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Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 review – the boldest and bloodiest season yet

May 24, 2022

This review for the Netflix series Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 contains no spoilers.

Access an archive of Stranger Things news, recaps, and reviews.

What The Duff Brothers Accomplished With The Long-Awaited Fourth Season Of stranger things is a remarkable feat. They’ve produced nine episodes, seven to be released this Thursday, May 27, and all of them are feature films. The first volume is as thrilling, hilarious and downright terrifying as it gets, Duff’s boldest and bloodiest season to date. It’s been a phenomenal season of mainstream popcorn television. And it has the added highlights of two important character returns and jaw-dropping storylines that come together at the end of volume one. In fact, I would call “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” possibly the best TV episode the Duff Brothers have ever produced.

The fourth season means a change for our favorite stranger things Freaks and Geeks. The time elapsed has only been six months since the Battle of Starcourt Mall. Children grow, mature and take different paths. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) is now on the Hawkins High School basketball team. Max (Sadie Sink) has broken up with him and is dealing with the aftermath of his half-brother Billy’s death. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) have joined The Hellfire Club, a band that doubles as a Dungeons and Dragons group. Nancy (Natalie Dyer) is on the school paper and is set to date Emerson in the fall.

While things are changing in Hawkins, little has changed when it comes to bullying in Lenora, California. El (Millie Bobby Brown) now lives with Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). The cool kids harass her. You know, the kind of time. They look like they came out of good shape saved by the bell casting auditions, outfitted with big, voluminous hair while wearing pastel-colored clothes, and they love a good roller rink.

El has lost all his powers, but the army thinks otherwise. Their theory? El must be the one killing people in Hawkins from a distance with her mind. Local police believe Hellfire Club leader Eddie Munson is the killer. The Hawkins team, which also includes Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), teams up to solve the mystery. At the same time, Team Lenora works on El’s capture and weaponization by the U.S. military. With the help of Dr. Owens (a formidable Paul Reisser), he will help her regain her powers to support the new threat in Hawkins.

I won’t spoil things with spoilers. Everything mentioned above is clearly in the trailer (which makes the embargo points of returning certain characters unnecessary, but we follow the rules here at Stable cut ready), but the season is expertly plotted throughout. From the wickedly moving and entertaining chapter four, “Dear Billy,” to the jaw-dropping finale, the first volume of episodes has an all-ways leading up to here moment that is truly surprising and awe-inspiring.

The first batch of the fourth season opens with seven new episodes, all feature-length (the shortest being just over an hour and the longest 98 minutes). The Duff Brothers remain keenly aware of their audience’s desires without sacrificing quality, narrative or visual. In a rare move, even by the studio, the creative team has been given the time, money, and platform to produce a season like this that is truly extraordinary. The bar was set high with an extended wait, and they broke it masterfully.

Also, much of the credit must go to writers and directors like the Duffs, Shawn Levy, and Nimrod Antal, who captured the show’s tone and central vision perfectly. The series captures themes from today to the lost decade, such as distrust of government versus loyalty, religious fanaticism, and fear. Not to mention, the ’80s choice in style and music was born and has remained in its bubble for decades. stranger things captures a time when America tried to regain its innocence and failed, while paying homage to classic 80s cinematic consumerism that focused on big characters and just wanted to entertain you without preaching.

I will say that the series needs two episodes to start finding its rhythm. These opening chapters have some truly awful moments that can be shocking even to Strange things. The first two episodes are almost a reset because so much has changed in the world since we last saw a new episode of the series. Its brand of violence and high-stakes storytelling can’t help but be viewed differently than it was three years ago. But, once they do, it’s a suspenseful ride. And aside from my pet peeve of when characters enter a house and never close the door and some minor scene transitions, there’s very little to complain about.

Netflix and the Duff Brothers have essentially produced nine feature films and have rarely made such a triumphant comeback as stranger things a with this exceptional season. And believe me, the first volume’s spectacular ending is so satisfying that I can’t imagine what the Duffs came up with to top it off. Exciting, funny and genuinely scary, the gripping fourth season of armrests is escapism at its finest.

What did you think of Season 4, Volume 1 of Stranger Things on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!

You can watch this series with a Netflix subscription.

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