Stranger Things: Season 4 (Volume One)

Creators: The Duffer Brothers
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Matthew Modine, Paul Reiser, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joseph Quinn, Eduardo Franco, Thomas Wlaschiha, Nikola Ðuričko, Gabriella Pizollo, Mason Dye
Original Airdate: 2022

**The following review contains major 'Stranger Things' spoilers **

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

If it seems like years ago since Stranger Things' last season, that's because it was. Three to be exact. While that's a long time for any series to just pick up where it left off without some kind of decline, this would be affected more than most. Given how rapidly its young cast have matured since the show premiered, it's become a popular joke that when these episodes finally dropped the kids would be entering retirement. A break this long definitely doesn't help the series and Netflix's decision to sit on it after completion only compounds the problem. Making matters worse, the streamer somehow managed to shift complaints about the delay to their unusual delivery method, with this half season of episodes spanning as long as an hour and a half before the remaining two episodes (one of which will be 2 hours and 31 minutes) premiere in July. 

Despite all of that practically priming this season to result in an overstuffed mess, it somehow, someway remains Stranger Things, every bit as thrillingly addictive as it's ever been. It takes only about an episode to get reacclimated, but once you do, the Duffer Brothers step on the gas and don't let up. The extended episodes don't "feel" too long and the pacing rarely lags, so while it may be an inconvenience budgeting them out time-wise, that minor obstacle shouldn't impede too much on anyone's binging habits. And as rumored, the season is considerably darker, but deeper, going to places both familiar and sometimes entirely unexpected. 

So heavily influenced by A Nightmare on Elm Street series it may as well double as a modern-day reboot, criticism that younger viewers should just watch the originals instead is noted, but it's an homage done well, and if it prompts the uninitiated to seek those movies out, that's a win-win. It also features some of the series' best performances, most specifically from Millie Bobby Brown and Sadie Sink, both of whom are given some emotionally heavier material to work with this time around. 

A consistently gripping storyline involving her past returns Eleven to first season highs as a protagonist, making us appreciate just how much Brown brings to the table after maybe taking the talented young actress for granted at times. There's also another outstanding performance so pivotal to the plot it can't even be safely discussed without entering spoiler territory. The whole thing just feels larger in scope, but in a good way, setting the stage for the remainder of this season and beyond.

It's 1986 and nine months after the battle inside Starcourt Mall, as Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton)have moved to California with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who's being bullied at a new school while trying to accept the loss of her powers. This despite writing letters to boyfriend Mike (Finn Wolfhard) back home that imply everything's fine.

Meanwhile, Mike and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are immersing themselves in Hawkins High's "Hellfire Club," a Dungeons and Dragons role playing club led by likable manic metal head named Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). Key member Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) is now preoccupied with his emerging popularity as the school's star basketball player, separating himself from the rest of the group, including Max (Sadie Sink), who's still mourning her brother Billy's (Dacre Montgomery) death at the hands of the Mind Flayer. 

Soon, the gang must put their heads together when cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) is haunted by supernatural visions and gruesomely murdered under mysterious circumstances, with the the blame being placed on a fleeing Eddie. But as the group sees signs it could be the work of a creature from the Upside Down, they again join forces with Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), to investigate. Meanwhile, Joyce receives a package in California that points toward Hopper (David Harbour) having survived the mall explosion and being held captive in a Russian prison camp. 

As Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) plan to retrieve Hopper, Eleven must rely on Owens (Paul Reiser) for protection from an onslaught of U.S. Army agents blaming her for the latest deaths. But now given the opportunity to possibly restore her powers, she'll have to face a painful past, and an unwelcome familiar face, as the monster known as Vecna continues collecting victims in Hawkins.

The distinction between this and previous seasons isn't the episode length or pacing so much as how many stories are simultaneously unfolding over separate locations with various factions of characters. The time jump may only be under a year in show chronology but everyone's in a different place than when we last left them, at least geographically. And where they're all at emotionally is commensurate with how you'd expect these teens to be evolving and maturing as high school students, reflecting our initial amazement at how much older they physically look compared to three years ago. 

