Immediately after the opening of Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1, you might notice that the shortest episode is 62 minutes long, the longest episode is 98 (!), and the average is around 72. Your reaction to this (not to mention the fact that the final chapter of the volume will be shown) The second in July with an amazing two and a half hour running time) will likely determine how much you enjoyed Season 4 in general. Either you get excited about more “stranger things” – the bigger, the better! — or you’re currently staring at these words on your screen trying to analyze what, exactly, could require these many extra minutes to showcase what was once a fun version of the ’80s adventure blockbuster.
Watching the show’s big payoff at the same time as Netflix hit its first real roadblocks, the streaming service and the tech company make for a surreal experience, if at least it fits. Having become Netflix’s first true pop-culture giant, the increasingly ambitious Duffer Brothers series have reiterated the rapid expansion of their network and have clearly communicated the way other projects have progressed that might scratch a similar itch. (You can draw a straight line from the ’80s nostalgia machine ‘Stranger Things’ to something like ‘The Adam Project’, the last Netflix movie seems to have come out with its powerful algorithm.) want , represents just how exponentially ‘Stranger Things’ has grown And how much they are allowed to indulge each instinct, as long as it keeps subscribers logged in for a few (hundreds) more minutes.
From a narrative point of view, at least, the answer is simple. As the basic four boys — who were teens, and now those youngsters whose bass rings in their voices practically falling through walls — have learned after playing hours upon hours of Dungeons and Dragons, a straightforward task can evolve and multiply into something more complex. And far-reaching if given enough time. Now, six years after the show first launched, “Stranger Things” has significantly upped its mythology to complicate its stories well beyond their initial limits. It’s also blown its characters into the wind just enough that recording with them all is becoming increasingly difficult, to the point where, it seems, there’s no clipping everything to fit the confines of a traditional TV episode.
Throughout the seven episodes that premiered on May 27, the cast ended up splitting between several groups and locations. The season opens in 1986 with the Byers family—Joyce (Winona Ryder), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Will (Noah Schnapp)—living in California, as newly adopted Eleven struggles to fit in amidst all the cynical blonde bullies. Back in Hawkins, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Dustin (Gatien Matarazzo) join the group of Dungeons & Dragons at their new high school, headed by the charismatic dungeon master Eddie (Joseph Quinn), while Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) tries to gain popularity as the most popular team seat Basketball dedication. Max (Sadi Sink), who finished Season 3 as a lovable member of their group, has since regressed in grief and confusion over the tragic death of her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery). If anyone is ever consistent, it’s the older teen; Nancy (Natalia Dyer) transfers her skills to the school newspaper, while Robin (Maya Hawke) rambles about her forbidden girl crush on her co-worker and best friend, Steve (Joe Kerry). Oh, and Hopper (David Harbor) somewhere in the Soviet Union, supposedly dead but alive and more miserable than ever.
With all these characters to track, “Stranger Things” sure has its work to do with it, and he mostly manages to keep everything moving in a steady enough clip once the four or so subplots that end up defining the season have been created. The problem is that almost every piece (except for Eleven continuing to explore its origin story) becomes less compelling the further away from Hawkins it gets.
For example: Adventures in California run out with every exhausting weed joke, continuing to waste a young man’s skill at conveying Will’s most tender pain with a single glance. Ryder ends up on a hilarious side quest with Brett Gilman’s obsessed Murray, who doesn’t do much for any of the actors. And with all due respect to Harbor, whose portrayal of a sympathetic, alternately snarling man remains one of the show’s best, every Hopper cut is a hindrance. (Unfortunately, this season doesn’t justify the decision to keep this character alive after his incredible sacrifice at the end of Season 3. Let characters other than Barb and randos die, “Stranger Things”!) As each episode creeps past the hour mark, it becomes difficult Very not to be upset with these threads to take up a lot of time.
When “Stranger Things” returns to Hawkins and what it does best, though, it’s easier to overlook a few turns. Max Sinek’s pain gives her plenty to sink her teeth into, especially in the ring meant for her as she tries to come face to face with her. An ultimate cast between Robin, Steve, and Nancy brings out the best in the three actors, especially as Dyer’s thorny design balances Hawke and Keery. Now that the show is getting into its final season, it’s also smart that the rest of the city not only finally reaches its limits with all these mysterious deaths, but rather proves itself very vulnerable to the very real demonic panic of the era.
It also helps that Hawkins’ new monster – which Dustin accurately calls a Freddy Krueger replica – feels more touching and deeply frightening as it preys on teen trauma. The so-called “Vecna” has an explanation (pretty cool), but before that, it’s also just a potent weeknight creepy monster that brings new life from the zombies to Upside-Down. In fact, while what was ultimately revealed is intriguing, it’s quite a contradiction to realize that there will be another whole season after the second part of Season 4. The way Vecna relates to the rest of the series makes it hard to imagine how much more juice the series could extract from it – but of course, extracting as much material from this one property as possible is as much the point of “Stranger Things” as anything. else.
“Stranger Things” Season 4, Volume One, premieres Friday, May 27 on Netflix.
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