So, I just finished bingeing Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 and I have some thoughts! Without wasting any time, let's get into it, shall we?
STOP! WAIT!!
THIS POST WILL HAVE SOME SPOILERS, WHICH WILL BE CALLED OUT BEFORE EACH MENTION. PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT YET!
Things I Loved:
1. The very fact that the show was back after T-H-R-E-E long years! It was so good to be back with the characters that you've grown to care about so much! It was so good to re-visit that crazy ol' town of Hawkins, Indiana and get back with the gang and do some mind-flayer demon hunting shenanigans!
2. It was good to see some real-life high school struggles faced by teens make its way into Stranger Things!
SPOILER BEGINS: Mike and Dustin are struggling to fit into high school while Lucas has joined the basketball team and is considered (sort of) cool. On the other hand, in California, Will seems all alone and struggling to fit in as well but Eleven (now called Jane) is struggling even more so; she actually attracts the attention of some popular kids, who mercilessly bully her. So, issues like bullying, teenage struggles of fitting in, body image issues and, even trauma, are dealt with this season, which was nice to see. SPOILER ENDS.
3. Everyone loved the trio of Dustin, Steve and Robin in Season 3 and I am happy to report that we see a LOT of them in Season 4 volume 1 as well! The gang is back and rapidly chasing down clues to figure out why strange things are happening in Hawkins this time around.
4. Apart from our old favourites, just like we loved Robin, Murray (the Russian-speaking guy) and Erica (Lucas' sassy little sister) in Season 3, this season has added some new, fun and loveable characters.
SPOILER BEGINS: Argyle- Jonathan's new friend- and Eddie- Mike and Dustin's new friend and fellow Dungeons & Dragons player- are a really great addition to the crew! SPOILER ENDS.
5. Stranger Things has been more of an action-adventure-thriller type series up until now, but the current season takes things up several notches with much more spooks, scares, gores and brutal killings. The body count is also significantly higher this season! Unlike most slasher flicks, where the huge body count is, often, of characters one doesn't care about, in Stranger Things, you end up feeling so awful about each innocent's death. The ability to build so much connect with side characters in such short screen time is no mean achievement and the Duffer Brothers have done such a great job with it!
6. The evil this season is much scarier than what we have seen in the previous seasons. The big villain this season is so much more sadistic and cruel that what we have seen previously and is also somehow connected to Eleven.
SPOILER BEGINS: In the previous seasons, we've seen the Demogorgons, who are like glorified monsters with teeth and, of course, The Mind Flayer, who likes messing with people's minds. This season, the Big Bad- labelled Vecna by Dustin- is truly sadistic and cruel. Unlike the Demogorgons, who just went for the kill, Vecna likes tormenting, torturing and then killing his victims- mostly, those in pain or recovering from some trauma. He is, truly, a monster and you can't help but feel helpless as someone dies right in front of our brave crew and there is little they can do about it! SPOILER ENDS
7. My favourite thing this season, however, is the message that the creators intend to give all of us.
SPOILER BEGINS: Recovering from grief and trauma may often seem isolating and lonely. You can feel disconnected even from those closest to you. However, if we lose that connection and keep dwelling in the dark places that grief takes us, it can only be self-destructive. This season is all about how friendship and community are important for our emotional well-being and not losing that connection with those we love and those who love us is, especially, important during our darkest times. A very timely reminder, indeed. SPOILER ENDS.
Things I Didn't Like:
1. Well, isn't this supposed to be an ensemble show? Don't get me wrong, I adored having an abundance of Steve-Dustin-Robin and Max and all of their shenanigans. Still, I felt that some characters were very, very unrepresented and barely there this season. Mike, Will, Jonathan and even Lucas, to an extent, are not really there for long stretches and I wish we had a more equal split of screen time between characters. And, if not equal, then at least see more of certain characters. Mike and Will and Jonathan felt like side characters and not part of the main cast of characters.
2. I don't know why...or if this seems weird or off, but all those scenes with Eleven and the lab were just a little too boring. I was totally zoning out and wishing they would just hurry up with it. And it felt like we were watching the same thing over and over again. Not my favourite by a long shot. I get what they were trying to build up to but I wish they had gotten there faster.
Similarly, all the Russian prison scenes were also quite boring for me. Did not enjoy those.
3. I am also not sure if I like the whole Steve and Nancy thing. Hmm..why? Can't we get Steve someone else? Someone new? Meh. Not exactly loving this arc.
4. The big reveal was very easy to guess. I saw it coming from a mile off. It's not a bad twist or anything but it's entirely too laboured and took up far too much air time building up to it. Also like I said, I guessed it from the get go.
I can't wait for July and see where the rest of the season takes us and how our motley crew handles this big bad.
I enjoyed these seven episodes. The last one, especially the last few minutes of final episode gave me some serious Harry vs. Voldemort vibes and I am here for it. Also Eleven doing the classic superhero landing was just..uuffff! July can't get here soon enough.
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