Stranger Things: Season Four - Volume 1
NETFLIXAfter a three-year hiatus and covid delay, the Duffer Brothers' Stranger Things has finally dropped for fans on steaming platform NETFLIX, but this time promoted as volume one that contains seven feature-length episodes and volume two proceeding with two additional bumper episodes on July 1st. So, audiences have a vast amount of Stranger Things to contend with, but is it all worth it and, most importantly, is it any good?
It is refreshing and soul-touching to see this gang back on screen. After the destructive personal journeys that caused the group to disband and go their separate ways in the finale of Season 3, Season 4 picks up with the lives of the two groups that have taken shape with positive and negative reactions to their new lives – be that Eleven’s difficulty in school or Lucas and co. trying to balance popularity with friendship. For the first time in a long time, Stranger Things is touching on the personal and relatable horrors of society related to teenagers; the Demogorgon and villains for the first quarter of the season take a step back and the season deals and grips with the reality and humanity of what these characters have to face. Moral dilemmas of selfishness feel genuine and authentic; they have consequence and effect that sees them take shape in arcs further down the line. It is this that ultimately saves the bloated middle portion of an otherwise okay season, but the constant reminder that special effects and 80s nostalgia will only go so far, and the core group is as immersive and indulgent as ever.
This dip into character undoubtedly brings the best out of the situation. Millie Bobby Brown is clearly once again the standout, with yet another emotionally progressive and substantial performance. It once again grows and takes shape into another evolution which almost felt fulfilled after her arc in Season 3, but alas, she works utter magic. Closely followed by Caleb McLaughlin, who has often been pushed to one side, is given substantial material, and the actor does not disappoint. The more amassed screen time, the more immersive and investing said character becomes, but the show leaves prowess of talent a little more to be desired with an arc that fluctuates but ultimately does not take form.
It is painful that Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schapp are done the dirty here, not only in screen time but in a lack of substantial character arcs that are missing. The two performances have little to nothing to do aside from being reactionary vessels to the vents or characters with the material. They do so little to standout and are given zero material to flesh out and make a reality. The former’s relationship with Eleven stagnates to a point in which even the Duffer Brothers decided to put it on ice due to it having no more legs, and the cruel implication of the matters of sexuality feels unfortunate and uncomfortable to be constantly used as an unspoken thematic than a living breathing aspect of the character itself. Furthermore, the success of being the new franchise starter for Wolfhard has done so little for the actor's ability in terms of performance; his role here is lifeless and has clearly stagnated in terms of range which the actor does not have. Zero emotional intent or implication is ever shown or ever apparent in his performance. While the character is sidelined here, the issue is that a sooner rather than later emotive response will be needed to form at least a strong bond between the audience and character. However, the worry is that it will never take shape and, with the season constantly wanting to place Mike and Eleven's relationship at the centre, then it needs to stop resting on the latter's talent and wake the former up from his coma.
Alas, the characters are the least of the seasons' issues – the pacing and story take the precedent. For the season to advertise and profess feature-length episodes, it is a shock that they are padded out with so much filler and lack a progressive story. Each episode takes an absolute age to have any momentum and move the story on and ultimately stagnates to a point in which the season feels as if it rinses and repeats, with its characters having never taken shape until the final seventh episode. Even more painful is that with only one season left, this season has the opportunity to take enormous risks and inject a mass amount of emotional connection with its audiences to further that immersive participation. On each and every occasion, it toys with such aspect but never takes said risks. While this season thinks it is doing the right thing by keeping the gang all together for that final season, it fails to recognise that it is going to face massive pacing issues and emotional tardiness, not if but when the dominoes start to topple. That being said , the writers further make troubling or downright monstrous character decisions that feel tonally awkward and downright inhumane. One such example finds Will, Mike, and Jonathan burying a body of a recently deceased character with no moral compass whatsoever, and for characters who not five minutes ago were finding issues with the theme of popularity at school are now taking part in horrifying moments of emotional torment but are in no way showcasing anything of tonal substance. An element that gives off horribly tone-deaf thoughts and feelings.
Another small but substantial issue is that it is hard to watch this season is that the series looks and sounds like Fear Street Part 4. Granted, the talent on offer is significantly more in substance in this project, but the aesthetic can never be shaken off, and it looks both cheap and has that NETFLIX schtick which, with the reported budget of this season, is a clearly perplexing issue but one that might be personal critique than one that will concern the masses.
What can be said in positivity is how the Duffer Brothers tie this all together and make one hell of a climax to this season. It is undeniably effective and jaw-dropping to see the breadcrumbs turn into something with substantial merit – not only for fans of the series from the very beginning but work so effectively in the story of this season alone. It is just a shame that it takes so long to get there and find its feet. Ultimately this season feels like it had A and C planned out but had no idea how to connect them with B, and in order to tie them together, stretched the material out tenfold to find the perfect story arcs to blend into something that feels organic. But even to that extent, splitting the season into two volumes undermines this motif as it never feels fulfilling or deserved.
It feels like it will be another long wait to see the end of Season 4, with Volume 2 a few months away. However, the fact it is only two episodes, one at a whopping two and half hours, feels as if the Duffer Brothers and NETFLIX have overstated and over substantiated what they feel needed in this story. While, personally to them, everything feels needed to showcase these arcs, it comes across like hours and hours of paddling with little substance in seeing these characters grow and, therefore, feels like dead air and wasted screen time for fans that cannot help clammer enough for this universe but for now they can waste a few hours seeing these lifeless voids do little, only for Millie Bobby Brown to electrify and save the screen once again.
