Returning to The Upside Down: all the news, trailers and commentary about Stranger Things Season 2 – The Verge

Stranger Things 2 should have had a frog consultant

2017-11-13T12:42:49-05:00

The pollywog Dustin finds in Stranger Things season 2. | Image: Netflix

The internet is filled with articles and Redditors pointing out the anachronisms of Netflix's 1980s science fiction throwback series Stranger Things - from Barb's Volkswagen car to the Demogorgon figurine. Now, scientists are joining the ranks of nitpicking nerdy fans.

Stranger Things season 2 spoilers ahead.

In Stranger Things' second season, Dustin adopts a tadpole-like pet that loves nougat that is actually the baby version of a flesh-eating monster from The Upside Down. In episode 3, while trying to understand what exactly the pollywog is, Dustin pulls out a book and points to a species of frogs whose tadpoles develop outside the water …

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Stranger Things’ personal dramas are more compelling than the supernatural ones

2017-11-09T10:22:44-05:00

It's been less than two weeks since Netflix released season 2 of Stranger Things, and the internet is still buzzing with memes and analyses of every detail in the hit series. Nielsen estimates that 15.8 million people tuned in to watch on the premiere weekend, and that 326,000 people streamed all nine episodes on the first day. The show has a huge following, and a confirmed third season on the way, but the aspects that had fans charging into season 2 might not be the same things that will draw them back to season 3.

Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things seasons 1 and 2.

The initial run of Stranger Things introduced supernatural elements like …

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What the hell is wrong with Hopper in Stranger Things season 2?

2017-11-03T10:27:34-04:00

In horror movies, it's often necessary for institutions to fail. To make the audience scared, the characters have to be scared, which means they can't just casually whistle up the authorities to take care of the roving maniac, the giant monster, or whatever else is on the loose. In both seasons of Netflix's Stranger Things, it's important that the government is a vaguely inimical, vaguely incompetent organization that permits cruel experiments with bad results, then lets the invasion of our world by the Upside Down get out of hand. But in season 1, at least, the local authority represented by Sheriff Jim Hopper slowly comes around to believi …

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Question Club: Is Stranger Things season 2 a worthy sequel to the original?

2017-10-31T12:43:43-04:00

This past Friday, Netflix released the second season of its hit series Stranger Things. Last year, the show appeared out of nowhere, catching pretty much everyone by surprise with its combination of retro-'80s nostalgia and Steven Spielberg-meets-Stephen King storytelling. But this year, it was all about the expectations, with the streaming service creating a wave of hype that framed the show's return as one of the must-watch entertainment events of the year.

Now that we've actually had a chance to see what series creators the Duffer brothers put together for the sequel, a group of us here at The Verge decided to sit down and discuss our fe …

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This Stranger Things DVD looks like an old VHS tape

2017-10-28T15:00:02-04:00

If you've caught Stranger Things at all during its first or second season, you'll have seen how much it relies on the nostalgia factor. Old Ataris, Eggos, Three Musketeer candy bars at Halloween, and plenty of old 80's music make the show feel like a trip in a time machine. The show also has plenty of VHS tapes, which its characters use to record important memories and re-watch favorite films.

Now, non-Netflix subscribers can check out the Stranger Things. To celebrate the show's second season, Target released an exclusive collector's Blu-Ray / DVD of the show's first season, designed to look like a faded and worn VHS tape.

Inside the fade …

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Netflix is launching a Stranger Things after show

2017-10-26T10:15:11-04:00

Netflix is launching a Stranger Things after show called Beyond Stranger Things, The Hollywood Reporter reports. This will be the first time Netflix has hosted an after show on its own platform.

The show, hosted by actor Jim Rash, will feature an analysis of each episode and roundtable discussions with the cast and crew, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, and show creators Ross and Matt Duffer.

Even more 'Stranger Things'

The seven-episode after show will be available to watch on October 27th, the same day the second season lands on Netflix. But, according to THR, Netflix is suggesting that viewers hol …

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Lyft’s new Stranger Things ride mode sounds more unpleasant than scary

2017-10-25T12:46:16-04:00

Stranger Things returns on Friday, and the brands want us to know they're just as excited as we are to get back to Hawkins, Indiana. The most recent attempt to capitalize on the show's popularity comes from Lyft, with the launch of "Strange Mode."

On Thursday, October 26th and Friday, October 27th, users nationwide will be able to opt into the mode from 6AM to 6PM, which will change Lyft's map so that cars are represented by waffles, Christmas lights, trucker hats, and the Stranger Things logo. Then on October 27th and 28th, riders in Los Angeles and Philadelphia will be able to take a Stranger Things-themed ride from 4PM to 9PM. According …

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Stranger Things season 2: to binge or not to binge?

2017-10-24T11:17:14-04:00

When Stranger Things debuted in 2016, it became an unexpected, massive hit that captivated legions of fans around the world. Now, with season 2 set to begin streaming on October 26th, it will be the end of a year of waiting to see what happens next. Netflix will make all nine season 2 episodes available at once, which means ambitious or addicted subscribers can take a day off work and get caught up with the entire story in a single day. But should they?

Andrew: When Stranger Things first hit, it seemed like it percolated for a couple of weeks before it really exploded in popularity. I picked up the show as this was happening, but ended up t …

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Everything we know about Stranger Things’ second season (and beyond)

2017-10-23T10:50:01-04:00

The nine-episode second season of Netflix's Stranger Things will begin streaming on October 27th. It's been more than a year since the kids from Hawkins first faced the otherworldly monsters from The Upside Down. The show was a huge success, and this new season faces enormous expectations from fans.

Stranger Things' eight-episode first season leaves off after the Hawkins kids confront The Upside Down's Demogorgon and a slew of federal agents trying to contain the situation. Meanwhile, Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) travel to the other world, where they finally discover and rescue Joyce's son Will. The monster …

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Stranger Things’ spoiler tweets reveal the nightmare future of marketing

2017-10-18T12:24:46-04:00

Remember in Minority Report, when Tom Cruise's character tries to lose some pursuers in a crowded mall, but the sophisticated advertising technology of 2054 keeps identifying him by name and trying to sell him things? It's a funny gag, and a useful plot point, since it means he can't go anywhere without wall-holograms ratting him out to his enemies. But it's also meant to be the sign of a dark future dystopia, where privacy has disappeared, and facial-recognition scanners and complicated algorithms target consumers individually.

The team behind the hit Netflix series Stranger Things has been taking us a step closer to that dark future latel …

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