I’m guessing that most people binge-watched the first 7 episodes of Stranger Things season 4 on opening weekend, but we took our time, and last night we finished the epic episode 7. Now the wait begins for Part 2 in early July. This post will be completely spoiler-free.
I think season 4 has been excellent so far. There’s a lot happening with several separate plotlines (the directors really love to divide up the characters), but every episode serves a purpose–they don’t feel like they’re just stalling for the finale. In fact, it already feels like there have been several finales (I particularly enjoyed episodes 4 and 7).
Aiding the sheer amount of content is Netflix’s willingness to let the Duffer brothers create episodes of wildly different lengths. I think the shortest is around 50 minutes; the longest clocks in at over an hour and a half. This is brilliant, as it lets them tell each part of the story in exactly as much time as it requires.
I also think it’s clever to have a big finale like episode 7…but have it not really be the finale. For the real finale–several episodes, I think–we’ll need to wait a few weeks. Anticipation is a good thing.
The only misstep this season is how overly cruel several groups of high schoolers are portrayed. Yes, the world of Stranger Things is quite dark, but some of these kids are comically cruel (and even violent). It took me out of the story instead of immersing me deeper into it.
But other than that, I think season 4 was absolutely worth the wait, and I eagerly await the final two episodes in July. What did you think of part 1?
Netflix has an excellently creative team. It makes me sad that they feel like they have to be in a growth mindset rather than a resilient one. So many of their stories are worth sharing and revisiting. I personally think they should buy a movie theater franchise and let subscribers go to those theaters for free. Could you imaging in B&B partnered with Netflix here in Missouri, and you could see Stranger things in the Theater! 🤯. Your comment on your livecase about anticipation being a good thing reminded me of what Netflix is doing. Also, by their release schedule, they are hitting two different award cycles. I wonder if they will require an asterisk if they win both. What do you hope the Duffer Brother’s tackle after Stranger things?
That is an interesting point about how Netflix seems so much more focused on new content rather than reminding us about all the great content they already have.
While watching season 4, there were several times where I thought about the Duffer brothers, as I think they have a great knack for storytelling and direction. I kind of just hope they have a blank check to create something new and cool, anything that doesn’t already exist (not an IP…unless it’s Red Rising).
If they get some license, I do hope they can create a story without huge gaps in the filming, as Stranger things and Child Actors are hard to navigate. What story from Red Rising would you love to see on the big screen?
I’ll take anything they’re willing to make! Whether it’s the smaller scale of the first book or the system-wide saga in the other books, I’m in. 🙂