I liked this season as a whole but felt it was slow on some parts but really picked up in the end.
There are a lot things I LOVED about this season but this post would be too long if I said it all so I'll just share my gripes LOL
Billy
I thought there was more to him than meets the eye at first, and I firmly believed for a while that he and Max have this ~mysterious~ past that was set to be revealed as the season drew to a close but they were just two step-siblings who didn’t get along well. We could’ve totally done without him or traded his life for Bob’s. And is he racist??
Max
I may be in the minority here, but I was meh about her character. The Variety review sums her up nicely: “It seemed like the idea behind Max was: What if we just created an amalgamation of every on-screen tomboy character ever — and just added a skateboard?” To me, it seems like she existed this season to
1. Set up this “love triangle” between her, Dustin and Lucas
2. Have Eleven be jealous in episode 3 so the Mike/Eleven reunion can be delayed until the very end of episode 8
3. Replace Will as part of the quartet while he was busy being possessed? LOL, IDK
Hopefully the writers would give her a better storyline next season.
Mike
It felt like he really didn't have much to do this season which was weird considering he was such a big part of season 1. Yeah sure, we saw more of him in the finale going into those huge tunnels but other than that I can’t really think of anything of note that Mike did in the other episodes. If I could summarize his story arc this season it would be this: mopes/broods over Eleven’s disappearance then proceeds to babysit/accompany Will during his possession phase where he basically was just…there? IDK then evenutally he reunites with Eleven.
And did any else find their "romance" a little over the top sometimes? I mean sure the Snow Ball dance was cute and all but at the same time I was like "jeezus you kids are only 12" specially on that scene where they were like "I can't lose you again!1!" "You won't, I promise etc etc" I mean, I understand they were each other's first crush so it maybe a normal reaction for kids their age?
Bob
At first I thought he was a spy because he was just too good to be fucking true. But when I realized he was just genuinely a nice guy I knew he was gonna bite the bullet. As soon as he decided to override the locks in the lab I knew he was done for. Don’t even get me started on the way he died, we DID NOT need that lingering shot of the demodogs eating him
Episode 7
I’ve been reading a lot of HATE for this episode. Well, I did not hate it in anyway but it did feel out of place. Midway through the episode I was like is this even the same show?? LOL
Quartet
Sure Will was sick, but the lack of Dustin, Mike and Lucas together for the bulk of the season was a little disappointing. I mean part of the charm of the first season was the chemistry between these characters. I needed more of their adventures together this season. Maybe the Duffer brothers wanted to try a new formula this season IDK. But I personally think these kids shine best when they’re together. PS Steve as their babysitter was the season’s highlight