REVIEW: ‘Stranger Things 4’ — what works, what doesn’t
Photo: From left, Gaten Matarazzo and Joseph Quinn star in Stranger Things 4. Photo courtesy of Netflix / Provided by press site with permission.
Let’s get it out of the way: Stranger Things season four is a marvel, and, let’s be honest, there was a good chance this beloved show was going to lose some steam with its multi-year gap between seasons three and four. It’s heartening and surprising to report that this sci-fi / fantasy / horror series on Netflix continues to deliver the TV goods, and season four doesn’t disappoint longtime fans (or those who are finally jumping on the bandwagon).
That’s not to say everything in the fourth season works perfectly. There are some honest criticisms that can be lodged against the show, but the negatives pale in comparison to the adventurous, nail-biting, momentous positives that populate each of the nine new episodes.
Here goes. Spoilers ahead.
What Works: Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn
There are several new characters in the fourth installment of Stranger Things, but Eddie Munson is the best. He is the leader of the Hellfire Club, a Dungeons & Dragons group that attracts the interest of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Eddie not only is a diehard D&D fan, but he’s also a metalhead, which means he’s doubly awesome.
Eddie goes through a transformation in the fourth series. He’s the badass at school, and then he’s the subject of a police investigation when Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) is brutally killed in his presence. He needs to go into hiding, and he seeks the help of Dustin and his friends. During one pivotal scene, he shreds a guitar solo on Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.” It’s a bravura metal performance that almost saves the world. Unfortunately it doesn’t save Eddie from being attacked by demobats, and he later dies from his injuries. His final scene, with Dustin clutching him in the Upside Down, is heartbreaking and a season highlight (or lowlight — we’ll miss you Eddie!).
What Doesn’t Work: Sidelining 1/3 of the cast in the desert
The cast of Stranger Things 4 is split into three groups. There is Eddie, Dustin, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Max (Sadie Sink), Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) in Hawkins, Indiana. Then there’s Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sharing space once again with Papa (Matthew Modine) and Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) in a secret facility buried in the desert, while Mike, Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and newcomer Argyle (Eduardo Franco) dash through Utah and Nevada looking for her location. The final part involves Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) planning a top-secret rescue of Hopper (David Harbour) in a remote Russian prison.
Having three storylines is not a problem in and of itself, but the desert thread involving Mike, Will, Jonathan and Argyle struggles to keep pace with the rest of the plot. There are times when the series gets so enamored of the other storylines that it doesn’t check in with the desert sequence, and that absence feels kind of OK because the Dustin vs. demobat battle and the Joyce / Murray vs. Russia storyline kicks so much butt. There is an embarrassment of riches this season, and that just means some characters are left behind.
That said, there are some quality conversations between Mike and Will, which examine their friendship and Will’s sexuality. There is a beautifully written and acted scene between Will and Jonathan about brotherhood. Argyle is funny, to be sure, and he saves the day by finding Eleven a container for her meditative bath.
What Works: Max. Period.
Audiences are coming to the conclusion that Max is probably the best character in Stranger Things, even more so than Eleven (is that blasphemy?). That’s saying something because Sink’s role is not an original one that dates back to the first few episodes, but ever since she joined the cast, the quality of acting and characterization has skyrocketed. This season she is the target of a mean old baddie named Vecna (aka One, or Jamie Campbell Bower). Her only means of escape is constantly playing her favorite song: Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.” What a great tune to add to season four (ditto for “Master of Puppets” and a reworked “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” by Journey).
Max is left in dire straits at the end of this season, but audiences can easily guess she’ll be back for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. Count this reviewer in the Max Camp, and here’s hoping her role is selected for the much-anticipated ST spinoff series.
What Doesn’t Work: Nancy vs. Steve vs. Jonathan
In some ways, this boyfriend-girlfriend battle is secondary to everything else (after all, Hawkins and the world may soon end), but this season gives a lot of time and dialogue to Nancy and Jonathan or Nancy and Steve. By virtue of Nancy and Steve being placed together in Hawkins for their ferocious war against Vecna, they get to know each other again. They fight side by side and share some intimate moments. Perhaps the highlight of their renewed relationship is a speech Steve gives about his dream of having a family one day: husband, wife, six children, an RV to travel across the United States. It’s a sweet scene, made sweeter when he says Nancy features prominently in the dream.
Technically speaking, Nancy and Jonathan are still a thing, but they live apart and don’t have to face off against demobats and Vecna together. Thus, they cool off considerably, and by the season’s end it feels like Nancy and Steve will be the winning combo.
Perhaps this speaks more to my age (let’s just say I’m no longer a teenager or 20-something), but this “love” thread is somewhat groan worthy. Again, the world is about to end, so I’m not sure I care that much how everything will shake out in the romance department. That’s not to say romance shouldn’t be part of Stranger Things. It is, and it should. There’s tons of romance: Lucas and Max, Eleven and Mike, Hopper and Joyce (the best duo), Robin finding the courage to ask her bandmate out on a date, Steve learning to cut down on the number of girlfriends, the sex appeal of Billy (Dacre Montgomery) last season. I’m just not sure Nancy, Steve and Jonathan’s love trio deserves top billing.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What Works: The special effects continue to impress, especially in the Upside Down. There’s a clear indication of Netflix giving a big budget to the Duffer Brothers.
What Doesn’t Work: There’s not enough time in Hawkins before the world turns upside down. Some of the best moments of Stranger Things is the everyday life in this small town: trick-or-treating on Halloween, playing D&D, clubhouses in the woods. The only addition we get is a big basketball game at the beginning of the season, and this storyline feels cheesy, even for ST.
What Works: The flashbacks to Papa, Eleven and One fill in many blanks about this unusual medical experimentation. But …
What Doesn’t Work: The new material with Papa and the nebulous nature of the government this time around doesn’t work as well. Who are the government officials chasing after the children now? Are they good or bad? Are they in on the secret or not? The status of the government, doctors, military or anyone else in a suit is needlessly mysterious. Let’s just agree that demo-anything is worse than anyone with a tie, so let’s stick to one villain.
What Works: The episode lengths, including a two-and-a-half-hour finale, truly made each segment feel like a film. But …
What Doesn’t Work: The episode rollout was, well, strange. Maybe Stranger Things should adopt a week-to-week rollout similar to Disney+ and network television. There was no rhyme or reason why seven episodes were released in May and then two in July. Then again, this show plays on an alternate time loop compared to everything else.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
