Season 4 of Stranger Things Might be the Best Season Yet | Season 4 Vol 1 Review

there seems to be a popular school of thought that stranger things should have ended after the first season that the show had already reached its highest heights and anything after the fact would only pale in comparison i understand the sentiment but disagree with it wholeheartedly stranger things is a show that i need more of a sci-fi mystery horror show dipped in a's nostalgia and lovable characters is not something that comes around very often if it had stopped after the first season we would have been deprived of so many great moments in seasons two and three worse still we would have been deprived of perhaps the series best season to date season 4. with season 4 the duffer brothers weren't pulling any punches releasing an episode list that revealed all of the episodes would be supersized each of them exceeding an hour in length and the finale listed as a whopping two and a half hours there seemed to be an air of indifference surrounding the show in the lead up to season 4 however once it was released that quickly dissipated as volume 1 is in contention for the best season of the show and cements itself even further as netflix flagship property volume 1 became netflix's most watched premiere in its history by a gigantic margin not only did it break viewership records but it reinvigorated its audience who had been starving for new content since the 2019 release of the third season with the first season of the show stranger things became a cultural phenomenon and with the fourth season i think it has propelled itself into one of the best shows of all time the reason that i think stranger things is such a good show and season four in particular is what i like to call the stranger things formula the formula is equal parts vibes and mystery the vibes aspect of the show is to put it simply just hanging out with the characters the bulk of the vibing happens in the first few episodes but it is mixed in throughout once the mystery elements pick up vibing with the characters is really just getting to know the characters better and seeing them interact with each other stephen robin working at the video store mike and dustin playing d with hellfire jonathan and argyle smoking up are just some of the vibes that are going down in season 4. the vibes help us become invested in the characters but oftentimes it's just some good old-fashioned fun the other component of the stranger things formula the mystery is what pushes the story forward it takes the characters from their daily lives and thrusts them into a journey of discovery the initial mysteries asked in season 4 are did eleven kill all those kids in the lab who is this chrissy girl and what does she have to do with the upside down is hopper alive although this one's not really much of a mystery considering it was practically spoiled in the end credits of season three and fully confirmed with the teaser of season four as the season progresses we get some of our questions answered only for new questions to take their place the mysteries grow and grow and in the process we are given some insane reveals and killer moments season 4 roughly breaks down into four major storylines the russia storyline the california story line the 11 story line and the hawkins storyline in this video we will take a closer look at each of these storylines and see what works and in a few instances what doesn't i will be looking at these storylines in detail so i will be going into full spoilers [Music] i'm starting off with what i consider to be the weakest storyline the only time i felt a little bit of the super-sized runtime was when we spent extended periods on the subplot developing in russia initially this is because we were first introduced to the storyline by joyce receiving a doll from russia joyce and murray then spend the whole of their screen time in episodes 1 and 2 trying to unravel the mystery of if hopper is alive i think this would have played better had hopper surviving not been in the promotional material because as the audience we already know he is alive and so joyce and murray's investigating feels like a bit of a waste of time obviously the characters don't know hop is alive but it becomes tedious to watch them unravel several clues to come up to the conclusion that we the audience knew before anything started with the exception of a couple of fun vibey moments with joyce and murray i kind of just want to yada yada the rest of the storyline at this point however once they make contact with enzo and set out for alaska i think the joyce murray side of the russia plot is much more entertaining than the hopper side joyce and murray have some great chemistry and once yuri is added to the mix i think their scenes are quite fun murray in particular is a standout for me some highlights are when he is trying to psych himself up in the plane to fight yuri and jeremiah is a ferocious fighter lightning fast very skilled and i beat him that one time and later on when he impersonates yuri [Music] [Laughter] the other side of the russia subplot is the hopper side and the side i have more issues with a lot of my problems with hopper in season 4 is that he is alive now that may sound harsh but it comes mostly from the fact that i think it undercuts his ending in season 3. hopper's death in the season 3 finale was genuinely heart-wrenching but i felt like it was a necessary step forward for the show the impact was felt not only by the characters but by the audience who had grown to love the grumpy old detective in the three seasons that built up to the moment with eleven reading out his speech that he had intended to give her and mike but never was able to it felt like a perfect conclusion to his character not only did hopper die a hero but his death made the stakes feel all the more real for the other characters now it seems like hopper's death was always intended to be a fake death as i waste no time in letting the audience know that he's actually alive however i think this fake out death that hopper went through robs his russia storyline of any feeling of suspense or consequence even though hopper is in the gulag in the middle of russia and has a