I liked the troubling ambiguities of the first season’s epilogue as the grace note to a limited series, yet they didn’t leave me craving resolution.
#STRANGER THINGS SEASON 2 EPISODE 1 NETFLIX PROFESSIONAL#
They were, of course, the responsible things to ask as a professional observer of television at stake was Netflix’s ability to transmute a grassroots sensation into a sustainable flagship. Would Stranger Things be able to sustain the level of scrutiny that comes with popularity, a raft of Emmy nominations, and a full-blown aftershow? Could full-court-press promotion serve as an adequate substitute for word of mouth? In short: Would Stranger Things live up to the hype?įor the first five or so of Stranger Things 2’s nine episodes, such questions remained at the forefront of my viewing experience. When I fired up the season that Netflix and the Duffer brothers are insisting we call Stranger Things 2, franchise sequel-style, it was with equal parts curiosity and skepticism. I was thoroughly charmed by the universally and surprisingly strong performances from an ensemble of child actors, but couldn’t help but wince every time I saw a Verizon commercial or fashion spread featuring one of the newly minted tween celebrities.Įssentially, I’m down-the-middle on this show-neither wholly invested in its success nor cheering for its failure. I enjoyed the internet’s Barb obsession as much as anyone else, some traitorous colleagues excepted, but was sympathetic to the harshest critiques characterizing the show as a shallow pastiche. I liked the show well enough when it arrived on the scene as an unassuming summer entertainment, but the craze that followed-or seemed to follow, given that Netflix remains tight-lipped about quantitative data-blindsided and, if we’re being honest, somewhat confused me.
If there’s an ideal test case for whether Stranger Things can replicate the bona fide phenomenon it became over the course of last year, I’d like to think I’m close to it.
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