I previously wrote an article on the new season of Stranger Things about a month ago, before it came out. Now, the season has been out for a while, and people from all over the world have all enjoyed the 9 episodes we waited for over a year for.

Since most of the fans have had a chance to (binge) watch it by now, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the new developments in the story, and what that means for its future.

The show started out somewhat like the first season, with the first episode showing a disjointed trilling scene without any main characters. It then cut to the regulars of the show, and how their lives are different since the events of last year. Though Will is back, he obviously is not well, experiencing episodes of seeing a terrifying creature towering over Hawkins in the upside-down. Meanwhile, new characters have arrived in the city. Bob (played by Sean Astin) is a local adult nerd and a kind (though somewhat naive) boyfriend to Joyce. Max, who is a new girl in the same grade as the boys, is followed by her sociopathic teenage step-brother Billy (though later we discover his unnerving cruelty is partially due to having an abusive father).

As the season continues, Will grows gradually worse, eventually becoming possessed by the very thing he was so afraid of. We learn that Eleven is alive and being cared for by Hopper, and she eventually learns more about her past and others who also kidnapped by the lab as children.

The climax of the season is definitely when Will is successfully exorcized of the then-dubbed “Mind Flayer” and Eleven closes the inter-dimensional gate that she first opened over a year ago.

Looking forward, there are still several issues to be resolved in future seasons. Most trivially, Eleven and Max’s relationship is strained, because of her attempts to become closer with Max. Also, Dr. Martin Brenner is still apparently alive, and could become a certain future hazard to the characters’ well-being. Most dangerously, the last clip of the season shows the Mind Flayer still hovering over the school in the Upside-Down. The main question is who will let it back into Hawkins?

Unfortunately, we have a long wait until season 3. The earliest that it will be released is late 2018, and judging by the over-a-year-wait we had for the second season, it will most likely be even longer. But we can wait that long. After all, we’ve done it before!