Season 2 is very good. However, this was god awful.
Over this weekend, TV lovers could be divided into two groups. Those that were binge-watching the new season of Stranger Things and those that will. If you haven't seen the new episodes then consider this to be your spoiler alert.
Oh yeah, watch the new episodes though because they're very good - 95% on Rotten Tomatoes doesn't lie.
If you have seen the new adventures of Eleven, Dustin, Mike, Lucas and Will then read on.
How nice is it to have your life flipped upside down? As Season 2 came to its sweet and sinister finale, we know that the gateway that allows the shadow demon to enter our own world has been closed, but as that ominous final image showed, there's still a sense of imminent doom that's surrounding Hawkins.
The demodogs may have died and Will is no longer possessed by that heinous demon, but fans of Stranger Things aren't overly joyful with one of the new episodes and it's clear why.
Right from the beginning, the creators teased us with a new character that had psychic abilities just like Eleven, Kali.
In her first scene, she reveals a numeral "8" on her arm. Of course, the name "Eleven" has implied that there were 10 others before her and Kali is just one of them. As the season develops, we learn that Kali and Eleven have a shared history because they were both treated like human guinea pigs due to their psychic gifts.
After being studied, abused and locked away by those sinister scientists and their shadow corporation, both girls want vengeance against the scientists that have experimented on them for years.
We know that there are at least nine other children missing (001-007, 009, and 010), but after seeing Chapter 7: The Lost Sister, do we even care?
In case you need remembering, that's the episode where: "Psychic visions draw Eleven to a band of violent outcasts and an angry girl with a shadowy past," but despite the fact that the show is still fresh, this episode has already been voted as the worst episode in Stranger Things and by some distance.
A few reasons why:
- Chapter 6 ended on such a cliffhanger. It was hard not to feel aggrieved that it wasn't immediately answered in the next episode.
- The plot felt like you were watching a completely different show. The gang (Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will) wasn't there and the new characters were just 'thrown into' the mix.
- This felt particularly jarring because the season was really building some momentum as the shadow monster's intentions were finally starting to become clearer.
- Every single member in the 'new gang' were really annoying. Did anyone else not hope that the police caught them?
- Nobody cared what was going on here. Asidefrom Eleven's fate, nobody cared.
- Most importantly, it just doesn't feel like you're watching Stranger Things. Instead, it's like a weird mix of Hook and The Warriors. Ok, Stranger Things is great because it borrows heavily from certain films, writers and directors - this season was very heavy on James Cameron and H. P. Lovecraft - but for this episode, that surely wasn't intentional? If so, it was an atrocious decision. As someone rightfully said on IMDB, The Lost Sister felt like you were watching X-Men: Third Class.
- The whole plot felt shoe-horned, forced and like it was a very cynical attempt at establishing a spin-off.
Granted,
Millie Bobby Brown does her very best to salvage this episode and there are some decent moments in it, but it's so jarring - especially when compared to the excellent standards that were set by the other episodes.
Again, we're big fans of what we saw in Season 2 and if you haven't seen it then you're in for a treat, but The Lost Sister should stay lost.
Plenty of fans agree.
https://twitter.com/marmotjon/status/924501496867295233
https://twitter.com/everhesnewyork/status/924139988253523969
https://twitter.com/electricashley/status/924280020285173760
https://twitter.com/niccolapuz/status/924637293251510272
https://twitter.com/ValeryBrennan/status/924502458717499392
https://twitter.com/ramongonzalezzz/status/924490014611984385
https://twitter.com/nicooIest/status/924454596520611842
