ ʇxÇu noÊŽ ÇÇs
uoıʇɔnpoɹd uı ʞɔÉq pic.twitter.com/jYd1tDsPRi— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 4, 2016
ELEVEN LIVES: While we don’t know about the contents of the script read at the readthrough, the photo from the tweet above does tell us some very important information: namely that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is back in season 2. In fact Brown visited MCM Comic Con with a sneak peek at Stranger Things 2. The brand new clip gives us a bit of insight into how Eleven managed to survive (and ultimately return to our world) after her final throw-down with the Demagorgon. Though it appeared killing the Demagorgon consumed her, it turns out it might have just thrust her back into the Upside Down. Check out the clip to see what you think:
Here we go! @milliebbrown introduces world exclusive, never before seen footage from @Stranger_Things 2! pic.twitter.com/ibaEkLNr9l
— MCM Comic Con (@MCMComicCon) October 16, 2017
Of course, we’ll also be seeing some old friends like Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Nancy, Steve, Hopper, and Joyce Byers. You can get a glimpse of the original gang (and Eleven’s new hair) on their EW cover.
Hold on to your Eggos! Your exclusive first look at #StrangerThings season 2 is officially here: https://t.co/VX7a2uOwtP pic.twitter.com/stAY6xGzuC
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) February 8, 2017
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE: At last, the greatest Stranger Things mystery is solved! …No, nothing to do with the Upside Down or the Demogorgon or Matthew Modine’s evil corporation or why Will Byers likes The Clash so much. What we’re talking about is when the series will return for season two. Along with the below poster and teaser, we now have word that Stranger Things‘ next string of episodes will hit Netflix on October 27. (Just in time for spooky Halloween watching!)
THE FINAL TRAILER: Netflix hyped the released of the final Stranger Things 2 trailer with this super spooky Friday the 13th-style teaser:
And here’s the final trailer!
EPISODE TITLES: Netflix just released a new trailer with updated episode titles. Not much has changed, but you’ll notice that the final three episodes are now called Chapter 6, 7, and 8, respectively. This is a change from the titles released in their August teaser, which called the final three episodes “The Secret Cabin”, “The Brain”, and “The Lost Brother.” It’s not clear why the change was made, but maybe you can pull some clues from their new episode title teaser. Take a peek:
The story continues. New chapters on October 27. #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/NPF1NPNQSt
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) October 9, 2017
Some doors can’t be closed. #StrangerThings2 arrives on October 27. pic.twitter.com/NALL5HQalg
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 11, 2017
IT’S A SEQUEL, NOT SEASON 2: Though we’ve all been calling it “season 2 of Stranger Things“, an EW report says the Duffer Brothers wanted the show’s second installment to be called Stranger Things 2 to play up the cinematic angle of the show. Netflix ultimately acquiesed, and has been shifting their advertising to “Stranger Things 2” rather than “season 2”. Stranger Things 2‘s title sequence will also say “Stranger Things 2“, and to really drive home the “sequel” feel, the story is even going to kick off in a location completely outside of Hawkins, Indiana. But don’t worry, though the Duffers are expanding the Stranger Things universe, the show will still feel like Stranger Things–just amplified. As Finn Wolfhard told EW, season 2 is, “Stranger Things but just sorta hopped up a little. It’s almost like season 1 was drinking a Coke and season 2 they drank a Red Bull.” Count us in!
NEW TRAILER, NEW THEORY:Â Netflix released a new trailer at the San Diego Comic Con Stranger Things panel, set to the cool sounds of the Michael Jackson classic, “Thriller”. In addition to awesome tunes, the trailer gives us a much better look at the ways the events of last season changed the people of Hawkins (those involved, anyway), how the Upside Down is affecting Will, and even a few glimpses of Eleven!
But the trailer doesn’t just get us hyped for season two. It also poses a very important question: is Will going to be the villain of season 2? The trailer certainly makes us think so since the new monster is so closely connected with Will, even calling out to him by name. Jessica Chobot breaks down the theory a bit more on Nerdist News.
Here is your first look at the new season with the season 2 teaser:
NEW LOOK AT THE CASTÂ
#StrangerThings2 returns to the Upside Down with new monsters and mysteries! Get exclusive scoop from the set: https://t.co/mg8UYM58f7 pic.twitter.com/IxjTXee6qY
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) September 27, 2017
The latest edition of Entertainment Weekly has three unique covers, each featuring our friends in Hawkins, Indiana! Take a look
NEW MONSTER:Â While we don’t know much about the new monster from Stranger Things 2, we do know that it will be referred to by a nickname given to it by the boys (just like the Demagorgon from the first season). As EW reports, Will Byers has dubbed the new creature plaguing Hawkins as “The Shadow Monster”. While we’ll get glimpses of the beast early on in the series, they won’t be actual encounters. Instead, they’ll be Will’s PTSD flashbacks of his time in the Upside Down.
