Stranger Things Season 2 Review: 9 Ups And 3 Downs

3. Noah Schnapp Comes Into His Own

Will was given the short end of the stick in Season 1, serving as the launchpad for the show's storyline but not actually involved much himself. He was a plot point more than a character, and we didn't get to know him the way we did his friends.

That changes with Season 2, which really puts Will at its centre. He's once again important to the plot, but we also get to know more about him as a person, and Noah Schnapp is given a great deal more material to work with.

While we knew what to expect from the other child actors, Schnapp was something of an unknown given how Season 1 unfolded, but it turns out he's more than up to the task. He easily conveys the feeling of a child slightly out of place, even among his best friends, because of what he went through, but it's as the narrative progresses that a greater burden is placed upon him - and he really shines. There's a wide-eyed, manic terror to him as Will becomes more distressed with what's happening, and he gives a powerful performance that flips between a quiet, inherent sadness and writhing intensity.