Season 1 of Stranger Things was all about 1983. In Season 2 of Netflix’s hit series, the characters are a year older and hopefully a little wiser. But something tells us when 1984 rolls around, they’re going to have the same interdimensional problems as they did before.
On Sunday, Netflix aired the trailer for Season 2 of Stranger Things during the Super Bowl, and though the first peek at the upcoming season lasts for a mere 30 seconds, there’s a lot to examine.
The trailer opens with grainy footage of a vintage Eggo waffles commercial, a nod to Eleven’s breakfast food obsession. But then the image becomes distorted, and an old school “Arcade” sign with reddish clouds pops up for a second before the scream turns black and we hear Mike scream the name “Eleven!”
Here are some other ~ strange ~ things we noticed.
Eleven is upside down.
7. Eleven is upside down in the Upside Down.
The fate of everybody’s favorite little telepathic government experiment, Eleven, was left in the balance last time we saw her in Stranger Things. She had defeated the Demogorgon and supposedly died. Now, it seems confirmed she’s stuck in the Upside Down.
Who ya gonna call? Dustin, Mike, and Lucas -- that's who.
6. Here are the Demogorgon Busters
In this case we’re thinking Dustin is like a mix of Ray and Venkman, Mike is Egon, and Lucas is a mix of Ray and Winston.
A blowtorch is involved.
5. The Hawkins National Laboratory is back
It looks like Halloween isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as our crew sets out on their trusty BMX bikes. There’s only one question: Where’s Will Byers?
This shot isn’t revealing unto itself. It’s more about the implications of what’s going to happen. Anytime a Hawkins National Lab stooge dons one of those Tyvek suits you know they’re up to now good. But this Hawkins National Lab stooge is also packing literal firepower. Is this person going Demogorgon hunting?
Seen any Demogorgon's lately?
4. Will Byers isn’t feeling well, and the government knows about it.
Will Byers wasn’t well after his trip to the Upside Down last season, and it looks like his mom Joyce scheduled him a doctor’s appointment for the day before Halloween to figure out what’s wrong with her son.
Will's doctor's appointment has some unwanted eavesdroppers.
This is Hawkins after all. And considering Chief Hopper gave up some information to government agents, led by Dr. Brenner, at the end of Season 1, you know they’ll be looking in on little Will Byers.
Eleven or Mike?
3. Eleven comes back, and is seriously upset.
We can’t quite tell who this is from the brief glimpse in the trailer. It could be Mike caught in a moment of anxiety. But judging by the tattered clothes, it could also be Eleven, this time with hair! We’re not certain that she makes it back from the Upside Down, but if we read this image right, it gives us hope.
Someone has an active imagination or has seen some serious shit.
2. Someone dreams of a gigantic goddamn Demogorgon.
This creature looks like it’s straight out of Stephen King’s The Mist. Is Will Byers having visions of a gigantic Demogorgon monster attacking Hawkins? Such a vivid drawing needs to come from a place of sheer terror.
Close Encounters of the Stranger Kind.
1. Hopper and Mike (?) need to watch out for that giant Demogorgon.
Is this a dream sequence? For the sake of the citizens of Hawkins, we hope so. Otherwise, this shot taken straight from Close Encounters of the Third Kind indicates that the rift to the Upside Down has caused enormous monsters to be able to walk through to our dimension. The red thunder and lightning seem to match up with the split second “Arcade” sign shot from the opening. If anything, the crimson hues are reminiscent of the show’s now iconic opening title sequence.
Hopper is in trouble.
Hopper seems to be up in an attic somewhere when this explosion occurs. What could be big enough to cause that kind of damage to the top of a house? A giant Demogorgon, perhaps?
We’ll have to wait nine months to see. Season 2 of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix on Halloween.