date with a demogorgon i know he'll be fine because once those duffs decided the hopper was alive they made him invulnerable i know hopper isn't going to die trying to escape because what would be the point no way he becomes demogorgon food we just spent six episodes trying to get out of russia and for some unknown reason the duffs decided to kill him off anyway that would not only make all the time we spent with him in season 4 to be pointless but it would not resonate nearly as much with the audience because we have seen it before we have already grieved for hopper and killing him again would not have nearly the same impact david harbor still does a great job with what he has given and you can really see the physical transformation he underwent to look like he's been living in the gulag for a year the eventual fight with the demogorgon looks fantastic even if we know what the result will be before it starts at the end of the day the hopper stuff feels extremely disconnected from the main plot line of season 4 and i think it struggles to justify the amount of time spent on it the california storyline mainly focuses on mike jonathan will argyle and initially 11 before she goes off on her own side adventure even when eleven leaves the california plot she still remains the driving force of it with mike and the gang doing their very best to find her eleven opens the storyline by writing a letter to mike about how she is excited to see him for spring break in this letter she tells him all about the friend she's made and the fun she's been having all of which are lies this is a major aspect of eleven story this season despite the fact that friends don't lie with eleven lying to mike once he eventually does come to visit are your friends gonna meet us there friends what what friends you know stacy and angela angela you'll meet them i promise i think this development is interesting for eleven's character as throughout her time in hawkins she was always seen as someone powerful someone they needed with her powers gone she feels like she has nothing left and like any other teenager she is worried about how mike will think of her now that she is not powerful nor is she adjusting well to normal life 11 not being popular in school makes perfect sense as she has not had the same kind of social interaction that a normal kid has had not only is she developmentally stunted but she has had a lot of trauma in her past so much that it would make any kid have a difficult time to a certain degree she has been treated as a weapon or tool her whole life and in the past when she was distressed or in danger she would use her powers to explode stuff in everyday life that's not going to fly also adding to her lack of popularity is her drop-off in the drip department in season three she was living large with a number of colorful and cool outfits on display throughout the season however with her now living with the ever financially struggling buyers her clothes are much more drab as they look like they are joyce's hand-me-downs they even gave her the same haircut as joyce again another logical progression that i think adds to the situation that eleven find herself in in season four when angela and her crew destroy her project 11 was ready to literally murder them and had she still had her powers she would have succeeded what angela and her crew are doing is obviously wrong but eleven's response of murder is a gross overreaction she needs to learn that society has rules and i think that this is an interesting direction for her character to go also just because murdering her bullies is wrong doesn't mean that i think 11 should just sit back and take it in the roller rink when she charged after angela i was all about her punching her in the face it was only when she grabbed the blunt object when i was like hey slow down there kiddo still it is definitely an understandable reaction from 11 considering she has been killing people since she was like 8 years old 11's roller rink escapade quickly leads to her exiting the california story line for her own leaving the other characters to pick up the pieces when mike rolls up to california he really only has one thing on his mind and that is spending time with 11. when he is picked up from the airport he gives 11 yellow and purple flowers which are her favorite and is donned not only in his best tourist setup but one which consists of those very same colors i really appreciate little details like this mike also makes it clear that he is very much l focused as he shares an awkward hug with will hinting at a disconnect on his end whereas will is clearly eager to see his friend again hey here we go yeah this is kind of awkward man yeah so awkward mike's time in california starts fine enough as he l and will all go to a roller rink with elle telling all about the cool things she's been up to he is perfectly oblivious as will and 11 argue about her lies which are about to be revealed the roller rink are where things go down with elle being bullied and her subsequent murder attempt on angela however it might be third wheel will who is having the worst time to a certain degree will has felt like a bit of an afterthought since season two both in the universe of the show and outside it the roller rink scene really solidifies this as something incredibly sad is seen on the video camera no it's not 11 being circled but it's the date march 22nd do you know what march 22nd is it's your birthday that's right it was will's birthday and no one remembered no wonder the poor guy was having such a bad time his mom brother sister best friend and showrunners all collectively forgot about his birthday it's also rough that no one wanted to play d d last year when will was around but the second he leaves everyone is all about dnd again what gives will seems hurt by mike's dismissive treatment of him and i get the impression that this is building towards something mike apologizes later in the season and once [ __ ] starts to hit the fan they are back on best friend buddy terms but it still seems like will is more invested in the relationship than mike is it feels like the whole season has been hinting to will being gay and potentially in love with mike if you've been