After over a year of waiting, the second season of “Stranger Things” has finally come to Netflix, and I have never been more excited about spending nine hours in front of the TV.

The second season opens almost a year after the events of the first season, and life seems almost back to normal in Hawkins, Indiana. Action and angst fill the storyline, and it is thrilling from start to finish. I will not spoil anything for those who have yet to see it, but I am a huge fan of the darker and more plot rich angle that this season has taken. Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) is a fantastic actor, and one of my personal favorite things about this season is his ability to portray the turmoil in Will’s mind. Without him, the season truly would’ve fallen flat.

From the score to the aesthetic to the characters, everything about this season seems more well developed and intense, and I am a massive fan. Even some of the things I was warned about being not as great, like the slow pace of some of the middle episodes and the fact that episode 7 diverged from the main storyline towards the end, I enjoyed. I thought the slow pace was crucial to building tension in the plot, and the standalone episode gave me a much clearer understanding and deeper love for Eleven. I was not aware I could love Eleven any more, so this was pleasantly surprising.

I have to mention the character arc of Steve Harrington. He is played by actor Joe Keery, and has some of my favorite moments of the season. Although he was a bit of a jerk in season one, this time around his character is arcing like nobody’s business. Dad Friend Steve™ has become a popular concept in the “Stranger Things” fandom, and it is a concept I am extremely fond of. Steve Harrington has grown even closer to my heart, and I am so happy that this season ended up the way it did with him as a character.

“Stranger Things 2” is more cinematic, more captivating, and more emotionally harrowing than the first season. It made me laugh and cry and think, and that is what a good story should do. If anyone has not seen this show, I recommend it as highly as I am capable of doing.