Stranger Things – Season 2: the second season of the Duffer Brothers’ series picks up where it left of; not in the storyline per se, but in the efficient use of the elements that made the first season so entertaining. The fight against the main villain remains just serviceable, but that’s not the most important thing of the show: watching its gallery of characters are. The group of kids (Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and new addition Sadie Sink) remain as endearing as before; Matarazzo is, if anything, even better than in the previous season and the most memorable this time, but all are fine. David Harbour is the anchor of the adult group and newcomer Sean Astin is a very welcome presence. The series is scary (but not overly graphical or gory) because it’s unafraid to put the beloved characters at risk. It also helps that the cinematography (both the moody lighting and the framing) and the editing are so efficient. The music remains an important piece of the puzzle, both Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein’s score and the liberal use of songs from the period. The period recreation (costumes and set design) are both spot-on.

Read also: Stranger Things – Season 1