Mike, Dustin and Lucas couldn't remain outcast nerds forever so it's fitting they find a pocket of social acceptance without sacrificing any of the quirks or qualities that initially defined their characters. The Hellfire Club is the ideal way to go about this, introducing a compelling new character in Eddie, who brings a new and welcome crazy element that represents a the type of fun 80's archetype that rarely gets old, especially when played this entertainingly by British actor Joseph Quinn. 

From the first season, Dungeons & Dragons has functioned as sort of background wallpaper to the series, with the classic RPG serving as a vehicle for establishing the kids' personalities and status as outsiders. Here it takes center stage, as the Hawkins community is in full satanic panic, looking to pin the recent killings on the harmless misfits who play it, mirroring manufactured hysteria of that time. But even as Mike and Dustin find a friend in Eddie and an outlet for their nerdiness, Lucas starts aligning with the school's jocks as the lure of possible popularity proves too much. He has a choice to make, and how he struggles with it is one of the more effective sub-plots in a half-season stacked with plenty. 

As Lucas' loyalty to the group faces it biggest challenge, Max is psychologically deteriorating before everyone's eyes, remaining sullen, withdrawn and angry following the loss of Billy, making her the perfect mark for Vecna. When hallucinatory visions of doomsday clocks, bloody noses and headaches start to materialize, Max realizes what she's experiencing is far more than teen angst or even a mental breakdown, despite her symptoms functioning as a frightening manifestation of both. She's the next intended victim on Vecna's kill list and only her friends can save her.

The race to rescue Max from the clutches of Vecna in "Chapter Four: Dear Billy" is surprisingly moving and full of enough action and backstory to serve as a de facto finale only a few episodes in. But by this point we're barely halfway there and a series that's been known for its masterful selection of music adds Kate Bush's"Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" to its playlist, as the 1985 song's themes and lyrics not only prove central to Max's story, but vitally organic to the actual plot. 

Bush purists will scoff at so many discovering her music for the first time through this, but it's unlikely the long underrated English artist minds a hefty paycheck along with the added bonus of introducing a new generation of fans to her work. And considering Sadie Sink has probably experienced the biggest career boost since last season, the Duffers were wise to showcase Max in a big way, letting the actress carry many of the early episodes after being somewhat sidelined last season. And Sink really delivers, standing out amongst a more crowded cast than usual. 

If there was any doubt just how far the Elm Street influence extends, the presence of Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, only solidifies this. His performance as Victor Creel, a survivor whose family may have been killed by the same supernatural force terrorizing Hawkins decades later, is brief but memorable. His accompanying flashback is part of what provides the literal and figurative gateway to the answers the group's searching for. Nancy, Robin and Steve are in full investigative mode, and if there's any problem with the season it's that it ends up being so dark that the comedic hijinks don't land quite as seamlessly as we're accustomed.

While the revelations and 50's flashback that come from Nancy and Robin's meeting with Creel is creepy and enthralling, their means of the interview is a bit silly in execution. Of course, the same accusation could be thrown at Jonathan's character, who spends the seven episodes pretty much stoned out of his mind with equally dazed pizza delivery buddy Argyle (Eduardo Franco). 

With Nancy and Jonathan in separate states, there's an attempt to gain some mileage from their fractured long distance relationship being on the ropes, but Steve's become such a popular, dependable character that even the writers have given up presenting Jonathan as a viable option for her. The most successful comedic relief comes from Lucas' spunky sister Erica (Priah Ferguson), an impromptu road trip to hacker Suzie's (Gabriella Pizollo) chaotic house and Joyce and Murray's multi-episode spanning journey to retrieve Hopper, which is ripe with all sorts of complications. 

In some ways it's a compliment that humor takes a backseat to what's a far more insidious central story than we're used to, as the very first image we see is the bloody aftermath to a massacre of children at Hawkins Lab that earns one of the more justified Netflix content warnings. There's so much narrative business to deal with that the only episodes that seem long are the ones trying to squeeze some of the lighter stuff in. But "light" is the last word you'd use to describe Eleven's situation, which is the season's most involving plot by a landslide. Mainly because it's everyone's, regardless of whether the other characters know it yet. Living in California with the Byers as Jane Hopper, the loss of her powers combined with cruel, constant bullying exposes a vulnerability in our protagonist we haven't seen since the initial season. 

