The final two episodes of Stranger Things 4 have been released! They were advertised as “Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2,” and although I was initially conflicted about this separated release strategy, it ended up being worth it, as these final two episodes have enough dramatic weight to be released on their own. Both are far longer than any episode we’ve had thus far and function as an extended climax, despite their combined length exceeding a feature film. There was a lot of payoff from this season, including setup for the final season.
El’s narrative, which I previously said was a weak point in Season 4, turned out pretty satisfying now that her arc is complete. It doesn’t quite excuse the slow pace of her subplot, but it was worth exploring. El is, as usual, the heart of the climax. Millie Bobby Brown is given a lot of opportunities to shine in these episodes, and she takes all of them. While I still prefer the mystery of the first season’s Demogorgon, this season’s antagonist, Vecna, also works as a foil to El. Max has a surprisingly large role in the climax as well, allowing for a level of character development that I was not expecting. Similarly, Lucas has a more significant role than usual, and I enjoyed watching his interplay with basketball captain Jason Carver, who is an extremely fun character in his own right as a secondary antagonist. New character Eddie Munson is an excellent addition to the cast, and he adds a lot of enjoyment throughout the season. His epic guitar montage is truly one of the best parts of the final episode.
While there were a lot of things to love in these episodes, there were also some flaws that came to light. Stranger Things has always been character driven, so the weaknesses in the scripts for certain characters are very apparent. Will and his brother Jonathan have close to no stake in the plot anymore. The final episode tries to haphazardly throw together an arc about their relationship as brothers, but it feels pretty hollow. The creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, recently revealed that they actually made a mistake in this season. In one of the earlier episodes, the date is shown to be the same as Will’s birthday, revealed a few seasons ago. However, there is no mention of this among the other characters. Some have speculated that this is a commentary on Will’s friends not caring about him, but the Duffer Brothers have confirmed this was not intentional. It’s pretty clear that the Duffer Brothers don’t care for Will any more than his friends do. There’s one scene where Mike completely ignores Will, oblivious to Will sobbing next to him. Mike, who once was arguably the main character of the show, is a shell of his former self, and I don’t think it’s an intentional development on the writer’s part. Mike is a bit of a jerk now, despite Will asserting that he’s the heart of their group. He contributes virtually nothing to the season and is given no opportunities for great acting. These are not deal breakers by any means, but they are definitely a disappointment. Stranger Things is an ensemble show at this point, so it’s no wonder that not every character gets the spotlight, but if two of the original four friends could get cut out of the story without much changing, there’s a problem.
While discussing the future of the show, the Duffer Brothers have stated that Stranger Things 5 will be the finale, and are aiming for a Summer 2024 release. This season leaves enough threads open that I’m looking forward to seeing how the show wraps up. The ending has catastrophic implications for Hawkins and perhaps the rest of the world, and I’m glad there’s a sense of momentum. Hopefully, that momentum will prevent the final season from being rushed, as a lot of the pieces are already in place for a satisfying conclusion. We’ll know soon whether or not this penultimate season leads to a great ending to the story, but as a stand-alone story, Stranger Things 4 works, save for a few issues with particular characters. This review may seem a bit harsh, but keep in mind everything I said in the previous review stands true here. We’ll be back when the final season drops, so add Stranger Things to your BingeRoom List to make sure you’re caught up when Season 5 is released!
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