watching the show you should know that will is not interested in l he's interested in someone else in the group yeah and you'll see you'll see soon that he's interested with little hints throughout like will denying the girl's game of ftse his project being on alan turing a famous gay man and the fact that levin mentioned will liking someone and his painting somehow being an indicator this all but confirmed that will is gay we still don't know what his painting is of but it's definitely linked though it won't be something so crude as a shirtless pickup mic or something i think it's just scary to open up like that to say how you really feel especially to people you care about the most because what if what if they don't like the truth after the fiasco at the roller rink we are treated to jonathan and argyle picking up the kids with an awkward buyer's family dinner preceding it potentially a hot take but i actually love stoner jonathan this season if i'm being honest it's probably the most i've liked him since season one right what this season a lot of people have been comparing characters in stranger things to the scooby-doo gang i think most of the roles are pretty self-evident with steve as fred nancy as daphne and robin as velma a lot of people are casting eddie as shaggy but i don't see it he's more of a hex girl type in my opinion no i think jonathan with his stoner arc makes the most sense for shaggy and his best bud argyle scooby-doo they even have the mystery van they will meet up with the gang soon enough they just got some smoking to do first talk about toasting but on a more serious note i do actually like this progression for jonathan after a story in season one where he had a very clear motivation jonathan has really felt a bit like nancy's sidekick in the season two and three storylines nancy is very much the driving force behind them and jonathan is just along for the ride with nancy nowhere to be seen in cali jonathan seems indecisive and unsure about what kind of future he wants he and nancy promise to go to the same college but jonathan feels a sense of responsibility for his family and is unlikely to go through with their agreement he is scared because he doesn't want to lose nancy nor does he want to abandon his family in his fear he retreats into escapism through drugs i think stoner jonathan is ridiculously funny and his dinner time display is one of the highlights is it the risotto everyone hates the risotto absolutely not no it's incredible but i also think it also makes a lot of sense for his character i think this is also a good time to touch on argyle so do eskimos like still live in igloos who is it and i would say i'm just kind of meh on him this might seem counterintuitive considering i like stoner jonathan but unlike jonathan who i can still take seriously once the plot starts to get going i can't take argyle seriously at all you gotta get us to step mary's i don't think praying's gonna help that dude man mary's hospital he's had some funny moments it has been good for john to bounce off of but i think he is best left on the sidelines once the story gets more serious mike and eleven have an argument about what eleven did in mike's unwillingness to say he loves her obviously i think before the season is over mike will say he loves her but in his defense he has pretty much already said it without saying it it is a big through line of season three where mike can say it in private or to others but is too awkward to actually say it to her face please just come up with a new plan because i love her and i can't lose her again understandable considering he is a teenage boy who sometimes has difficulty expressing their feelings also in the season 4 premiere there is a quick shot of a card my gave 11 that says i love you even though it wasn't technically written by mike it still conveys his feelings however that's not to say that eleven is completely unjustified in being upset as time has passed since then and she is no doubt insecure about herself and needs to hear him say it i don't think either is really in the wrong as teenage relationships have many pitfalls in them due to the fact that they are teenagers and not fully sure of themselves yet the most exciting moment of the california storyline is when the buyer's house is destroyed and the characters find themselves in the middle of the crazy gunfight the star of the sequence is secret agent man as he takes on a whole swat team of baddies and successfully gets the kids to safety the sequence is truly a delight as it is one continuous shot with the cast and crew really giving it their all to nail down a terrific scene overall i really like the california storyline even though it probably has gotten the least amount of screen time of the major plots i think the continuation of it in volume 2 will surprise a lot of people as i think it could have some really satisfying moments throughout 11. with eleven storyline focusing on covering more of her backstory i was a little nervous they did something similar in season two where eleven went out on her own and tried to uncover some of her hidden past in that season i really didn't care for it as mostly felt like sending 11 on a side quest because we weren't ready yet for her to come and save the day it also resulted in the worst episode of the show and had little to no relevance on the main story it seems though that the duffs learned from their mistakes as 11's backstory revealing escapades work much better here in season four with the ultimate goal of getting her powers back there feels like a much more concrete reason to delve back into the well of eleven's memories i'll to get her powers back everything was like way easier we had this girl she had super power it also helps paint a better picture of what the hawkins lab looked like when it was being run under brenner we get to see all the other special children that brenner experimented on with the aptly named number two being a bit of an antagonist throughout however what makes the storyline so good comes in the form of the friendly orderly throughout the storyline we see him pop up and subtly and slowly influence 11 as he finds a kinship with her eventually he stages an escape