My main issue with season 2 is a lack of focus. Everyone was doing their own thing in season 1, too, but from the start we knew that all of their stories revolved around Will’s disappearance, whether the characters were aware or not, which made it very satisfying when it all came together and no one’s story felt like filler or wasted.
In season 2, everyone has their own story again, but it’s not clear what any of them have to do with the main thrust of the season until the end, and even then some of it feels contrived. In particular, Eleven’s story (especially episode 7) felt very disconnected from everything else, and the way she comes back into the fray for the finale felt a little too “deus ex machina” for me.
Yeah, that’s certainly an issue. Stranger Things 2 feels more like Stranger Things 1.5; it’s more concerned with tying up the first season’s loose ends than continuing its story.
Also, fuck Nancy and Jonathan. They’re both shitty people and they deserve each other. Steve is the best.
Thought Steve was a prick in the first season, but he’s redeemed himself. NanJo are about as charismatic as used flypaper; their characters need to go.