Review of Stranger Things Season 4
by Avantika P.
On July 1, Netflix released the final installment of the fourth and penultimate season of Stranger Things. Within days of the release of the first volume, the show broke streaming records. From May 30 to June 5, Stranger Things totaled 7.2 billion minutes of viewing time.
This season found the main characters more separated than before– telekinetic but powerless Eleven, Will Byers, Will’s mom Joyce Byers and brother Jonathan move to California after the tragic events of Season 3; Jim Hopper is imprisoned in Russia after he was seemingly killed in the previous season; and the rest of the gang remains in Hawkins, adjusting to high school life. The season also brought new characters– Argyle, Jonathan’s new quirky best friend, and Eddie Munson, the eccentric leader of the Dungeons and Dragons Hellfire Club that Lucas, Dustin, and Mike are a part of– as well as a newer, scarier villain, Vecna.
While Season 4 certainly proved to be one of the best, Volume 2 left viewers with lingering questions and slight disappointment.
Season 4 is a perfect representation of what the creators do best: create an aesthetic that mixes 80s nostalgia with a mysterious and creepy tone. This season’s set, hair, and costume design is incredibly accurate and detailed. While Season 3 explored the typical, colorful 1980s style, Season 4 went back to the show’s roots and continued with a darker, more sinister tone.
This season is also the longest season so far. With nine episodes in total and each well over an hour, the series was jam-packed with different stories. It was exciting to see how the writers would fit all of the storylines, but in the end, it was worth it because no plot felt too rushed or too much.
Stranger Things 4 brought many new characters to the forefront for a chance to shine. For example, Sadie Sink gave a very compelling and strong performance as Max Mayfield, a troubled teen who is a part of the friend group with Lucas, Mike, and Dustin. At the beginning of the season, Max is coping with the loss of her older brother, Billy, from the previous season. Because of her personal trauma, Max becomes a target of Vecna. At the end of the fourth episode, “Dear Billy,” Max is captured by Vecna in a version of the Upside Down that exists in her mind. In the real world, Max is put in a trance, and rises in the air, a sign that she will die soon. But she doesn’t die. In an effort to save her, her friends blast her favorite song, “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush, in her ears. The beautiful use of Kate Bush in the exhilarating scene makes both the episode and song the most talked about parts of the season.
But in terms of the other characters, there was a lack of character development. Most notably in Mike. In previous seasons, Mike was a lovable character that liked saving and protecting his friends. But in Season 4, Mike is angsty and rude. Joyce, who was once so fiercely caring for her children, is reduced to comic relief this season.
Before Volume 2 premiered, theories spread like wildfire across social media. Vecna is actually Eleven’s father; characters will sacrifice themselves to save their friends; Eleven created the Upside Down, the alternate dimension that exists parallel to the real world. The common theme among the most popular theories was that many main characters would die. It was also hinted at by the creators and actors of the show. But that did not, in fact, happen.
In the emotional climax of the final episode, “The Piggyback,” Eddie dies after fighting off bats in the Upside Down and Max is killed after Vecna gets to her again. The emotional scene of Dustin holding Eddie, and Lucas holding Max while Moby’s “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” plays would be even more emotional if it ended there. But in the next scene, Eleven uses her powers to revive Max, bringing her into a coma.
This brings out the show’s biggest flaw: the writers are always afraid to do the unexpected. If Max, a beloved main character, died, it would be the most shocking thing the show did and fans would be devastated. But it would also make sense and help the story progress. Instead of killing off lead characters, the writers turned to their predictable trend of killing new characters. Bob Newby died in the second season by being eaten by Demogorgons, just a few episodes after being introduced; Alexei, a Russian scientist who was a fan-favorite, was introduced and killed off within season three. And now Eddie Munson. Eddie’s death was supposed to seem heroic and brave; however, it made no sense and was completely unnecessary. Joseph Quinn, who played Eddie, did a great job of playing the character and it would’ve been exciting to see how Eddie would continue throughout the rest of the series. After listening to all of the interesting, plausible fan theories, it just seems like the show has wasted so much potential.
The creators of Stranger Things have hinted that the next season may include a time jump for the characters. Considering Season 4 left off on a cliffhanger, it will be interesting to see how the story continues on in Season 5. Although it would’ve been great to see the show push boundaries and include big surprises, Stranger Things 4 still blew watchers away and deserves all the attention and praise
