Stranger Things Season 4, aptly marketed as Stranger Things 4, delivers an electrifying return to the haunting world of Hawkins. Released in two volumes on Netflix, the season spans nine episodes, with the first volume debuting on May 27, 2022, and the second on July 1, 2022. The Duffer Brothers, along with producers Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn, bring this chapter to life with a fresh, darker, and more mature tone.

Season 4 sees the return of familiar faces including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and others. New additions Jamie Campbell Bower, Joseph Quinn, and Eduardo Franco join the cast, adding depth and intrigue to the already rich character roster. The elevation of Brett Gelman to series regular further enriches the narrative.

Set in March 1986, eight months after Season 3’s events, the fourth season splits its story across multiple locations:

1. Hawkins: A series of mysterious teenage murders rock the town, with Eddie Munson, leader of the Hellfire Club, at the center. The gang, including Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, Steve, Nancy, and Robin, works to clear Eddie’s name and uncovers a new threat from the Upside Down—Vecna.
2. California: Mike visits Eleven, Will, and Jonathan at their new home. Eleven, now without her powers, joins Dr. Sam Owens to regain her abilities and confront her past, all while evading the U.S. Military.
3. Russia: Joyce and Murray venture to Russia to rescue Hopper, who is imprisoned and forced to battle a Demogorgon.

The Duffer Brothers meticulously planned the fourth season, integrating elements reminiscent of Game of Thrones in terms of scale and maturity. The season is notable for its extensive runtime, practical effects, and deeper exploration of the Upside Down. Vecna, the season’s antagonist, is a blend of prosthetics and minimal CGI, creating a tangible presence on set.

I approached Season 4 with low expectations after Season 3, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I felt the show was becoming predictable and formulaic. The young cast was growing up, and the suspension of disbelief that the same strange things could keep happening to the same people in the same town was starting to feel like it was jumping the shark. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see Season 4 return to its roots and reverse engineer what made the show a breakout success in the first place.

Every good story needs a compelling villain to drive events and test our high school heroes, and with Vecna, they delivered one of the all-time great screen villains. Vecna is part Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT, part Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street, with a dash of Dungeons & Dragons. The show returns to its horror/sci-fi fantasy roots as Vecna invades people’s minds and murders them, leaving it up to Eleven and the gang to solve the mystery and save their friend Eddie, who is accused of satanic worship and being a serial killer. Eddie is easily the coolest character in the show, and his standoff with extra-dimensional bat fiends while playing Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” is one of the best moments of TV entertainment in years.

However, the season isn’t without its flaws. As the series has grown, the cast of characters has become bloated, and the narrative tries to juggle too many storylines, tying all the supernatural events back to previous seasons and character arcs. Many of the younger cast members feel expendable now, with Will and Mike’s stories going nowhere. The relationship between Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven and Mike seems to exist solely for plot reasons, and she has outgrown him as both a character and an actor. Winona Ryder and David Harbour are still great, but their subplot feels so detached from the main events that it almost seems like a spin-off.

On the other hand, Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson and Sadie Sink as Max were by far the most interesting to watch, and their character arcs were compelling. Nancy, Steve, and Maya Hawke’s Robin are fun to follow, and Dustin provides a lot of well-timed comic relief. Jonathan, however, has become less interesting, and his on/off romance with Nancy feels spent.

Critics lauded the season for its performances, especially those of Harbour, Brown, McLaughlin, Sink, Dyer, Keery, Bower, and Quinn. The visual effects, action sequences, and emotional weight received high praise, although some noted the extended episode runtimes as a drawback.

The season’s soundtrack, featuring Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” resonated deeply with audiences, driving both songs up the streaming charts. Bush’s song, in particular, became a cultural phenomenon, reflecting the show’s ability to blend nostalgia with contemporary storytelling.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 4 holds an 88% approval rating, and on Metacritic, it received scores of 69 and 74 for its two volumes. The season garnered 13 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning five. It was widely recognized as one of the best TV shows of 2022 by multiple outlets, cementing its place in pop culture history.

Stranger Things Season 4 is a thrilling, ambitious, and emotionally charged continuation of the series. With its intricate plotlines, stellar performances, and masterful production, it sets the stage for an epic conclusion in the upcoming final season. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the series, this season is a must-watch, delivering on all fronts and leaving audiences eagerly awaiting what’s next in the world of Stranger Things.

For Season 5, I hope they trim the cast to focus on the most essential characters and raise the stakes even further. I want them to continue with the ’80s horror vibes and add more D&D fantasy elements, perhaps even spending more time in the otherworldly realm of terror. This is by far my favorite season of the show because it has stakes, peril, and well-written characters that we care about, even if those aren’t always the characters the showrunners intended us to focus on.