Stranger Things 2 is impressive for living up to its incredible expectations

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The hugely acclaimed Netflix series “had an almost impossible task when it came to following up on a first season that had near-universal acclaim,” says Katharine Trendacosta. “That it’s still engaging, gorgeous looking, and smartly written is a truly impressive feat. The show didn’t hit any reset buttons; it let every character grow and change, and it’s just remarkable. This is a show growing naturally into itself and does everything to make the nine-hour commitment worth it.”

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• Season 2 gets darker, but also goes much deeper than Season 1
• Stranger Things 2 is "a suspenseful, thoroughly satisfying follow-up that goes to emotionally deeper places than its predecessor did”
• Season 2 plays “like a lukewarm rehash, with a bit more red meat thrown in to cover up the mustiness”
• Stranger Things is still a good time: “It may be last year’s Halloween candy, repackaged. That doesn’t mean it can’t still be sweet”
• Season 2 “can borrow and remix with all the abandon of the first, but it can never be a surprise”
• It took a while to pick up momentum, but Season 2 ends up as a thrilling ride
• Stranger Things 2 is marginally better and more satisfying than the original
• It’s impressive enough that Season 2 manages to deliver without going off the rails and becoming self-indulgent
• Gaten Matarazzo is indisputably the best part of Stranger Things
• Strangers Things 2 is already a hit: Netflix has perfected the art of using buzz to make its shows seem like must-see TV
• Stranger Things exec producer Shawn Levy: “Cultural feedback from social media is going to be a big part of how we feel if we’ve succeeded”
• Why Stranger Things is at its best when it’s Barb-free
• Noah Schnapp's Will Byers is the MVP of the Netflix series
• Paul Reiser: I was cast because they were calling the character they wrote “Paul Reiser”
• Duffer Brothers on the Season 2’s darkest turn
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