Since Stranger Things 2 dropped on Friday, many of us have been spending any available downtime trying to cram in all nine episodes, then reading everything we can about it. (May we suggest: Sean O’Neal’s own experiences with Dragon’s Lair, a look at the Halloween party in episode two, some speculations on the inspiration for Billy, and Emily L. Stephens’ excellent episodic analysis?). But if you want to get info straight from the stranger horses’ mouths, you can: Show creators the Duffer brothers are offering recaps over at Vulture.
If too much behind-the-scenes info won’t ruin the action for you (in fact, the opposite appears to be the case so far with Stranger Things fans), Matt and Ross Duffer reveal the sentiments that led to some crucial casting decisions in recap number one. For example, Paul Reiser’s role was basically written for him, but Sean Astin as Bob was a fluke—he was originally auditioning for the conspiracy theorist role. Dacre Montgomery’s performance as Billy inspired a whole new look at the character. And that arcade has a very specific ’80s movie antecedent—it has the same name as the arcade in WarGames. If you’ve already reached the end of season two, perhaps these Duffers recaps will give you something to chew on during your inevitable rewatch.