Stranger Things: Season 4 (Volume Two)

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, Mason Dye, Thomas Wlaschiha, Nikola Ðuričko, Sherman Augustus
Original Airdate: 2022

**The following review contains major 'Stranger Things' spoilers for all of Season 4 **

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Whatever your opinion of Stranger Things' two-part supersized fourth season, there's no denying its been the series' most ambitious yet, and for good reason. Wrapping up with two extended episodes and a finale that runs almost two and a half hours long, it's clear the Duffer Brothers were given free reign to run amok, with Netflix setting no creative boundaries. Or, what if they did? It's entirely possible what we've just seen is the result of exhaustive compromises and multiple edits that don't even reflect the complete scope of their vision. That's a scary thought.

All this becomes important to consider as the show readies for its last lap, amidst the looming possibility that things could get even bigger and crazier from here. So while this definitely could have been shortened with little lost, "Chapter 8: Papa" and "Chapter 9: The Piggyback" are far from a slog. Neither are what anyone would categorize as traditional TV episodes due to their running times, but judged as the full-length features they are, it's a massive success.

The penultimate episode is tighter with an explosive finish that helps set the stage for one of the busier, messier action-packed conclusions the series has seen yet. But what makes it work are all the emotional character moments and mystery concerning who makes it out alive, reaching a fever pitch when Eleven collides with Vecna in the ultimate battle of good and evil, with the soul of Hawkins, Indiana hanging in the balance. 

Given everything that could go wrong, it's amazing how much doesn't, largely because the Duffers find a way to keep all the factions of characters simultaneously involved and connected with the same goal despite being geographically separated. There's a lot of cutting back and forth, but it's done really well, leading to an ending with serious ramifications and more than enough juice to carry the story into its fifth and final season, whenever that should come.

With Volume One revealing Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) as both Henry Creel and 001, the splintered groups prepare for battle as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is torn between the increasingly divergent philosophies and methods of Brenner (Matthew Modine) and Owens (Paul Reiser). El's powers are returning thanks to the NINA project, but getting back to Hawkins to stop the carnage will be a challenge, especially with Lt. Colonel Sullivan (Sherman Augustus) still determined to find and eliminate her.  

As Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Argyle (Eduardo Franco) continue their search for El, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) out west, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), Eddie (Joseph Quinn) and Erica (Priah Ferguson) are all still in Hawkins, formulating a plan to infiltrate the Upside Down and vanquish Vecna for good. But they'll need to use Max (Sadie Sink) as bait, on the heels of her barely surviving her last frightening near-death encounter with the mind controlling creature. 

With the grandfather clock literally ticking away until Vecna can open the gates to the Upside Down and destroy Hawkins, the gang continues to face danger from every direction as Jason (Mason Dye) and the basketball team are still after the Hellfire Club "cult" they blame for Vecna's brutal murders. Meanwhile in Russia, Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) are finally reunited, but before they can return home there's some Demogorgon business that needs taking care of.

As its title implies,"Chapter 8: Papa" further fleshes out the emotionally complicated love/hate relationship El has with Brenner, not to mention her role in Henry's monstrous transformation, which was arguably well underway before she sent him spiraling into the Upside Down. And now after appearing to see the light in aiding Owens, mad scientist Dr. Brenner is back in full control freak mode, claiming El isn't yet "ready"for Vecna. It's the latest game being played by a psychotically twisted father figure whose cruel manipulation nurtured and created this monster, who then killed the children he bullied and exploited for years. 

El and Henry were unfortunately the most gifted of Brenner's test subjects, earning them the full brunt of his time and attention, with disastrous consequences. When El takes a stand and tells him off, it's a cold, but short-lived dose of reality, as Sullivan's troops arrive to extinguish them both. Of course, they're no match for a now fully powered El, who telepathically crashes their military chopper in  awesome, Vader-like fashion. 

Considering the Duffer's reluctance to kill off characters, it's somewhat of a breakthrough that Brenner  finally get his, or so it appears. Here's hoping his death sticks this time since backtracking on this would undo everything that's been accomplished in having El grow and mature enough to break from "Papa" for good. As usual, Brenner only shows a conscience or remorse when things go horribly wrong...for him. It's only when he's clinging to life and drawing his final breath that he realizes it might be time to let her go, and even then, he seems more motivated by being forgiven for the unforgivable. El doesn't seem interested, as he slips away, his lifeless body lying in the desert when she escapes into the Surfer Boy Pizza van, reunited with Mike and crew.

A lot of credit should go to Matthew Modine, whose performance took Brenner to another level, bringing shades of humanity to the series' most diabolical character. And that viewers are actually left contemplating how much of his concern was genuine or manufactured is a testament to the mark he left. Going into the final season without him feels right, if El is to move forward, not to mention this also facilitates Owens' inevitable return.

It isn't exactly a secret that Jonathan and younger brother Will were given the short shrift all season, possibly because the entire original group were separated across state lines, only to reconnect in the finale's last 30 minutes. How much of that plot arose from scheduling difficulties or some other considerations we'll never know, but the show makes the most of it, even if the dynamic could be inconvenient at times. Jonathan (whose triangle with Nancy and Steve seems pushed to the next season) and new addition Argyle are mostly used for stoner comic relief while the bigger question revolves around figuring out what Will's deal is. 

