It’s felt like a lifetime since Netflix subscribers left Hawkins, Indiana in July 2019, when the third season of “Stranger Things” came to a close. What do the characters of this universe still mean to a fan base that has watched them grow up (and arguably age out) on camera? Can a show that started as a riff on the ‘80s work of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg prove that it’s grown up too? Almost as if they recognize the skepticism around this show’s relevance in the entertainment landscape, creators The Duffer Brothers expand the scope of their smash hit in “Stranger Things 4,” spreading its characters around the world, dividing the season into two installments, graduating from ‘80s action to ‘80s horror, delivering episodes that are as long as feature films, and interrogating the trauma that these people must carry with them every day.
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As to that last point, the jury is still out as to whether or not this season will have the kind of character-driven impact that the last couple have arguably lacked because critics haven’t seen the two episodes that will air in July, making an assessment of the entire venture nearly impossible. How is it so far? It’s everything, all at once. The seven chapters that drop on May 27th are both undeniably bloated and yet can also be wildly entertaining, often in the same beat, crafting riveting sequences even if they sometimes feel in service of a show that too often mistakes bigger for better. This is really the equivalent of the Summer MCU Blockbuster but on television—these chapters reportedly cost $30 million per episode—and “Stranger Things” can sometimes suffer from the same self-seriousness and lack of genuine stakes as that pop-culture juggernaut. But, like the MCU, it can also be incredibly likable as it provides well-crafted escapism, a way to get away from the stress of the years since we last visited these truly unlucky characters.
Netflix has asked for their typical respect related to spoilers, so this review will be very light in that department. At the end of season three, Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will (Noah Schnapp), and a now-powerless Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) moved to California, and the fourth season of “Stranger Things” is surprisingly content to keep a lot of its characters divided for at least the first seven episodes of its nine-chapter run. Whether it’s a product of Covid-19 conditions (wherein less cast in one place is easier than a big ensemble) or something that was always planned, fans will likely be shocked at the segmented nature of the season’s story, especially the fact that El is barely with the rest of the cast (for reasons that can’t be spoiled here). Dividing Brown from the co-stars that helped make her famous was a risky move, but she does get some rich emotional material in the mid-section of the season as El unpacks her origin story (yes, again), and a nice scene partner in an excellent turn from an actor named Jamie Campbell Bower.
Even the boys who so often fret about the state of their friendship aren’t together for most of the season. After Mike (Finn Wolfhard) comes to visit El, he ends up on an unexpected road trip with Will, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Jon’s new buddy Argyle (Eduardo Franco). Meanwhile, the obviously alive Hopper (David Harbour) works to escape his Russian imprisonment, while Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) get involved with a venture behind enemy lines to save the day.
The richest arc of season four takes place back in Hawkins after a girl is supernaturally murdered while in the presence of a sixth-year senior named Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), who is then accused of the impossible crime just because he’s the head of a D&D group called The Hellfire Club. As the dead girl’s boyfriend leads a gang with pitchforks to get Eddie, the young folk of Hawkins who know a thing or two about the thin line between reality and a universe of evil in town try to help. This unites Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Max (Sadie Sink), Steve (Joe Keery), Erica (Priah Ferguson), and Robin (Maya Hawke) in yet another battle to save the universe. This arc allows the writers to cleverly play with the fury of headlines in the mid-‘80s that claimed Dungeons & Dragons was a force for evil and even the Satanic Panic itself. And it’s got the richest ensemble interplay and most effective storytelling beats.
It’s obviously a bit too much show (and this review doesn’t even include all of the familiar faces that return in some capacity). The writers have introduced so many characters over the years that they’ve arguably become victims of their own expansion. While it’s admirable that the action of the fourth season has moved far beyond the most cursed town in the Midwest, it’s a season that can often feel fractured, and not all of the plotlines work to the same degree. In particular, Will and Mike feel almost entirely sidelined this season, and their arc falls flat when they are around—both actors look bored to still be a part of the show. One can presume they will play a bigger role in the final two chapters, but they’re barely supporting players in these seven episodes.
Pushing aside a major character like Will and basically separating El into her own arc does give some unexpected supporting players a chance to shine. In particular, Sadie Sink does phenomenal work, especially in episode four, easily the best of the season, and one of the best ever. A moving piece of storytelling on its own, it allows Max a chance to examine the trauma over what happened to Billy, and it really sticks the landing. It’s a great centerpiece for a season that’s at its best when it’s digging into the suppressed memories and lingering pain that must haunt these characters. The ‘Big Bad’ of this season is inspired by “Nightmare on Elm Street” with a dash of Clive Barker, a creature who feeds off trauma and need. The whole season tends more to ‘70s and ‘80s horror than the sci-fi action of the last few (Robert Englund even makes an effective cameo), and that shift in the visual language makes for some of the most impressively haunting sequences in the history of the show.
Still, especially after a lull that follows the peak of the stellar fourth episode, there’s an increasing sense that the expansion of this season wasn’t what it needed at this point in its legacy. Yes, getting out of a mall in Hawkins to tell a story that travels the globe was smart, but the scattered structure of “Stranger Things” this season can be exhausting. And it really feels like “Stranger Things” needs to justify its scope and size with a final pair (including a season finale that runs 158 minutes!) that really justifies all of the bloat with actual stakes. Make the journey worth it, and fans will forgive the bumpy ride to get there. For now, despite the return of “Blockbuster Television,” most of those questions about this show’s place in the entertainment world in the 2020s remain unanswered. [B-]