SNEAK PEEK INTO SEASON 2: Netflix has released five new images from season 2! By the look of all of the worried faces in these pictures, things are only getting weirder and more intense in Hawkins. We, naturally, have some questions for these photos.
Is everything OK with Will?
Will Chief Hopper figure it all out?
And who cut Nancy’s hair? Because it looks great!
…And then there’s another shot of the boys as Ghostbusters:
Who’s New?
CASTING DETAILS: In addition to adding Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery to the kid’s lineup, we’ll also be seeing some new adults added to the mix. As Entertainment Weekly reported, Linnea Berthelsen will be playing a young woman who lives outside of Hawkins with ties to the craziness in the lab in Hawkins, who also suffered great trauma as a kid. It’s unclear if that is trauma like Eleven has undergone, but she sounds fascinating to meet.
Some other new faces in Hawkins will be Sean Astin, who will be playing a former classmate of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour). He’s a nerd named Bob Newby who works at the local RadioShack. And producer Shawn Levy has said that Bob is a character that is so wonderful, and has evolved into something so special because of Astin’s acting chops, that he may rival Barb as a fan favorite.
Of course, what is Stranger Things without some sketchy Department of Energy guy, right? Paul Reiser will be stepping up to fill that role, playing a “clean up” guy named Dr. Owens for the Department of Energy after the craziness from last season.
With all of these new faces, you might be wondering what it takes to be a part of such a rad friend group. If you want to join Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas’ friend group, the gang told EWÂ exactly what qualifications you need to have:
NEW CHARACTER DETAILS: We’ve got a bit more information on the redhead in this picture. Her name is Max, and she’s being called a tough tomboy who gets everywhere via her trusty skateboard (which she seems to be holding in her right hand, if you look closely). Of course we’re sure there’s a lot more to Max than meets the eye, it will be fun to see how a new person interacts with the group from the Hawkins AV Club.
After meeting Eleven’s super sketchy “Papa” from the Department of Energy, we all just sort of assumed that Paul Reiser’s character, Dr. Owens, was going to be a bad guy. Dr. Owens is sent buy the government to clean up the mess that went down in the first season. However, Reiser recently said in an interview that not only was he not sure if his character was a bad guy yet, but he wasn’t sure the Duffer brothers themselves knew either. However, given his reputation as a bad guy from his role in Alien, the Duffers might be playing with audience expectations a bit. So if season 2 is setting up Paul Reiser to be an unexpected good guy, does that mean they’re setting up the show’s other new face, Sean Astin, as an unexpected bad guy? Oh, say it ain’t so, Samwise!
You can get a glimpse at the whole cast (including some of the new cast members) on this awesome Stranger Things 2 poster, illustrated by Kyle Lambert:
I’m incredibly excited to finally be able to share with you the new poster I illustrated for #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/ciQjGjJDFz
— Kyle Lambert (@kylelambert) October 22, 2017
What’s the Story?
The episode titles for season two are currently set to be: “Madmax”, “The Boy Who Came Back to Lifeâ€, “The Pumpkin Patchâ€, “The Palaceâ€, “The Stormâ€, “The Pollywogâ€, “The Secret Cabinâ€, “The Brainâ€, “The Lost Brotherâ€. We know this from a video released by Netflix in August.
However, in a recent interview with EW, the Duffer Brothers confessed that some of the chapter titles are changing. Why? Because apparently we internet folk are a bit too clever with our Stranger Things theories. In regards to the chapter titles, Duffer told EW that, “Some of them are changing. Some of them we didn’t put because these people are smart on the f—ing internet. You’ve seen it with Westworld — they figured it out! I’ve seen videos analyzing the chapter titles and they’re right on a lot.” So there you have it. We’re too smart for our own good, internet.
A DARKER AND SCARIER SEASON 2: There have been a lot of questions circling around what exactly to expect from the second season of Stranger Things. And while there is sure to be a heck of a lot of adventure in store for our favorite group of friends and Upside Down adventurers, it sounds like things will also be taking a bit of a darker turn. In a recent interview, Galen Matarazzo said that the second season will feature the kids working through the trauma they experienced in the first season, as well as a healthy amount of concern for Will. Apparently barfing up slugs isn’t the only thing that has changed since Will returned from the Upside Down. Though he seemed to be like his old self at the end of the first season, the second season will focus more on how Will has changed since his time hiding from the Demagorgon, and it’s possible that Will could go a bit more Dark Side this coming season.
Additionally, it’s also been said by executive producer Shawn Levy that the show will be scarier and more intense this season. While we don’t know exactly what that means, with seeing that Cthulu-esque monster in the season 2 teaser and Will’s unfortunate Upside Down-caused gastrointestinal issues, it’s very possible that this season will go a bit more towards classic and gross-out horror than the campy, eighties vibes it channeled in season one. Of course we know that Dustin will be getting a pet from the Upside Down called a Pollywog (a definite Gremlins homage), so even with the darker tone, Stranger Things will still channel that lovely, eighties nostalgia.
