The first season was mainly worldbuilding and character development. In season 2, the creators were free to do a lot more because they already established their setting and how each character relates to each other.

I'm just glad they followed up on the plots and characters from season 1 while still developing new ones. In particular,  it was amazing to see Victoria Van Gale reappear. The entirety of episode 5 had me crying by the end honestly. I relate a lot to Hilda, and to see VVG there was just devastating. Victoria has always been a darker, "what-if" version of Hilda if she were to grow up and lack the ability to control herself and hold herself back from making bad decisions.

Victoria and Hilda both have a passion for ingenuity and progression. They both want to help out people without thinking of the consequences. They have the same curiosity and desire to explore the unexplored. They both crave adventure.

But Hilda usually sees that her actions hurt people, and fixes her mistakes. Victoria is what Hilda could turn into, easily, if she doesn't recognize when to stop.  That's what makes VVG such a good foil to Hilda, and why she's one of the best antagonists on the show.

But speaking of that, the true antagonist of the show is actually Hilda's mom. She's the one who directly stands in the way of Hilda (for good reason) and I just love that season 2 explored this critical plot fixture. Hilda wants to share her awesome, crazy world with her friends and family. But it's a dangerous world, and she knows that. She thinks she has it under control, though. The fact of the matter is, Hilda is selfish. She wants to do these dangerous things even though it makes people worry about her and oftentimes can put them in actual danger.

But at the same time, Hilda is bringing these amazing experiences to her loved ones, and they usually actually enjoy them. It's an interesting source of tension, and the conflict between those two characters drives the entire show IMO.

I also just adore the new Safety Patrol characters. Erik Alhberg is such a great addition to the show. I'm almost certain that Zapp Brannigan was the inspiration for Erik's character. They share so many traits - the unearned self-importance, delusions of grandeur,  and a flair for the dramatic. The biggest difference is that Erik is a bit more self-aware than Zapp and much less insecure.

I'm just glad that Gerda, his deputy, didn't end up taking the role of Kif lol. When she realized her boss was an asshole at the end I was so happy. Those two characters really boosted the show in my opinion.

But anyway, I'm glad to see another Hilda fan on this site! It's really such a good show, and really underrated.