Following that intriguing 30-second spot for season two of Stranger Things during the Super Bowl, more of the plot has now been revealed!
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the creators of the Netflix hit, the Duffer Brothers, revealed what audiences can expect when season two goes live on the streaming platform on Oct. 31, 2017.
As we already know, season two picks up a year after the events of season one on Halloween (hence those Ghostbusters outfits that Mike and the gang were wearing in the Super Bowl commercial). Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, is back with his squad, but, as we saw in the final moments of season one, things are not going too well for him. Co-creator Matt Duffer explains that final season one moment and how it will play into season two.
“He seems to be seeing images from the Upside Down—the question is whether they’re real or not. So it seems like he’s having some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.
As for the rest of the Byers clan, matriarch Joyce (played by Winona Ryder) is trying to keep the family together, while managing a new love interest. Joyce will be dating an old high school classmate named Bob, who will be played by Sean Astin. Ryder explains the new romance for Joyce.
“She’s trying to mask a lot. I think she’s made this choice with Bob because she wants a good father figure in her sons’ lives," she said.
Hopper, played by David Harbour, is trying to manage all of the events of season one and keep everything he saw a secret from the children (and maybe also hide Eleven's whereabouts from them). Harbour reveals where Hopper's head will be.
“It kind of falls on Hopper to be the voice of authority to say, ‘This did happen and this didn’t happen. He’s struggling with the compromise that takes him to, having to lie and cover things up,” he said.
Siblings Nancy and Mike are going to struggle to cope with the (apparent) losses of their friends, Barb and Eleven. Co-creator Ross Duffer describes their states of mind.
"[They] are both the most screwed-up because they’re the ones who both lost someone. They’re both grappling with that, and we see the effects," he said.
There will also be new characters introduced to next season. New brother and sister duo Billy and Max, played by Dacre Montgomery and Sadie Sink respectively, will shake up Hawkins, Indiana in more ways than one. Max is going to cause some romantic sparks to fly with Dustin and Lucas, played by Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin. Billy, on the other hand, is going to be a different story. Matt Duffer explains the motivation behind the character of Billy.
“Stephen King always has really great human villains. The evil in the real world is often as bad or worse than the supernatural evil, so we wanted to introduce a character like that," he said.
As for Eleven? Everyone's lips are sealed tight on her fate. But Matt Duffer has one thing to say.
"I want people to know that Eleven is back and she's a major part of the season."
Catch the full interview (and some exclusive pictures from the new season) in the new Entertainment Weekly issue set to hit stands on Friday, Feb. 10.
But first things first: What's up with Eleven's hair on the cover? Is she channeling Marcia Clark's old look?
Tune in to Netflix on Halloween to catch the full second season of Stranger Things and maybe figure out if this hairdo is important or not for Eleven.