Assumptions about Will's sexuality have been simmering since the series' start, but for a character they've done less and less with since Season 1, the writers sure have turned him into a bigger discussion point upon Mike's arrival in California. Will's apparent jealousy over Mike's feelings for El and his emotional outburst in the van (noticed only by concerned older brother Jonathan) over that painting has seemed to only increase that speculation. 

Considering how frustrated diehard fans get over ambiguity and unresolved plot threads, there's likely there's a plan for Will, even if it's probably truer to the era for him to fear coming out at all. While an understandably oblivious Mike misses cues of his best friend's crush on him, it's worth remembering that a similar situation with Robin permanently altered her relationship with Steve, and not necessarily for the better (see this season's clumsily handled Robin sub-plot with the Molly Ringwald dressalike). So, the Duffers will probably need to tread carefully here, doing something that feels authentic to both the character and period, while still complimenting the overall story.

Anyone still wondering where Netflix's budget goes,"Chapter 9: The Piggyback" basically confirms how much of it gets poured into Stranger Things' visual effects, as most of the episode takes place in the Upside Down. While you could argue maybe a little too much time is spent there, it's definitely exciting, with the series again striking soundtrack gold with Eddie having his Metallica moment with the "Master of Puppets" guitar solo and El entering Max's mind to get at Vecna via the makeshift pizza tank, getting around the logistical impossibility of having the entire gang back in Hawkins in time. 

While Mike professing his love for El as she's on the heels of defeat could have come off as corny, it works, mainly because it was a big point in Volume 1 and he provides that extra jolt of motivation for her to get over the hump and win this fight against the big bad of the Upside Down. And by facing a monster in a world she unintentionally helped shape and open, it makes this a lot more personal than her previous season ending battles.

With a bigger than ever cast, the series finds its loophole in killing off key characters by introducing enough compelling new ones that the impact of their deaths feel equally important. Such is the case for Joseph Quinn's delightfully crazed, big-hearted metal head Eddie, who goes through the entire season misunderstood, on the run and hunted like an animal by townsfolk fingering him as a murderer. 

Targeted in what was the very definition of a witch hunt, Eddie's sacrifice and eventual demise give him a hero's exit that recalls Steve's selfless actions at the end of the first season. The emotional moment Dustin shares with Eddie's uncle is one of the series' most moving, enabling Matarazzo to go places with his character he often isn't asked to, providing fitting closure to a brief but impactful friendship that emerged as one of the show's true highlights.

If Wolfhard, Schnapp and Heaton's characters fell somewhat off the radar in these nine episodes, it did allow some other supporting faces to shine through, such as Modine's Brenner and Brett Gelman's Murray. Whether it needed to take nine episodes for Joyce and Murray to bust Hopper out of that prison (and back in again) will be up for debate, but all the hijinks involving Yuri (Nikola Ðuričko) and Enzo (Thomas Wlaschiha) do lead to a satisfying payoff. You could probably bet on not seeing either again, but at least the finale finds the trimmer, samurai-sword wielding Hopper back in full ass-kicking mode, ready to head back home where he belongs.    

Few could have guessed Vecna would again come so close to killing Max that, by all intent and purposes, he does. The blame for that largely falls on psycho jock Jason, as his breaking of the Walkman ensured there would be no Kate Bush to save Max this time. Only Lucas, who puts up a hell of a fight against Jason, and El, who eventually resurrects her. But the sight of Max floating in the air, this time with arms and legs twisting and breaking as blood drips down her face is easily the finale's most jarring moment, further solidifying this as Sadie Sink's season. 

It's usually bad form in entertainment for anyone to use their superpowers to bring back the dead but the Duffers get a pass on this since Max is not only in a coma by episode's end, but the price Hawkins pays couldn't be any steeper. The gates open anyway, Vecna's probably still alive, and what's reported to be an "earthquake" is clearly just beginning. Everyone's reunited (most notably El and Hopper), but they're all in a very bad spot, making this a far cry from the El victories we've become accustomed to.

Closing on a cliffhanger that requires the action to pick up exactly where it left off is a first, leaving unfinished business that seems to require immediate attention when the show returns. Another years-long wait for the remaining episodes might not be feasible this time so the pressure's on for the remaining episodes to have a far faster turnaround. Rather than betting on viewers being as tolerant for another season that equals this in length, you have to think that a return to the tighter, hour-long, seven to nine episode format is the best way to close things out.

Notwithstanding any potential spin-offs, when the book of Stranger Things is written, this could be the season that's most remembered, discussed and argued over. The open-ending appears to take any sizable time jump off the table for the fifth season premiere, but I still contend it would be fascinating for the series' final minutes to take place in present day, but with different actors playing older versions of the surviving characters. But they need to get there first and these two volumes may have helped build a bridge that brings them closer. Until then, this continues defying the odds as Netflix's only long-running series left with true cross-generational appeal. All that's left is sticking the landing.