Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1: Review
I, along with millions of others, have indulged in the new season of Stranger Things on Netflix. I have been watching the show since it came out in 2016, right before my freshman year of high school. I am now a Junior in college and am the same age as many of the actors in the show.
As the years have passed, and I have grown, it is interesting to see the show grow as well. Season 4 is the most mature season yet. The show has always leaned into the horror genre but approached it in a way that was not too intense for young teens to watch. This season is different. In the first episode we are introduced to a graphic and unsettling twist of an ending. As someone who is not a fan of gore, I finished the episode with only one thought: “ew.”
While this season is more intense, it fits well. The kids are not the young middle schoolers they once were. They have fought monsters and dealt with loss and separation. As the kids mature, so does the show. We are seeing the kids grow into adults and develop through their teenage years. As they get older, they go through what every young friend group goes through: separation. They are not the same people that they were when they all met, but they are still connected by the truth behind all of the secrets in the town. The plot lines are more intricate, with aspects of each past season coming together to make this ongoing story line more cohesive.
Each season has different villains, and I think this season, once Volume II is released, we will see how everything is connected. When I started season 4, I was not sure how I felt about introducing Vecna as a new villain. It seemed out of place compared to the other plot lines. I thought to myself, “are we just going to keep doing this?” Each story line seems to be: someone goes missing, the kids investigate it while the adults try to stop them, and at the end everyone comes together to fight the villain. It’s a good plan and good for story telling, but I hoped that it would not become redundant, as I very much enjoy watching the show. This introducing of new villains every season reminds me of the Legend of Korra, which was structured like that because of issues between the show’s creators and Nickelodeon. The Legend of Korra became redundant. Each season had a different villain and it made me wonder what the connection was between each story line. I think, and I hope, that the Duffer brothers will give the audience an explanation behind the connection between all of the antagonists in Volume II.
One of my least favorite things that show writers do is when it seems like they are making up the plot as they go along. Take Riverdale, for example. It started out as a show that seemed to know what it was doing. There was mystery and suspense, and while it had been done before, it seemed to know that, adding to the flavor of the show. Now, no one knows what’s going on with the show and this is only emphasized by the clips that go viral and people make fun of. When I started watching Volume I of Stranger Things, I was afraid that it was going to go down that path, a path of it seeming like things are just being made up as they go along. As I kept watching I was proven wrong. I think this season and Volume II will come together very nicely.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Volume I of Season 4 of Stranger Things. I like how the characters are developing, how their relationships are changing, and how the plot is unfolding. Based on the trailer for Volume II, I think the last two episodes will be the most intense that this show has ever had. I am very excited to see where it goes. I also enjoy seeing so many people bond over one show. With so many streaming platforms that is hard to achieve now but I think the fact that Stranger Things can do that, proves that it is a great series.