Lauren West
After nearly three years, we’re back in Hawkins, and it feels so good. What started as a little Netflix show about kids fighting monsters has turned into a fully-fledged horror show. Stranger Things is finally back and better than ever.
Earlier this year, Netflix announced on Twitter that the newest season of Stranger Things would be split into two volumes. The first seven episodes were released in May, with two more episodes dropping on the streaming platform five weeks later in July.
Volume One joins the cast only a few months after the events at the end of season three, with Max (Sadie Sink) trying to come to terms with losing her brother and half of the gang moving to California to start a life away from the troubles of Hawkins and the Upside Down.
A tad overcrowded
With all these storylines and extra characters, it becomes easy to lose some in the process. Will (Noah Schnapp) especially feels as though he’s being left behind. In season one we lost Will to the Upside Down – in season four we lose him to lazy writing and overcrowded casts. The show’s creators even had to apologise to fans of the show after forgetting Will’s birthday in season four.
This probably isn’t helped by the addition of newer characters. D&D Hellfire Club leader Eddie (Joseph Quinn) has instantly become a fan favourite, but not every new character has been given the same attention. There are new jocks, cheerleaders, and Soviet prison guards to meet. But, none of them are given the space to develop their character arcs enough for you to feel any kind of connection to them.
It’s not really a shock to any fan of the show that the young women in this season steal the show. Sadie Sink perfectly portrays the grief of losing her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) and faces an epic showdown with the newest villain, Vecna, in what can only be described as the standout scene of the series. The epic production value and a killer Kate Bush song showcase just how good this season can be.
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven is a standout as usual with flashbacks to her time in the Hawkins Lab showing just how impressive her acting skills really are. Robin (Maya Hawke) became a staple character last season and that only continues into the newest instalment. Her wit and social awkwardness really shine through this time around.
A real horror
When season four was announced by Netflix, they claimed it’ll be the “most intense season so far”. They were not wrong. This is now a horror show. The shift in tone makes sense though. The young teens that fell in love with Stranger Things when the show was first released back in 2016 are now young adults in their 20s. Monsters hiding in walls and flashing lights are no longer as spooky as they used to be.
It’s clear to see the influence 80s horrors like Nightmare on Elm Street and the Stephen King classics have on the show. We’re no longer watching characters disappear into the Upside-Down during carefully placed cuts of the camera. We’re watching bones snap and eyes being gouged out.
It’s unsettling at times, but it’s a revamp that works so well. There are scenes of pure horror but you’re brought back with moments of what feels like a coming of age story, bringing you back to what brought the show such a massive following in the beginning.
Back to basics
The charm of this season lies in the story being told right where it began: Hawkins, Indiana. It’s about a group of friends investigating the spooky goings-on in their hometown and trying to save their town from monsters. The episodes are much longer this time around – the final episode lasts a whopping 1 hour 40 minutes – but it never drags. If anything, you’re left wanting even more. While it feels different from previous seasons, it’s still Stranger Things at its core.
A season of Stranger Things as good as this is exactly what Netflix needs at this point. Streaming service users have been dropping for a while so its success is probably much welcome by the streaming giant. The newest addition to the show broke streaming records with over 286 million hours watched in its first weekend, beating out another Netflix heavyweight, Bridgerton.
The Duffer Brothers hit the ball out of the park with Volume One. Now we’ve just got to hope Volume Two is just as good.
Stranger Things Season Four is available to stream on Netflix. Volume Two dropped on 1st July.
Featured image courtesy of Rafal Werczynski on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.
Lauren West
Hi, I'm Lauren! I'm a recent journalism graduate from Leeds Beckett University and living in Nottingham.