Stranger Things Season 4 Review – is the Penultimate Season Worth the Hype?
“It really does edge us very closely to the edge of everything ending.”
It’s been quite some time of waiting, but finally, Stranger Things is back streaming on Netflix for a new fourth season. Was it a hit? Did it hit all the right beats? Was it worth going upside down again? Let’s take a look, shall we?
Set eight months after the events of Season 3, The Byers family and Eleven are living in California with the rest of the youngsters still in Hawkins. So it is unfortunate to have everyone split when Eleven’s past catches up with her and the arrival of a new enemy from the Upside Down begins a killing spree across Hawkins.
It’s got to be said, this series really kicks it up a gear, in usual Stranger Things fashion. The stakes are higher. Tones are darker. Music just gets better. More importantly, the main bulk of our cast is maturer, and that comes with some much better acting ability than ever. Millie Bobby Brown is still the standout, there’s no question. But, Gaten Matarazzo and Noah Schnapp continue as joint second for best performers out of the youngsters. Sadie Sink also can’t be forgotten, especially after giving us one, maybe two, of the best scenes from the entire show thus far.
The older cast continue to do their jobs well, and more enter the fold and fit in perfectly. Winona Ryder doesn’t get an overly different route for her character than usual, but David Harbour goes on a real adventure in more ways than one. His physical transformation can’t be forgotten, and his approach to Hopper in this time in his life is amazing to watch.
Some of the new young stars are great additions to the show, namely (of course) is Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. The character is a breath of fresh air and is really interesting to follow. A perfect example of a young person who has their image to uphold when out and about, but behind closed doors has very different side. Without spoiling anything, we like the idea of seeing him again in the future of the show.
We then have the season’s big bad: Vecna, played by Twilight‘s Jamie Campbell Bower. This here is a formidable villain who ties into the entire story of Stranger Things in more ways than one. The only downside, for not only this character but others, is that we don’t get to enjoy character journeys as much thanks to story details previously released. We unfortunately know Vecna’s identity thanks to casting announcements before the show came out mixed with certain goings on in the show. Even the reveal years ago that Hopper is alive in Russia with a buzz cut. Let us find out for ourselves and enjoy these character arcs with nothing previously revealed. Before we move on, just a quick note – Suzie and her family are underrated. More of that madcap household in the final season please.
As we turn to the plot, we must take note that this series splits up the bulk of our cast for the majority of episodes. It’s new territory splitting everyone up to this degree and exploring an A and B plot in this way. There’s also the added Horror element of the season. The show has always been praised for his scary elements, but this time around we actually step into some graphic, frightening moments. The first big death is easily one of the scariest things on the show so far. Horror isn’t the only thing amplified this time around too. There’s actually a lot of emotions throughout this season, especially in that final episode. Happy tears and sad tears will stream. The season also does a great job of tying up a lot of loose ends before we head into the final season. There’s of course still questions as we head into Season 5, but we’ve been given answers that get us excited for those other hanging threads. Also, can we applaud how they handled people actually leaving Hawkins after the events of the third act? It’d great that the show is being realistic with reactions to big time occurrences.
The only things that make the plot suffer are the killing then not killing of some characters. We don’t want this to turn into a show that can just bring anyone back, like with Hopper last season. As the season finishes, you’re unsure if you’ve really seen the last of some characters, which really is wrong. We want to be sure that characters are dead so we can really feel the effects. Time will tell I guess. The split of the season also didn’t feel necessary. Whether this is because of Netflix needing more time to finish CGI etc. we don’t know, but otherwise it killed the momentum to have a small break and then return for two episodes.
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The people we have to thank for how well the season went overall is The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy. these guys really know how to up the stakes and react to fans. They keep growing the momentum as they effectively show our young cast juggling growing up fighting monsters, much like last season. They’ve got the show growing in terror and by the final shot, there is a definite sense that the end is nigh.
We can only imagine that they’ve had fun digging through the music for this season too? Music has always been a big part of this show, and Year 4 is no exception. The score is as chilling as ever and fits into the upped horror feel. But, the soundtrack? Jeesh! Kate Bush’s song was a real treat for a couple of moments in this season and it really ads to the drama with an orchestral undertone included as it plays. Beautiful is the only word to use.
As the fourth and penultimate season of the show, it really does edge us very closely to the edge of everything ending. That final little section of showing all our characters as the look upon, what they expect, is their impending doom. We’re heading into the final season, and it feels like nothing and no one is safe. The atmosphere of this season is amazing, so we can only look forward to what is to come next.
Overall, Season 4 carries a lot of emotion. A lot of Horror. A lot of strange things (so sorry, couldn’t resist, don’t worry, we’re near the end now, stay with me). The acting from now all of our cast is amazing, and the plot really does merge with everything else the show has developed to lead us into the grand finale of the show in the next few years. It’s just a shame that some plot points were freely revealed to the world pretty much. Plus, more high-profile deaths wouldn’t go a-miss. It’s always a newcomer or lower level character. Let’s go big or go home for Season 5, yeah?
It’s got to be a high one, just maybe not too high. An 8.3/10 for us.
Strange Things Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
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