Chapter Nine: The Gate

The good news is that, after eight episodes of varying quality (although the majority have been great), the final chapter wraps things up brilliantly, with a solid mix of drama, action, danger, and even romance. It's everything I had hoped it would be.

The Gate starts with Eleven's timely arrival at the Byers house, to the surprise of those inside, especially Mike, who is angry when he learns where she has been for the past year. Eleven's appearance means that there is a chance that the gate between our dimension and the upside-down can be sealed, but to do so the Shadow Monster must first be forced out of Will, and the demodogs lured away from the lab.

Highlights of this season's closer include a tense fist fight between Max's nasty stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) and Steve, the expulsion of the Shadow Monster (shades of The Exorcist), and the scenes inside the tunnels as Steve and the kids play their part in defeating the evil that has been plaguing the town of Hawkins. Best of all is the epilogue, which sees the boys and girls attending the Christmas ball at their school: I'm not usually one for the sappy stuff, but seeing the characters developing relationships and enjoying themselves is heartwarming stuff.

All told, I liked this season even more than the last. The wait for Season Three is going to be a long one.

Absolutely Incredible! Just a magnificent conclusion to an enticing season. By the time, the ending credits rolled, I am amazed by how much the scale and conflict has been risen this year. And unlike the former season's heartbreaking ending, this time, we got a much more happier and satisfying epilogue.

The VFX team did a spectacular job making the Demogorgon and the Shadow Monster to look and feel much more menacing and dangerous, because seeing the Demodogs raining down as the Gate is closed by Eleven looks mind-blowing. The main cast was also so captivating to watch, especially, David Harbour as Jim Hopper and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven made a great duo, though Mike, Dustin, Mrs. Byers, Will, Steve and the others were also superb. By the end, we also got a fulfilled promise of Mike made at the end of Season 1 to see the Snow Ball event on-screen.

Absolutely Hyped for Season 3!

Best Episode Of The Series!!Amazing Finally everything we needed happened in this episode can't wait till Season 3 Comes out!

Had me in so much tears. Such a brilliant end that tugs on the nostalgia heart strings. I was that kid. Great series, great season, great episode. Love it

After the success of the first season, the return of Stranger Things was a big event with lots of hype, and lots of internet chatter all across the days after it was fully available to watch. I was a bit slower to pick it up and watch it, but it was one I was looking forward to, because despite some flaws, I did enjoy the first season. This season returns bigger, but not necessarily better. The scale of the threat is increased, and the show plays with its additional resources very well; more creatures, more horror elements, more polish, and a lot more delivery in the effects department.

It does all this with a plot that to be fair, does build on the events of the previous season. It does so in a way that mostly makes sense, but yet keeps a lot of the same elements from the first season. In doing so it is entertaining and will please fans, but at the same time it is hard not to feel like it lost a bit of spark - almost like they didn't know how to specifically develop that element, so they just went ahead and made everything else bigger. This is in no way to say the second season is no good (it is good), but just that it is not quite as good as the first one. The plot is also part of that though, and there are some elements and conveniences that don't quite work, and they serve to sap the energy and spark a bit. The cast are consistently good though - all playing their roles well in a way that fits not so much the period, but rather the movie/nostalgia version of that period, while also being able to work as characters in their own right. Of the additions, I enjoyed Reiser's casting the most since so much of this season felt like Aliens already.

All told, Stranger Things 2 is a very enjoyable bit of television, that is bigger than the first season, even if it is not better. The spark is a bit lost, but there is plenty still there, and lots to enjoy despite some of it not working, or feeling like it could have hit its marks better.