plan with her leading to one of the best reveals of the entire show what makes the reveal so good is not only that it feels earned and completely logical but because there are layers to it when it looks like their escape plan failed the friendly orderly whips out his freshly renewed telekinetic powers killing all of the guards in their way he then shows 11 his tattoo confirming that he is one with him being the only character to really mention one i and i imagine many others thought we had cracked the case when we suspected that this orderly was indeed won and we were right but that was only the first layer of the reveal one tells 11 to wait for him while he goes to do something naturally 11 doesn't listen and slowly creeps out of her hiding space to find the other people of hawkins lab while having been murdered this morning as eleven walks in on one finishing off the last of the other children we are treated to one of the best scenes of the show tying in seamlessly to the hawkins storyline we have one explaining his past to eleven as he shows it to nancy in the current day connecting the dots for the audience the atmosphere of the scene is amazing as it cuts back from 11 to nancy revealing that one is also henry creel and vecna the writing is absolutely fantastic but what really brings the reveal to the next level and absolutely carries the scene is the acting of jaime campbell bauer but the human world was disrupting this harmony you see humans are a unique type of pest multiplying and poisoning our world all while enforcing a structure of their own a deeply unnatural structure jamie campbell bower seems to have had some bad luck in his career to this point from being cast as a lead in a franchise that vastly underperformed to being cast as late in the only game of thrones prequel that has officially been cancelled he popped up in things here and there and always seemed like a good actor who just hadn't found the right role yet to properly showcase his talent that is until now everything about his performance is electric as he captures the audience's attention with every little fluctuation in his words every subtle movement of his features he has an unmatched magnetism in this moment and a lesser actor would have been unable to live up to what was necessary to carry the scene he almost undergoes a physical transformation as his mannerisms as the friendly orderly and one feel completely different i can watch this scene over and over and i'm always just as engrossed with it as the first time i saw it as the episode ends in the credits flash jamie campbell bower being listed as vechna for the first time is immensely satisfying also knowing that he underwent seven hours of makeup a day truly shows his dedication to his craft one's transformation into vechna and the time we got to spend with him as one makes vechna as a villain much more compelling in my opinion he is without a doubt the best villain of the show with his connection to 11 and the human element he brings to the upside down i am invested in how the rest of his story will play out and how the gang will try and stop him [Applause] the hawkins storyline is stranger things at its absolute best it is the perfect marriage between vibes and mystery and is the principal story of the season i enjoy all the story lines but this one is by far the most compelling the first episode really sets the stage with both mystery and vibe aspects on full display immediately the vibes of the first episode end in a magnificent montage of the hellfire dnd game and lucas's basketball game the scene is really entertaining and shows what can be so great about both of these activities there was also a great little call back to last season with the introduction of tammy thompson robin's previous crush this is the most horror stranger things has felt with some genuinely scary moments throughout a large part of that is owed to vecna in trying to unravel why he kills people and how he does it in the first episode we are introduced to apparent queen of hawkins high chrissy cunningham who is somehow tied to the upside down throughout the premiere she has shown various disturbing visions as her greatest nightmares and insecurities are poked and prodded making her question her own reality she is treated to one last horrifying vision before being brutally murdered with her body being broken in a grotesque manner her death caps off the first episode and signals to the audience that this season will be darker than any before it the uncovering of chrissy's death is a catalyst for this storyline with max having witnessed chrissy accompanying fellow season 4 newcomer eddie munson and he is a standout among the newcomers this season despite his intro being a little bit cringy in my opinion as long as you're in japan a game where you toss balls into laundry baskets you want something freak however he wins me over in his very next scene where he is selling chrissy drugs shifting his demeanor and becoming instantly more likeable as he witnesses chrissy's otherworldly demise he's immediately thrust into the plot as he becomes wanted for her murder throughout the season he is being hunted by the police and basketball team alike assumed guilty for a crime he didn't commit he is seemingly always running away from things understandably considering those things are people trying to kill him or otherworldly demons there is no shame in running still eddie sees himself as a coward for his constant fleeing which is setting him up perfectly to stand his ground in the finale he feels right at home in the show and i think he's a great addition to the cast max is the one to witness the strange things going on in eddie's house and to bring the info to the group's attention i think this is a fitting as max's role this season is very interconnected with the going ons of vechna the first moment that max appeared on screen this season there just seemed to be something different about her she somehow felt instantly compelling where in previous seasons it felt like she was still trying to find her place on the show in the time since season 3 she had been struggling with billy's death with the guilt she feels about it having a profound impact on her obviously