Affection goes a long way for Mike and Will in Stranger Things 2

We didn’t see much hugging in season 1 but in the first episode of Stranger Things 2, there’s one moment that had us crying.

Warning: Some mild plot spoilers for the first episode of Stranger Things 2 are below. Read with caution.

Stranger Things 2 is gearing up for quite the amazing season, but it is a little bit different then season 1. You can read our recaps and other points throughout the weekend but there is specifically one moment that really stuck out to me as a shift in the overall tone of the show.

In the beginning of the first episode, the boys go to the arcade to play Dragon’s Lair, where Dustin proceeds to lose terribly. While he’s complaining about someone named Mad Max beating his high scores, Will wanders off a bit while he’s having an episode back to the Upside Down.

During this episode, he’s alone and everyone vanishes and it seems as if he’s back in the Upside Down with the Demogorgon. But what’s different now is that he comes back to reality, standing in Hawkins with his friends and he’s outside when Mike finds him.

In true friend fashion, Mike wraps his arm around Will’s shoulder and leads him back inside. What was so touching about it was that these kids only really showed affection for one another when they were afraid. They’re boys, so they never hugged or put their arms around each other except when something terrible had just happened.

So to see Mike do so to Will with such ease made me really excited for the relationships between these friends in season 2. Maybe they won’t be as openly affectionate as Mike was to Will in this episode, but it’s still a step in the right direction.

We’ll have to wait and see what is happening in the rest of Stranger Things 2 but personally, I hope we get more moments like this between the boys.

Next: 5 things we want in a potential Veronica Mars revival

Check back here on Culturess for more recaps and news as we review all of Stranger Things 2. And it is a season you definitely will want to see.