After three years of waiting, we finally return to Hawkins for the fourth season of the hit Netflix original series “Stranger Things.” From the fun and thrilling story we’ve had in the previous seasons, things take a sinister turn for our beloved characters in this new spine-chilling adventure.
Split into two volumes, the new season picks up one year after The Battle of Starcourt. With the gang scattered in California and Hawkins, they must now face a lurking darkness that threatens their beloved hometown.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), now living with the Byers family in California, struggles to fit in at her new school and tries to move forward from the tragic “death” of Jim Hopper (David Harbour). However, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) thinks otherwise and believes Hopper is still alive, based on a cryptic message sent to her doorstep. She and Murray (Brett Gelman) then decide to journey to the Soviet Union to take their chances on that message.
Meanwhile, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) try to cope with the distance between them and their friends back in Hawkins. Meanwhile, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) have joined a Dungeons and Dragons club called The Hellfire Club一headed by Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn).
On the other hand, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) finally lands a spot in the Hawkins High school paper, while Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke) pursue a gig in a Family Video rental store. Though things aren’t exactly going well for Max (Sadie Sink), who is still processing grief over the loss of her stepbrother Billy (Dacre Montgomery).
Is it written on the mark?
This new arc brings in several storylines alongside the main plot which is a challenging feat for a huge ensemble cast, even taking into account new cast members. It even made this season split into two volumes and longer runtimes for each episode.
Despite the attempt to grab the attention of viewers with its numerous subplots, keeping up with everyone was not exactly easy, which perhaps made consistent writing difficult.
Some examples would be particular scenes in the story that seem to be written quite flatly, with cheesy dialogue between characters. This was evident when the Hawkins group of Steve, Robin, Nancy, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas met up with Eddie. In one scene, where Eddie had recounted and described a certain character’s death as “unlike anything the group hasn’t witnessed,” the rest of the group then explained the concept of the Upside Down to him, and the nightmares that lay beneath Hawkins. It’s quite a common cliché of dialogue that one usually sees across some horror films and series when it comes to characters discovering supernatural phenomena for the first time. However, despite these minor details, this season still manages to bring the adventure and excitement fans were always looking forward to.
In line with that excitement, the show also brings viewers new fan-favorite characters such as Eddie and Chrissy (Grace Van Dien). They have both become an iconic pairing throughout this season, which even became an internet meme on social media. There’s also Enzo (Tom Wlaschiha)–a Russian guard who aids in Hopper’s escape plan–who has become quite an underrated favorite. Jonathan also befriends Argyle (Eduardo Franco), the stoner-type character who the California gang has reeled in into the otherworldly disturbances in Hawkins. Certainly, these additions have made the season more interesting.
Things that go bump in the night
As the story leans toward a darker chronicle, viewers are in for a treat as the disturbances in Hawkins take a seemingly more occult and horrific turn. It even touches on the Satanic panic phenomenon which also occurred in the 1980s. In the show, the game Dungeons and Dragons was thought to be linked to satanic worship, ritual sacrifice, sodomy, suicide, and even murder.. In reality, however, the 1980s actually saw several murder cases that happened at the same time the game was released which contributed to that panic.
Despite all this, there’s still time for our characters to unwind and have fun before the battles they face. Moments like these are accompanied by newly added songs that are quite familiar back in their time. The reemergence of British singer-songwriter Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and American heavy metal band Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” bring so much nostalgic energy and impact for the newer generations to enjoy.
Likewise, special effects for this season still put the audiences in fascination with the use of both practical and visual effects as seen in the latter parts of this season. We get to have a full look at the new villain our heroes have to face and even more of the Upside Down’s gruesomeness and its monstrous creatures.
The endgame is near
This season offers more than it can give with its numerous subplots which slightly confuses viewers on what direction the narrative is going. While the inconsistent and flat writing is off-putting in certain scenes, it was still able to tie in all the adventures of our adored characters by the end quite monumentally. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for this tale?
Hopefully, the Duffer Brothers can come up with a grand final chapter to properly close the stories of Hawkins and its residents with its fifth and final season一certainly slated for a summer 2024 release.
Jump into the latest otherworldly adventures of “Stranger Things,” currently streaming only on Netflix.
