One of the major themes facing the characters of Stranger Things is the nature of your own sanity. The trauma felt by those who had witnessed the show’s, well, strange phenomena can make one appear unhinged to those who hadn’t, as evidenced by the reactions to Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) wild lighting experiments. With season two in production, it appears that the insanity is only beginning.

Though Stranger Things season two appears to have already begun filming, star David Harbour has apparently only read some of the scripts. The man who plays Police Chief Jim Hopper said at a Stranger Things panel at the New York Comic-Con that things are about to get crazy in the second season, even by Stranger Things standards.

According to Comic Book, the panel confirmed to the Comic-Con audience that fan-favorite Barb (Shannon Purser) will not return in season two after suffering an unfortunate death at the hands of the Demogorgon. Harbour hinted at an “insane” story to come in season two, but commented at length on the budding love triangle between Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), which began to materialize during season one and apparently continues to develop in season two. Harbour also commented on one of the show’s biggest mysteries, the circumstances surrounding the death of Chief Hopper’s daughter. Season two will continue to shed more light on Hopper’s past.

“I feel like with the loss of a daughter like that, I just feel like he’s truly broken in a way that almost cannot be healed. … In a certain way he has so much guilt because he’s so used to saving people — used to good guys and bad guys — and finally he puts himself in a situation where it’s just life. I mean, there’s just nothing he can do and I think that he takes that on himself and carries it on his shoulders.”

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Harbour’s comments about the “insane” new season echo the sentiments of producer Shawn Levy, who promises that season two will be “next-level” with “some crazy stuff.” Between the Demogorgon stretching through walls, Will and Joyce communicating via Christmas lights, and Eleven’s mysterious mind control, the show already features plenty of “insane” material – making the idea of an even crazier second season all the more intriguing.

It’s been reported that a new character named “Max” is set to join the group of four boys that join up with Eleven in the first season, and that the first episode of season two is titled “Madmax”. It’s possible that “Max” will only add to the heightened insanity of season two and perhaps add a whole new layer of mystery to the Hawkins Lab and the secrets contained within it.

Stranger Things obviously comes with a massive new set of expectations in season two. As eager as the show’s producers may be to up the ante in the sci-fi/action department, they understand that the superb acting and character depth is the true heartbeat of the series. The Duffer Brothers may have hinted at a James Cameron influence in season two, which could mean more spectacular visual effects and action sequences. But that could also mean a natural progression of the characters, as Will could see a similar transformation as Sarah Connor’s evolution from innocent victim in the first Terminator to hardened bad-ass in Terminator 2. Striking the right balance between action and heart will be key for Stranger Things to continue to have the same kind of success it’s already enjoyed.

Stranger Things season 1 is now available on Netflix, with season 2 expected to arrive in 2017.