The Stranger Things Twitter released this cryptic clip featuring a wide variety of channels in Hawkins. From hinting to a unique problem with the pumpkin crop in Hawkins, to fear-centric discussion about Will, it looks like things are getting spooky in Hawkins!
pÇunʇ ÊŽÉʇs pic.twitter.com/DoXtdmsy60
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) October 21, 2017
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL HORROR…WITH A TOUCH OF WONDER: Last season’s monster, the Demagorgon, spent most of his time off screen or barely being seen in the background. Most of the horror that Will had to endure also happened off camera as well. However, Ross Duffer told TV Line that this season will introduce a monster and horror that is very “up close and personal”. However, don’t think that the levity, joy, and wonder that you love from the show will be lost. Though this season will travel some darker roads, Duffer promises that the heart and wonder of the show will remain the same.
What’s Changed?
A NEW ROMANCE: Astin’s Bob Newby may be labeled a nerd, but he’s just the right kind of nerd for Joyce Byers. As The Wrap reported, he’ll be playing Joyce’s boyfriend in season two–something that Chief Jim Hopper is not too thrilled with. Joyce and Hopper did bond quite a bit over the first season, so it looks like a bit of a love triangle will be brewing in Hawkins. But after such a traumatic year, I think it’s good that Joyce is seeing someone. Let’s just hope he’s nicer than her ex-husband.
WILL’S FATE: We know from the end of last season that something is very wrong with Will after watching him barf  up that nasty-looking slug. Of course the big question is going to be whether or not Will is actually somehow still tethered to the Upside Down, or if he’s simply experiencing some intense PTSD. EW reports that Joyce will be doing her very best to help Will re-acclimate into normal life, but he’s definitely going to have a hard time sticking to our plane of reality. Though Will Byers was a key character to the heart of season 1, Will Byers actor Noah Schnapps didn’t get a lot of screen time due to his character being trapped in the Upside Down. This season, however, Schnapps is going to be getting a ton of screen time, and according to Shawn Levy and the Duffer Brothers, Schnapps is absolutely crushing it as post-Upside Down Will Byers. We can’t wait to see what Schnapps and the Duffers have in store for us next season. Let’s just hope that poor Will gets a bit of a break.
Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t be the case. In a recent interview with TV Line, the cast informed us that not only is Will barfing slugs, but that something “happens to Will in the first couple of episodes that is very, very disturbing.” Since the last batch of disturbing things that happened to Will included being trapped in a dangerous underworld being chased by a giant monster while government officials on our plane of existence faked his death, it looks Will is in for a rough time.
A CHANGED MIKE: Understandably, watching your best friend and lowkey crush sacrifice herself in front of your eyes to that monster is pretty traumatic for a kid. Because of that, the lighthearted, silly Mike we knew from season one will be a lot different. As Mike himself, Finn Wolfhard, explains in an article for Mashable, losing Eleven sends Mike into a bit of a state of feeling utterly lost without anything left to fight for. As Wolfhard puts it, he becomes a bit of a ghost.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Looks like some new kids are headed to Hawkins! EW reports that this season will introduce us to siblings Max (Sadie Sink) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery). Max is going to really shake things up when she starts hanging out with the boys and becoming a love interest for Lucas and Dustin. While Max will be joining the boys’ squad, Billy isn’t going to make friends so easily. He seems like he may be taking on the role of resident mouth-breather and bully. Let’s just hope Eleven doesn’t catch him trying to pressure Mike to jump off a cliff.
NEW PETS: Dustin will be getting a pet! Actor Galen Matarazzo calls it a cute little polliwog-type pet that he gets to bond with that is “clearly not from this dimension.” I don’t know about you, but this polliwog-type pet sounds like a reference to yet another ’80s favorite…
A TIME JUMP:Â The Wrap also reports that season 2 is going to be set a year in the future, with some residents of Hawkins fully aware what happened to Will, and some still in the dark. As with anything that happens in a small town, there are likely going to be a bounty of rumors of what happened to Will. As we know from the end of season 1, Will didn’t leave the Upside Down 100% okay, so it will be interesting to see what he’s like a year since his return.
JUSTICE FOR BARB: One of the biggest complaints Stranger Things fans had about the first season had to do with the fate of Nancy Wheeler’s best friend, Barb. While the entire town seemed up in arms over Will Byer’s disappearance, Barb’s seemed to go under the radar. David Harbour has promised fans a Fan2Sea Comic Con panel that Nancy will be very upset over Barb’s death and everyone’s reaction to her disappearance. So while we might not get her back, at least it seems Hawkins might finally mourn her properly.
What do you want to see in Stranger Things season two? Do you think it can live up to the first season? Let us know in the comments!
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Images: Netflix
