Childhood's end: A brutal goodbye

After what feels like an eternity, we’re finally back in Hawkins — a town that’s somehow even more claustrophobic than we remember.

- By Lakshana N. Palat

The place is under quarantine, tensions are razor-sharp, and the chaos is already brewing in the first few scenes as the Byers and the Wheelers attempt to coexist under one roof. Ted Wheeler would love nothing more than to throw everyone out just for a moment of silence, but obviously, that’s not happening. (He could check on his daughter first).

There’s more to life than breakfast squabbles. Vecna is still out there, and nobody has the faintest idea where he’s hiding. Stakeouts are being planned like a small-town FBI operation. Will is back to feeling that eerie, crawling sensation under his skin.

MORBID SENSE OF FINALITY