there was nothing she could have done to prevent it but our emotions are not always logical she's been having nightmares headaches and isolating herself from her friends her stepdad left and her mom started drinking heavily leaving them in an impoverished home all of these things put max in the spotlight of the season as these struggles she is going through are a major theme of the season also of note this season is the role that lucas plays the start of his story shows us how as we grow up our interests shift and as a result we can lose commonality with childhood friends as a result of this kicking off point lucas's affiliation with the basketball team puts him on a different trajectory from the rest of the gang he's put in a difficult position but ultimately chooses to rejoin his longtime friends i also think the role lucas plays in regards to max is worth mentioning as he is constantly trying to reach out to her and let her know that she's not alone okay look i i don't need a letter i don't want a letter just talk to me to your friends we're right here i'm right here his recognition that max needs help and his willingness to give it speaks volumes of his character the gang's sleuthing leads them to the school counselor's notes as chrissy and poor sweet newly dead fred were both seeing her they shared similar symptoms of trauma symptoms that max herself has been experiencing and with the chilling reveal of a grandfather clock we see that max is next on vecna's hit list this story path leads to one of the show's greatest and most emotionally resonant moments max escaping from beckham's clutches is such an incredible moment because it is the show firing on all cylinders sadie sync gives an amazing performance the set design and effects look incredible and kate bush provides the perfect soundtrack for the moment you're a kate bush fan uh yeah now i am these technicals are all amazing but the scene is even more incredible for everything that is lying beneath the surface this feels like a moment of max battling with depression and its self-destructive nature and choosing to keep fighting despite it feeling pointless the images of her friends that flash through her mind feels like her resolve to not give up and let depression beat her it shows her what is important to her and what she has to live for the scene feels like witnessing someone battle with depression and when it is an immense emotional payoff in order to set the stage for the scene we had to learn about the story of victor creel the only man to have survived an attack from vecna the unfolding of victor's story is done in such an interesting and eerie way which adds to the horror elements of the season to add to these elements the duffs cast freddy krueger himself as victor which feels incredibly fitting considering that krueger would invade people's dreams similar to how vechna torments his victims like freddy krueger's boiler room freddy krueger he's a super burned up dude with razors for fingers and he kills you in your dreams also spurred into action because of chrissy's death is jason and his basketball buddies i feel like jason is somewhat interesting of a character but he's also kind of weird he gives a number of speeches throughout and every speech he gives he is using the deaths of people to rally up his audience into doing what he wants think about each and every one of our friends who perished in that fire what did they die for for us to lose to some some crap school will christie want us to just stand by while the cops go around pursuing some some [ __ ] leads the mall fire all those unexplained deaths over the years some people they they say our town is cursed they just don't know why now now we do i see him less as a character and more as a catalyst as he is the one who invokes the satanic panic and hawkins something which was a real thing in the 80s despite seeming really stupid nowadays my mom says the game promotes satanism and animal cruelty that's just [ __ ] media propaganda 60 minutes begs to differ i really like this plot point as is cool to have d take center stage again in the show in a different way the hawkins storyline is just really entertaining as we get to see some of our favorite characters sleuthing away at a genuinely interesting mystery dustin's hat this season is a thinking cap which i think is very fitting as well as being his best hat to date it is also really fun seeing new character dynamics like nancy and robin robin wasn't able to interact significantly with many characters last season so it's good seeing her develop other relationships when the older kids finally went into the upside down at the end of episode 6 i was super excited admittedly a little worried considering the reason they went to the upside down was because steve was dragged there and being chomped on by demo bats but the opening of episode 7 was super exciting i love every single time they flipped the perspective of the camera when entering the upside down the scene where steve was pulled through looked fantastic and later in the episode when it flips from the younger kids riding bikes to the older kids riding bikes in the upside down was really cool the upside down is such a cool looking environment and i am really happy we are spending some extended time there we left off with steve and nancy still in the upside down and i'm eagerly awaiting what happens to them it is safe to say that this storyline will continue to deliver in volume 2. if you somehow made it this far i'd really appreciate it if you liked and subscribed as it helps me out a lot thanks for watching [Music]

Channel: Silver YXU

Views: 23,097

Keywords: Stranger Things, Stranger Things season 4, stranger things season 4 review, stranger things video essay, stranger things max, stranger things reaction, stranger things commentary, stranger things season 4 breakdown, stranger things hopper, stranger things eleven, vecna reveal, one reveal, steve harrington, mike wheeler, nancy wheeler, jonathan byers, who will die in stranger things, cast of stranger things, stranger things analysis, netflix, stranger things predictions

Id: rFGrwwv7IpM

Length: 26min 50sec (1610 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 22 2022