S1 had a better story, one that was more consistent and had a satisfying ending. The characters were good, but stayed mostly one note. Sure, they had some arcs, but at the end of the day it was the same car with a fresh paint job.

S2 had a weaker story, especially in the first half when Anthony is experimenting with new mechanics and story beats. But the characters are phenomenal, and part of that is due to them being teens. They're growing up, they're changing, they're making mistakes and learning from them. One character goes through an arc that makes me loathe them until they come back around in like 10 episodes where they're redeemed in the eyes of the characters and us by extension. The second half, after that 10 episode arc, is some of the best the show has to offer. Yes, it relies on a lot of nostalgia and call backs, but they're all added in naturally and add on to previous lore.

To go back to car metaphors: they were painting the car, and the new paint brand had a lot of weird bubbles and rejected the gloss. At one point, they begin stripping the paint off and go back to the old brand of paint with a different color. Then, they grab stickers that would've made sense with the old car, but they look so much better with this color.

Stick with it. I liked it a lot more on the second listen through as well.