6 Things We Took From the Stranger Things Panel at SDCC 2017
6. Finn Wolfhard Ain't Having It!
On the stage in Hall H, comedy superstar Patton Oswalt took an opportunity to bust on Finn Wolfhard for having entered the entertainment industry with such a naturally-perfect PORN NAME! It was funny, though slightly uncomfortable since Finn is only 14 years old!
Patton also warned Finn not to take a part in "Stranger Thongs"
Finn, however, handled it like a champ, mocking Patton right back and threatening to meet him outside, behind Hall H, for a serious asskicking after the panel.
Too bad this was one of the few panels NOT moderated by The Nerdist's Chris Hardwick. Chris knows the pain of being born with a porn name!
5. The Duffer Brothers LOVE 80s Electronica
Prior to creating the 80s-packed Stranger Things, The Duffer Brothers were already huge fans of synth music. They had a favorite band - Survive - that they would listen to while they wrote. To see if Survive's musical stylings would be a good fit for Stranger Things, they played Survive music while watching 80s classics, like E.T. It felt good, so they hired Survive to create their soundtrack!
4. Spoilers Are a Rough Burden to Bear
Those poor, poor kids! Each of the boys, in turn, was asked about what's coming next for their characters. Only Noah Schnapp was able to give much of an answer by saying, "Will shows more bravery," ...and then he trailed off, only adding that we'll learn more on the show.
Gaten Matarazzo, meanwhile, was visibly pained by his contractual inability to give out spoilers, crying out and pounding his fists on the table!
3. There's a New Monster!!
Hall H marked the premiere of the Stranger Things Season 2 trailer. It was released to YouTube just a few hours later, so you've probably seen it by now, but suffice to say that on the big screen in Hall H, the brief, shadowed appearance of something off in the distance elicited loud gasps all over the hall!
A bipedal monster was just too easy, wasn't it!
What is this new terror? It certainly seems to share the many-legged aspect of a spider, but it's also HUGE! In the crackling, red sky of The Upside-Down, this thing's legs went all the way up into the clouds. If that comes through a portal...
2. There's New Human Baddies, Too.
After talking to the core cast for a while, Patton introduced three of the new cast members joining the show for Season 2: Sadie Sink as "Mad" Max, Dacre Montgomery as Billy, and Paul Reiser as Dr. Owens.
Sadie is adorable and appears to be slated in a hero role, joining the boys (and Eleven, eventually?) on their new adventure.
The Billy and Owens characters, however, seem to be heading off in darker directions. What can we expect from Paul Reiser? Asked directly if Dr. Owens is a villain, Paul (of course) said that he couldn't tell us, but he could say that he was sent from the government to clean up Dr. Brennan's mess. "And then," he added, "... things happen." What can we really expect from Paul Reiser? He's mostly known for his comedy work, but anyone who saw Aliens knows just how well he can play a total slimebag creep! We're betting on Dr. Owens being more creep than hero.
Pictured: Beauty & the Creep
Talking about his new character, Dacre wasn't able to say much of anything (as usual), but he did let slip that he enjoyed the challenge of working on being really scary. Then he took a pause, thought for a moment, and said that he couldn't say anything else.
We all remember that Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) started Season 1 as a bully and overall bad influence on Nancy, but he pulled it together when the Things got Strange. Because The Duffers have already taken that path with a young bad-boy, we think that Billy is going to be a villain through-and-through.
1. Eleven is Definitely Back, but What About Barb?
Was there ever any question that Millie Bobby Brown's expertly-played Eleven would eventually get herself reunited with the boys? Of course not, and we fans didn't require Hopper's Eggo baskets to know that. The trailer sealed the deal: Eleven is not only in Season 2, but she's absolutely going to find a portal out of The Upside-Down.
But what about worldwide fan-favorite Barb? She wasn't up on stage for the panel, but when it came time for audience questions, Shannon Purser was first in the line! After the thunderous cheering finally died down, she came to Patton's podium to ask the big question, "Will Barb be back for Season 2?"
How she snuck in without a Hall H wristband is beyond me. SECURITY!
Unfortunately, Ross Duffer immediately leaned into his microphone and put the kibosh on the excitement: "NO," he said, but then added, "but there will be justice for Barb!"
