I finished ST2 last night. I had very little interest in the sequel as I felt I got all I wanted outta ST1 and I usually find sequels reductive and derivative. But, after a lame opening with lame characters that would later almost completely destroy the entire season, I was quickly pulled back in! The acting form the main cast is just terrific. The kids seem real and are a joy to watch.
Ep. 7 was totally stupid and unnecessary. The dialog was terrible as were the performances by these new characters. The whole episode could have been a quick scene with only El going to find the guy who “hurt mother” and finding out ON HER OWN that hurting people don’t make anything better.
I love the first one and, despite having little interest and no faith in it, really liked the sequel. I’m not dying to see #3, but I’ll certainly be watching it.