Since its release in July 2016, Stranger Things has taken the world by storm. Season one was unique and thrilling and brought something new to the table, a dark sci-fi drama for a young audience.
But after season two, the uniqueness of Stranger Things seemed to have started declining. Season 4 promised us so much but watching it left me feeling… disappointed. Everywhere I went on campus, people were talking about how great it was but I could never share those sentiments. Now that the hype for it has simmered down, I think it’s safe to say that season four of Stranger Things was upsetting — here are some of the reasons why.
*WARNING: Major spoilers ahead*
Unnecessary Characters
There are way too many characters in this season of Stranger Things. Let me rephrase: There are way too many characters whose stories we, respectfully, do not care about. I love Robin but she hardly made a significant impact plot-wise in season four. She was introduced in season three and pulled into the story by way of being Steve’s co-worker at the mall where the final battle took place. She also helped Dustin crack the secret Russian code. She was involved in a meaningful way. But in season four, her character falls flat and accomplishes virtually nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Argyle’s only role this season is driving Jonathon’s crew across the country, which could easily have been assigned to Jonathon without taking away from the main plot. Enzo’s main role is to help Hopper escape the Russian gulag but… why? We know that Enzo was bribed by Hopper, but it seems all too convenient for a Russian guard, whose first and foremost allegiance would be to his people, to be bribed by a high-profile American criminal. And once Hopper was out of prison, Enzo completely disappeared from the story — much like Argyle, who disappeared after fulfilling his role as the designated driver. Chrissy was introduced as a deep character haunted by past trauma but she died in the first episode. And her death — aside from being gruesome — left little to no impact on the audience.
Careless Story-writing
In the second episode, Joyce embarked on a dangerous mission to Russia, leaving Will, Jonathon, and El in the safe hands of… Wait, what? For the past three seasons, Joyce had been the jittery, anxious, and occasionally overbearing single mother of the Byers brothers. We can understand why. A good year of Will’s life was spent being possessed by the Mind Flayer and taken to the murky depths of the Upside Down, so Joyce being over-protective of her sons is not only reasonable but also relatable. Knowing the impact the Mindflayer’s possession left on her youngest son, Will, it was completely out of character for Joyce to abandon her sons and El (whom she had taken responsibility for in the absence of Hopper) for a secret — and not to mention illegal — mission to she was unlikely to even survive.
Meanwhile, back in California, El gets kidnapped and Mike leads a rescue mission with Jonathon, Will, and Argyle. But we later discover that the “kidnapper” was Dr. Brenner (didn’t the demo dogs kill him in the first season by the way?). El’s whereabouts were revealed to us and we learn that she was willing to cooperate with Dr. Brenner. At this point, there was no reason for Mike’s plot to continue. El didn’t need to be saved; we, as the audience, know that already, which undermined the feelings of suspense and thrill we should have felt about Mike’s crew driving across states to rescue her. All it achieved was stretching the already lengthy episodes.
During all this, season four also follows Jason, the jock boyfriend of Chrissy, who assembles a team of other jocks to track down — and presumably kill — Eddie Munson, whom they believe murdered Chrissy. I normally enjoy murder mysteries but it did not accomplish what it set out to do here. The audience knows that Eddie did not kill Chrissy. Moreover, we know exactly who killed Chrissy and we know that Jason would be no match for him. So, again, Jason’s plot is pointless — especially given the fact that he was introduced in season four and we already have no sense of attachment to him or Chrissy as characters whatsoever.
And finally, the icing on the careless-story-writing-cake would be the time skip after the main climax of the show in episode nine. The previous eight episodes were all building up to this moment of Vecna splitting open the Earth to allow the Upside Down to seep through to normal reality. The characters fought valiantly in the battle to stop Vecna, Eddie Munson was killed in action, only for Vecna to triumph in the end. The camera zooms out for a birds-eye view of a chilling shot of the Earth splitting open and then shows us inside the homes of frightened citizens, holding on to each other for what they deem is a rough earthquake. And then…the music fades and the screen goes black to reveal the words “Two Days Later.” Most climaxes are followed by a falling action that allows the audience a sense of resolution and closure. However, the aftermath of Vecna’s attack does none of that. The city has treated it the way they would treat an earthquake and the worst part… no one even cares that Eddie Munson was killed except Dustin.
Poor handling of established characters
One thing I’ve always loved about Stranger Things is the friendship between the characters. Each character shone in their own brilliant way. But season four handled these carefully concocted characters with a certain heedlessness. Let’s start with Mike. One thing that has been unanimously criticized by the Stranger Things fanbase is the sudden change in Mike’s character. In seasons one and two, Mike always demonstrated his love and care for his best friend, Will. He was the one who pushed the others, Dustin and Lucas, into searching for Will (even when the authorities confirmed his “death” in season one). And in season two, Mike was the one who stayed by Will’s side as he was being possessed by the Mind Flayer, even spending the night on his bedroom floor in one incident. It’s the very thing I, and most of the audience, have always loved about Mike: his dedication to his friends. But season four completely undoes this. In season four, Will and El have moved to California with Will’s family, and when Mike comes to visit them, he, Mike, acts aloof toward Will. Their reunion hug is awkward and Mike spends most, if not all, of his visit talking to and fussing over El while leaving Will to be the third wheel. I know friends grow apart and get awkward, heck I’ve experienced it myself. But removing the most-loved aspect of a character was a careless writing choice.
This carelessness was even spread to Mike’s sister, Nancy. Nancy was the good girl gone badass, something I enjoy in film. But her story in season four just didn’t sit right with me. Nancy and Jonathon had been a couple since season two and did not seem to have any intentions of breaking up when Jonathon moved to California at the end of season three. Season four had her do a complete 180 and suddenly her character implicated lingering feelings for her ex-boyfriend, Steve. After spending the previous two seasons rejecting Steve, it didn’t make any sense for her to fall in love with him again. Her quick side-glances or admiring eyes when she sees Steve shirtless aren’t fooling anyone! Nancy had that strong female lead independence that I’ve always loved, but suddenly she was playing out the “torn-between-two-guys” tired cliché.
Will, who had the most impact from the Mind Flayer out of any other characters, was completely shunted to the side for the past two seasons and reduced to a quivering, insecure boy who can’t reveal his secret feelings towards his best friend and Jonathon became nothing but a stoner who’s losing feelings for his girlfriend.
Conclusion
From start to finish, season four of Stranger Things was a complete disappointment. Now, I’ll give credit where credit is due and admit that I loved the scene where Max levitates in the air while “Running Up The Hill” by Kate Bush echoes hauntingly in the background. But cool cinematography and TikTok viral-worthy dialogue is not going to make up for dreadful story writing. I’m not even going to mention the Duffer brothers forgetting Will’s birthday… oops.
Stranger Things was one of my favourite shows, but now I have to point out that I only really love the first two seasons of it. This isn’t to judge anyone who still likes or enjoys Stranger Things, but I think we’re all capable of being critical of the things we enjoy. I had eagerly awaited the fourth season of Stranger Things but what I received left me with little hope for the fifth and final season that is yet to come.