Stranger Things season 4 is exhilarating but bogged down by its runtime
After three years, the Netflix blockbuster returns with a potent narrative that demands (even more) patience for any payoffs
Stranger Things kicks off its fourth season by going back to the beginning—in more ways than initially anticipated. “What have you done?” Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) ominously asks a young Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in a bloody-good cold open as multiple dead bodies lay around them. The scene takes place in Hawkins Lab before El escaped in the series premiere. What did she do then, accidentally or not, that might’ve set off the events of Stranger Things? The answers trickle in over seven entertaining, terrifying, and overlong episodes about who the heck controls the Upside Down, and how El is connected to it all.
Unwieldy pacing notwithstanding, season four’s first half begins with a spectacular few episodes. The show succeeds in diving into the dark and unintended consequences of El’s powers—the same ones she lost during “The Battle Of Starcourt”—linking it all to Hawkins’ cursed past. By tackling its origins, Stranger Things returns with a potent narrative that ties several loose ends together. It’s a labyrinthine undertaking that, for the most part, has a gradual and solid payoff. After all, the show can’t sustain itself by only giving its protagonists more monsters to battle (how many times must Eleven close a damn gate to the Upside Down?), even if it usually balances that with genuine coming-of-age stories and character interactions.
It’s 1986, six months after season three, and El is now living in sunny California with the Byers. She’s aggressively bullied at her new school; it’s a way harsh storyline with weirdly meaningful ties to her upbringing under Dr. Brenner. Meanwhile, Will (Noah Schnapp) is sullen about being away from his pals. (This is a sincere plea to let Will be happy for a change—and maybe give him a different haircut.) Back in Hawkins, with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) now a star basketball player, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are part of the Hellfire Club. It’s led by Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), a key new figure in their world.
It doesn’t take long before suspicious deaths start happening around town. These killings are more brutal and unexplainable than Hawkins has ever seen, leading to mass panic and hysteria. (But at least the adults and cops are a little more involved now.) Easily the most exciting aspect of season four is how it embraces gore like never before. Even the show’s harshest critic will be swayed by that perfect blend of creepy and fun sci-fi. This time, there’s a haunted house, bone-shattering death scenes, a tentacled villain nicknamed Vecna who speaks in a baritone voice, and a huge homage to The Nightmare On Elm Street in how Vecna functions. The Duffer Brothers’ own superpower is reveling in ’80s horror nostalgia. And the duo is on top of their game here.