With the summer months now behind us, it's a great time to be an avid TV watcher. Because every week brings a new fall premiere, once again allowing us to partake in our favorite weekly small screen adventures. But Netflix isn't going to be left out of the fun, and it has a major fall premiere coming in the form of Stranger Things Season 2. The massively popular sci-fi period piece will return to the streaming service just days before Halloween, and more details are slowly becoming public. One of which is about the kids' new hang out at the local arcade, and a new character who will be often seen there.
Our very first idea for Season 2 was to introduce a local arcade (named The Palace, in a nod to WarGames!). We love board games but in truth have spent more time playing videogames (too much time, our mom might say), so we wanted to weave them into the fabric of the show. An added bonus: every game in the arcade worked, so we got to play between takes!
This tidbit comes to us from The Duffer Brothers themselves, who shared a few pages of Season 2's script with EW. The scene takes place at The Palace, and the duo also gave a peek into their creative process with bringing the arcade to Hawkins.
Giving the child ensemble a new setting seems like a smart plan for Season 2, so the show and it's world continue to expand. The majority of the scenes involving the group of buddies happened in Mike's basement in Season 1, which will no doubt show back up again when the series returns next month. But it'll be refreshing to see Dustin, Lucas, and Will above ground for a few scenes, doing what kids are supposed to do: play games.
Speaking of games, I have to wonder how much Dungeons and Dragons the group is playing nowadays. While there will be a new focus on video games, D&D was a major plot point of the first season, especially with the naming of the Demogorgon. But with Will back from The Upside Down, perhaps they want to steer clear of that monster, fake or not.
The Palace will also introduce a new character named Keith, played by A Series of Unfortunate Events actor Matty Cardarople. The Duffer Brothers teased his introduction as well, saying:
Keith is a new character who works at The Palace. He's several years older than our boys, but he's somehow less mature. The only thing he likes more than Cheetos is Nancy.
It's time to make Nancy's love triangle into a square, because she's got yet another admirer in Hawkins. I wonder what Steve will think of this?
Stranger Things will release its second season on October 27th, 2017. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
