Chrissy, I really don’t like this.

After three long years of anticipation, season four part one of the hit series ‘Stranger Things’ premiered on Netflix on May 27th, 2022. The viewers had been on the edge of their seats, anxiously anticipating the new season. The series began strong with seven episodes.

Continuing with the themes of previous seasons, this season contained many different plot points that the viewers had to follow.

The main plot points, as with the other seasons, take place in Hawkins, where the high school grads(Steve, Nancy, Robin, Eddie) team up with the original Hawkins kids(Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica) to combat three major issues: Eddie being a suspect for Crissys murder, Max being Vecnas fourth victim, and the gang trying to find and kill Vecna.

The next section of plot points takes place in California and, subsequently, the lab. It follows the Byers and Mike along with some new faces(Argyle, Suzie) as they work through finding a way back to Hawkins. Meanwhile, Eleven is taken to a new lab to try to get her powers back with the help of her “Papa”. 

Finally, the last story line takes place in Russia. The adults (Joyce, Murray) and some new faces (Enzo, Yuri) work together to free Hopper from the Russian labor camp he had been in for the last eight months.

Overall, the story line of part one was exhilarating, switching from plot to plot seamlessly. I would highly recommend it. Part two, on the other hand, was subpar at best.

Where part one flourished, part two failed. The story lines continuously fell short of deep connections by rushing plot lines and ended abruptly before reaching solid conclusions.

The strongest story line of part two was definitely Lucas and Max’s story line. The actors rose to the occasion, giving the viewers a true, raw love story. This story carried part two, and I found myself mainly only focusing on their scenes. 

The end of the last episode left many unanswered questions.

Not only was there no mourning of Eddie’s death among the kids, but there was no real reunion between the characters from Russia and California and the characters in Hawkins. While I am very excited for season five, I do feel that the writers should take some more time and consideration when it comes to the characters’ interactions with one another. It seems less realistic when they don’t have meaningful reunions and leaves the viewers feeling like they’re missing something.

Overall, I give season four a thumbs up. The set designs were amazing, making it feel like the characters were really in their designated story lines. Along with that, the cinematography was just spectacular. The way the camera moves, the dolly-shots of houses, the overhead drone shots, all worked together to create a creepy, somber, and optimistic ambiance that held the viewer’s attention throughout.

Honestly, I think the writers need to “wake up” and spend more time on the plot when it comes to season five.