Season 2 of “Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85” premiered yesterday on Netflix just five months after the release of the first season. This season, like the last, contains eight episodes that are about 30 minutes each.
In an effort to keep the franchise alive and offer the beloved storyline to a younger audience, The Duffer Brothers gave fans season 1 of “Tales From ‘85″ just three months after the final season of the live action “Stranger Things” concluded.
Season 1 of “Tales From ‘85” fills the time gap between season 2 and season 3 of the original series, focusing mainly on the adventures of Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven and Max, with the addition of their new friend, Nikki.
At the end of the first season, after the group took on new monsters, Eleven closed the gate to the Upside Down. Leading us into the second season, a blue flower sprouted from the remains of the monster the kids defeated, foreshadowing the premise of season 2.
The show uses a unique but nostalgic cartoon style that aims to engage a younger audience, omitting the dark and mature content the original series included.
The series’ structure reminds me of a modern-day “Scooby-Doo.” Cartoons like these not only entertain children but force them to employ logic while watching. Like “Scooby-Doo,” the characters solving mysteries and looking for clues encourages active engagement rather than tuning out.
Although the cartoon brings the characters on smaller-scale adventures, with monsters from the Upside Down that were absent in the original series, they still share many parallels, such as character mannerisms and group dynamics.
To me, the ending of the live action series, where almost every character miraculously survived, proved that the producers of “Stranger Things” often neglect logic for what fans want to see. However, after watching “Tales From ‘85” it is apparent to me that the Duffer Brothers enjoyed creating a show in which they could be creative with their storylines without dealing with the pressure of fan reactions.
Last year, the final season of “Stranger Things” captivated what seemed like the entire world. For the entire month of December, it was all anyone was talking about. The finale was so highly anticipated that AMC and other companies offered special showings in theaters; Target had a specialized “Stranger Things” section, and it seemed like every video I watched on social media was some sort of edit. After being extremely devoted to both the characters and universe for 10 years, it made sense when fans immediately had withdrawals.
“Tales From ‘85” works to give fans more content to engage with, allowing them to slowly wean themselves off the drug that is “Stranger Things.”
Rating: 4/5