Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street

The Duffer Brothers' homage to '80s sci-fi/fantasy continues with teenage geek Mike (Finn Wolfhard) sneaking runaway mystery girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) into his home, where he tries to work out who she is, and what her connection is to missing school friend Will. Meanwhile, Mike's older sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is out partying with boyfriend Steve (which will undoubtedly put her in some kind of mortal danger for the next episode), Will's mother Joyce tries to make contact with her son via the telephone, and the 'bad people', led by Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) continue their hunt for Eleven.

Although the story isn't progressed all that much in this second episode, the likable characters ensure that the time passes quickly, with all involved putting in sterling performances. The references to Spielberg movies continue, with nods to ET (sinister scientists, Eleven hiding in a closet) and a Jaws poster adorning a bedroom wall, while fantasy fans might make a connection with the title of this episode and a classic tale from Season One of The Twilight Zone.

Toned down slightly from the opener but never short of surprises. The biggest comes right at the end following a pool party. I wasn't bothered about the character involved, having made little impression so far but the moment is still a shocking end to the show. The scene of the show for me however is down to Joyce who receives another phone call, this one with more of a reason to get hysterical which she does fantastically. Her character is blossoming now and she just makes all the crazy stuff going on feel real. After the phone call some lights flicker and the boom box turns itself on in the bedroom. This leads to a shocking discovery sending her fleeing her home. This segment was done brilliantly and the tension was unbearable. This should have closed the episode since it happened to a dominant character rather than a secondary one.

Outside of these events the kids set about keeping Elle a secret from their parents with her and Mike sharing some nice scenes together in an otherwise darker episode. Lucas freaks out later on and is ready to give her up but is stopped in his tracks with another show of what Elle can do. She later goes on to reveal she knows where Will is. But what she reveals actually seems quite terrifying. For all their good intentions I don't think the boys have a clue what they are heading in to. The dynamic between all 4 is great and the reactions from the boys especially during an "undressing" spot is hilarious.

Elsewhere Hopper continues his investigation, finding his fallen friend in the diner and learning of the girl who was there. He later finds a strip of her gown and the scary as hell place she came from. If the forest wasn't spooky enough, this place will get you going.

Jonathan also goes on a little side journey of his own to find Will when he comes face to face with easily my least favourite character thus far. He really is in a world of his own and I don't expect any cooperation as the series continues.

A fun light episode that turned very dark, it's left me wanting more but I do hope there are some light hearted scenes thrown in along the way. Strong follow up to the opener and this world is now really coming alive.

Anybody that was captivated by 'Stranger Things' first episode "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" will undoubtedly expect a good deal from any episode to follow on from it. Speaking as somebody who was near-blown away by that episode and had high expectations for this one, to see how it would build upon what was set up so well in "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" and to see how the rest of the show would fare after such a strong start.

"Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" was a good second episode that did build well upon what was introduced while having enough to set it apart on its own. At the same time, it was also a bit disappointing and isn't anywhere near as great. There are a lot of the same fantastic things still that was seen in "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers", but somehow "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" didn't feel as focused or as inspired.

There are so many good things here in "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street". The production values are superb. Very stylish and atmospheric, with some truly beautiful images that one can't believe such high quality comes from a Netflix show. Not to mention the highly impressive special effects that put a good deal of big budget films in recent years to shame. The music has a wonderful 80s nostalgic vibe while also being quite haunting, enhancing the atmosphere beautifully.

Writing is thought-probing and has a lot of brains and heart. The humour is gentle but very subtly witty and funny, while there is a poignancy (without being too sentimental) and tension. Enough of the episode has some creepy suspense, intriguing mystery, inventive sci-fi, affectionate nostalgia and a few tear-jerking moments (including a beautifully played crucial scene with Winona Ryder). The characters are still interesting and Finn Woolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown are still excellent. Ryder is a big improvement here and is poignant.

However, tonally "Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street" isn't always focused. The tone shifts weren't as seamless or as skillfully balanced this time and some of it is on the muddled side from feeling a bit too hectic in pace. Especially in the final third, where things get really awkward and excessively weird at the end.

Some of the dialogue isn't as good this time, though it's fine most of the time. Tending to sound awkward later on. The pace could have been more secure in spots, some of the latter parts are on the disorganised side.

In conclusion, good but not great. 7/10

The characters finding more clues is engaging, the child performances are incredibly natural (to the degree that you forget how rare child performances of this calibre are), there are some great scares (particularly the light sequence with Joyce, which was akin to Freddy appearing from within the wall in the original 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'), and the final act is particularly strong at creating a realistic depiction of teenagers having fun but also being rather selfish and ignorant. They all have their own distinctive faults and positives (except Tommy and Carol, they're just total numbskulls), and that bittersweet mix makes them feel real. The pacing and narrative drive certainly isn't as strong as its predecessor but overall it is a well-directed, solid continuation of the story.

Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street is a solid second episode of the first season. It continues where the pilot episode left off and remains consistent throughout. My only quibble is that the house party where Nancy and Jonathan go to felt a bit too awkward for my tastes, but that's doesn't matter because the rest of the episode retains the same stuff that made the first episode a great start.

The story is still intriguing with a raw and tear-jerking scene with Winona Ryder and Charlie Heaton. There's also a little more back story for the other characters aside from Joyce and Jonathan. The kid protagonists Mike, Dustin and Lucas share their chemistry that feels natural thanks to Wolfhard Matarazzo and Mclaughlin's solid performances. Natalia Dyer, Shannon Purser (who played Barbara in the first episode) and David Harbour continue to deliver excellent performances and Millie Bobby Brown continues to excel as Eleven in a very well-written flashback revolving around her character. The cinematography is still gorgeous with a brilliantly lit atmosphere it retained from the first episode and the music score is still impressive, continuing to compliment the 1980s decade and setting perfectly.

Overall, a solid second episode of the first season and remains as consistent as Chapter One. Thumbs up from me. :)