While the first season of Stranger Things was a sleeper hit that captured hearts with its mystery and nostalgia, its second season—stylized as Stranger Things 2—faced the daunting task of living up to immense global hype. Released in October 2017, the season shifted from a quiet mystery to an expansive, high-stakes action-horror saga. It successfully transitioned the series from a “one-hit wonder” into an enduring franchise by deepening its lore and pairing off its characters in unexpected, delightful ways.
The Shadow Over Hawkins
Set in October 1984, exactly one year after the events of the first season, the story finds the town of Hawkins attempting to return to normalcy. However, for Will Byers, “normal” is a distant memory. Noah Schnapp’s performance in Season 2 is a standout, as Will suffers from “True Sight”—vivid, terrifying glimpses into the Upside Down.
The primary antagonist shifts from the singular, predatory Demogorgon to the Mind Flayer, a towering, spider-like silhouette made of shadow and smoke. This shift introduced the concept of a “Hive Mind,” where the monster controls an army of “Demodogs” (quadruped, adolescent Demogorgons) and even infects Will himself, using him as a spy to destroy Hawkins from the inside.
New Faces and Fan Favorites
Season 2 famously expanded the cast, introducing characters who would become essential to the show’s DNA:
- Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink): A skateboarding, arcade-champion “digit-head” who challenges the boys’ group dynamic.
- Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery): Max’s volatile older brother, who served as a human antagonist, bringing a raw, grounded sense of danger to the high school hallways.
- Bob Newby (Sean Astin): Joyce’s kind-hearted boyfriend, whose heroic sacrifice in the Hawkins Lab earned him the title of “Bob the Brain” and cemented him as one of the series’ most beloved “one-season wonders.”
Perhaps the most celebrated development of the season was the “bromance” between Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson. By pairing the former high school king with the group’s nerdiest member, the show transformed Steve from a stereotypical jock into a protective “babysitter” figure, a character arc that remains a fan favorite to this day.
Episode-by-Episode Breakdown
Chapter One: MADMAX The season opens with a high-speed chase in Pittsburgh involving a girl with a “008” tattoo. In Hawkins, the boys obsess over a new high score at the arcade set by “MADMAX.” Will has a vision of a giant shadow monster in the sky.
Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak On Halloween, the boys dress as the Ghostbusters. Will has another episode and is “found” by the shadow monster. We learn that Hopper has been secretly hiding Eleven in a cabin in the woods for a year.
Chapter Three: The Pollywog Dustin finds a strange, slug-like creature in his trash can and names it “Dart.” He keeps it a secret from the group, not realizing it is a baby Demogorgon. Bob Newby encourages Will to stand up to his “hallucinations,” which goes horribly wrong when Will confronts the monster and is possessed.
Chapter Four: Will the Wise Will wakes up changed; he is now connected to the Mind Flayer and begins drawing a massive, tangled web of “vines” that Joyce and Hopper eventually realize is a map of tunnels beneath Hawkins.
Chapter Five: Dig Dug Hopper investigates the rotting pumpkin patches and digs into the tunnels, becoming trapped by the living vines. Bob Newby uses his “brain” to decode Will’s map and help Joyce find and rescue Hopper just as Hawkins Lab soldiers arrive to burn the infection.
Chapter Six: The Spy The Mind Flayer uses Will’s connection to lure the lab’s soldiers into a trap in the tunnels. Dustin and Steve team up to hunt Dart, eventually meeting up with Lucas and Max at the junkyard, only to find that Dart has friends—a whole pack of Demodogs.
Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister In a controversial “bottle episode,” Eleven travels to Chicago to find Kali (Eight), another girl from the lab. Eleven learns to harness her anger to strengthen her powers but ultimately decides her home and heart are back in Hawkins.
Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer The Demodogs overrun Hawkins Lab. In a tense, Aliens-inspired sequence, Bob Newby must manually reset the computer system to unlock the doors, allowing the group to escape, though he tragically dies in the process. Eleven makes a dramatic return just in time to save her friends at the Byers house.
Chapter Nine: The Gate The finale sees the group split into three teams: Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy “exorcise” the Mind Flayer from Will using heat; Steve and the kids head into the tunnels to create a distraction; and Eleven and Hopper descend into the lab’s basement. In a massive display of power, Eleven closes the gate to the Upside Down once and for all.
Legacy of the Sequel
The season ends with the Snow Ball, a bittersweet middle school dance that provides a rare moment of pure joy for the characters. While the gate is closed, the final shot reveals the Mind Flayer looming over the school in the Upside Down, proving the threat is far from over.
