[cheebacheeba]

I think them not explaining the Strode connection works fine with the first movie.
It presented Michael as just a force of nature - an animal, a pure predator devoid of any human reasoning.
He set his sights on Laurie just because she happened to be in his path.
He saw her - that was it.
Her extermination became his only objective.
Whatever was, or wasn't "wrong with him" aside - I think it was simply that for whatever reason he chose what was there as his victim/prey and she was his singular "reason", tunnel vision.
I think between the two films, he was just on pause out of circumstance.
He was simply picking up where he left off.
She was still there - his aim was to remedy that, for whatever reason (or lack thereof) he had in the first place.
Whatever it was that drove him, that factor that I don't think was ever really intended to be understood by the audience (eg - can't explain/understand = scary)
was still in play.
Just like he was an animal in enforced hibernation.

Just me, but I think the lack of WHY was one of the things that made the first one so effective and what made Michael really unique...reasons and connections were only really toyed with in the sequels...this follow up was set firmly within the lore contained in the first movie, and I think they were happy to keep it there. I think what we have here is a sequel that stayed true.
He's the shark. She is his blood in the water.
I look forward to seeing him again, perhaps with that mask melted into his face.