Stranger Things was arguably the most talked about show last summer. This summer many fans of the Netflix original series are impatiently waiting for the hit show to return for Season 2 in the fall.
Season 1 of the sci-fi horror series follows supernatural events that take place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s. When a young boy named Will (Noah Schnapp) vanishes, his friends, family, and the local police department investigate his disappearance as supernatural events occur. Will’s group of friends are introduced to a psychokinetic girl named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) who helps them find Will for the Upside down realm.
While not much has been revealed about the upcoming season, the cast gave TVLine some hints at Netflix’s FYSee Space event in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. Schnapp confirmed that the upcoming nine-episode season will be “darker and more eerie” than its first season. Finn Wolfhard, who plays Will’s friend Mike, said, “scarier stuff happens.” Wolfhard even added, “Something happens to Will in the first couple of episodes that’s very, very disturbing.”
Now that Will has escaped the Upside down, there will inevitably be many issues following his return to the real world. Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Will’s friend Dustin, said, “They know he is not well.” The friend group will try to help Will adjust back to his normal life by “trying to pretend [nothing] happened.”
Season 2 may be darker than its rookie season, but that doesn’t mean the show will lack the silliness featured in Season 1. Matt Duffer, a co-creator of the show along with his brother Ross Duffer, promised that the upcoming season “maintains that sense of fun, which was so important to the first season.” When developing Season 2, the Duffer brothers “didn’t want to lose that sense of wonder.”
With fan favorite character Eleven disappearing at the end of Season 1, many fans have wondered how her absence will impact Mike. The two characters share a strong bond that expands over the course of the first season. “He’s kind of somber,” Wolfhard said. “He’s kind of given up on life. He has no one to fight for until, slowly as the season progresses, he [becomes] more and more like [the] leader he was in the first season.”
While Barb (Shannon Purser) will most likely not make an appearance considering her death in the Upside down, new characters will hopefully fill the Barb-void in our hearts. It was previously announced that Smash‘s Will Chase was cast in recurring role as a father that is new to town. American Odyssey‘s Sadie Sink will be introduced as tomboy Max in the upcoming season. Matarazzo said that he is “very excited” for viewers to meet the new character. Wolfhard gave a preview of Max’s older brother Billy, who is played by Dacre Montgomery. He said, “He’s a bit of a bully who gives Steve a run for his money.” He added, “[He’s] a little weird [and] disturbing, but people will love it.”
As for Season 2’s monster, the new villain will be seen a lot more than the first season’s Big Bad. Ross Duffer said, “Last season, a lot of the horror and a lot of what was happening with Will was off screen in the Upside down.” He promised, “That’s not the case [in Season 2]. The horror is more up-close and personal.”
All nine episodes of Season 2 of Stranger Things will be released on Netflix on Halloween.