The Duffers wisely exploit viewers' misplaced confidence that El's grown enough over the past few years that she'd have minimal problems readjusting to life in a new school and interacting with peers. It's not as if she hasn't evolved by leaps and bounds in Hawkins, but through Brown's performance and the writing, we're harshly reminded Eleven will never be "normal." It's not possible because she isn't, and the sudden loss of her powers (as well as her separation from Mike) has led to a sense of hopelessness just as she's needed most. Paul Reiser's returning Sam Owens has a plan to restore her psychokinetic gifts, but only if she's willing to go to some painfully traumatizing places that have been long buried.

Utilizing a specialized isolation tank called "NINA" El can access memories of her time with the other children at Hawkins Laboratory. Unfortunately for her, the mastermind of this experiment is the surprisingly still alive Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) aka "Papa." And she'll need to accept, and maybe even embrace or harness, his cruel manipulation for this project to work. Going down the rabbit hole that is Hawkins Lab circa 1979, it's revealed that ostracization and bullying isn't exactly something unfamiliar to her. 

Continuing to believe she's responsible for the deaths of those children and fellow test subjects, El's unnerving trip down memory lane exposes these students as jealous and spiteful, threatened by her abilities while fiercely competing for Brenner's attention and praise. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on here, with Modine afforded the opportunity to add extra layers and dimensions to Brenner that arguably surpasses what he did in the first season, causing us to view the character in a new, more complicated light. 

Whether Brenner can even be partially trusted is another matter altogether, as are his motivations for using these kids as guinea pigs for his immoral experiments. But there's still a threat far worse he can no longer contain and control. These disturbingly hypnotizing flashbacks reveal much about El's history under his care while some impressive de-aging technology is used to depict her younger years. Stepping into her own memories to get answers and possibly reclaim her powers within this dizzying dreamscape, El's helped by an orderly named Peter Ballard (Jamie Campbell Bower), who may provide the clarification she's looking for. 

Volume One's finale ("Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab") might be the series' finest hour, or hour and a half to be precise. Given how much was jammed into this first volume, there were legitimate doubt surrounding whether the Duffers could pull this all off and have it make sense. But you have to appreciate any twist where the answer was right in front of our faces the entire time, though just out of reach, superficially insignificant enough to go overlooked. 

Bowers' performance as Peter is calm and creepy throughout but intentionally not substantial enough to send up red flags until the final two episodes. And when it does, we're still unsure of his exact intentions and too preoccupied with his relationship to El to consider how he fits into a far larger picture. That's why when Ballard not only reveals himself as "001," but Henry, the disturbed son of Victor Creel, responsible for his family's death and the lab massacre years later, it works. The bread crumbs were all there, even as the pieces didn't completely fit together until the end. El being a pawn in his game to break free from Brenner's control leads to the season's ultimate showdown, as El sends him spiraling into what we now know as the Upside Down, where he becomes Vecna. Origin story complete, with more details sure to follow, as it's possible the writers could have planted other clues far earlier. 

It's a lot to take in, but holds together, tying up some loose ends and explaining some of the more questionable developments in these seven episodes. With El having now faced her past trauma in the  and realizing she's more superhero than monster, it's reasonable to expect her powers will be restored at full force when Mike and company head to Nevada to retrieve her. And they really conjure up some first season vibes when Dustin, Lucas and Erica communicate via Liter-Brite with Steve and company in the Upside Down. 

With Hopper evading the Demogorgon and reuniting with Joyce in Russia, you have to figure he'll be also be reconnecting with El sooner than later. Ironically enough, the bigger mysteries might revolve around Nancy and Steve, considering the former is in Vecna's clutches while the latter's still pretty seriously injured, his fate in doubt. But all roads seem to be leading to a final battle where Vecna gets his rematch with the rehabilitated Eleven.

As far as shockers go, this season features its most noteworthy yet, with multiple story arcs converging in one revelatory moment, whetting our appetites for where the remainder of the show could be going. That our trust in the Duffers' storytelling has been rewarded to such an extent is a big deal considering long game twists aren't something the series has been known to dabble in until now. In the face of seemingly insurmountable expectations, Stranger Things came to play, alleviating all concerns that a long layoff and extended episodes would prevent the series from again matching the lofty standards it's already set.