This review contains spoilers for the final season of Stranger Things.
When Stranger Things first debuted in July 2016, Netflix was only beginning to expand its original programming slate. The streaming service had its share of hits, but no one could have predicted how big this series would be. Fast-forward almost a decade later and Netflix firmly has the mantle of #1 streamer, releasing a staggering amount of TV programs a year. Through it all, Stranger Things remains their most popular show.
Through a blend of 80s nostalgia, fun characters, and an intriguing supernatural story, the series ascended to pop culture phenomenon status. It stands as one of the last remaining pieces of the American monoculture. A property that everyone has at least heard about. The finale sold out movie theaters, something unheard of for a TV program. Along the way, Stranger Things expanded its scope, including body horror, evil Russians, and putting a face on its supernatural beasts with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). While the plot would occasionally sag under the weight of these additions, the characters and our investment in them would carry us through. At least it used to. With this final season, Stranger Things tries out a new emotion: tedium.
The series has always been a fan of the “character explains the situation with a fun metaphor” method of exposition, but there is a limit to that charm. At least once an episode this season we get a scene of someone hatching a plan and explaining it to everyone else. Sometimes we get multiple! That’s before we get into the many scenes of characters repeating information the viewer already knows. Overall, it feels as if the talking-to-doing ratio is heavily skewed in one direction. It doesn’t help that a lot of that “doing” feels like it only incrementally shifts the plot along.
The plot, such as it is, follows our ever-expanding cast of heroes as they attempt to stop Vecna from merging our world with another. You see, the Upside Down — the spooky realm that has served as the backdrop for all horrors in this series. That place is merely a bridge between our world and another. To gain the power necessary for this, Vecna needs to capture twelve kids. Why twelve and why kids? Well, one of those whys gets explained. Like a lot of the overarching plot of the series, there’s a fair amount of “just trust us” going on. After all, no one is really here for the plot, right?
Which makes it even more baffling that so much of the season focuses on it. What keeps me coming back to this show isn’t the answer to what turned Vecna evil or why he kidnapped Will all those years ago. The characters and their relationships to one another are why I’m here. Stranger Things is one of the rare shows that continually introduces new characters and makes them just as beloved as the original cast. It’s one of the series’ greatest strengths.They even manage that this season with the debut of Dipshit Delightful Derek (Jake Connelly), a true gem in a season bereft of them. So, why does it feel like so many characters are being misused?
Well, for starters, there’s a whopping 18 characters in the main cast alone. That’s a lot of folks to give arcs to while also focusing on wrapping up your series-long plotline. It doesn’t help that the typical Stranger Things pattern of investing time into the everyday lives of our characters can’t happen when the stakes are so high. There are too many plates spinning. It leads to a lot of neglected characters and some poor acting. Some get it worse than others. Poor Joyce (Winona Ryder) remains the worried mom for much of the season. Linda Hamilton debuts as the sinister Dr. Kay but does little more than snarl orders to her underlings. I couldn’t even tell you what character arcs, if any, Murray or Robin had.
Which is a shame because the arcs they focus on mostly land. Noah Schnapp finally gets his moment to shine as Will comes out of his shell, pun very much intended. Sadie Sink remains one of the most impressive in the cast as Max navigates the mind realm she’s trapped in. Bower finds new levels of menace in Vecna while teasing at his human side. These are all great beats wedged in between clunky exposition and quirky one-liners. The show can do better.
Series creators The Duffer Brothers, who write and direct much of this season, seem determined to craft an ending as grand as possible. This means more time in the Upside Down than ever before, which means a heavier use of CGI. This leads to the visuals feeling uncanny valley at times, but it also creates a sense of spectacle. There’s at least 4 different realms that the action is operating in by the finale. A move that can easily cause confusion, but there are enough visible differences to make it work.
As for the finale, it’s a tale of two halves. The first hour and 15 minutes feels like the sort of Marvel-ized conclusion that dominates big blockbuster movies. It even has a big CGI monster attacking our heroes. The thrills are all there, but constant fake-outs dull the emotion. Steve is going to die! No, he’ll be fine. Hopper shot Eleven! No, it’s an illusion. By the time we get to Eleven’s actual sacrifice, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and reveal that it was also a ruse. Smartly, the show refuses to do that, at least not outright.
The last 45 minutes showcase Stranger Things at its peak. Sure, there’s still a few lingering questions like how Hopper got to just go back to police chief after being declared legally dead, but those pesky emotions are front and center. For a few fleeting moments, the series remembers what made it so enjoyable to so many. The focus is back on the characters, and it’s better late than never. Still, an ending is more than a few exceptional moments. It’s a buildup of everything that came before it, good and bad. Which is a roundabout way of saying this season was easily the worst, one that miraculously stuck the landing despite itself. The view at the end might be great, but that doesn’t mean the bumpy ride didn’t happen.
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix.
In lieu of the traditional Tune In/Out rating, below is my definitive ranking of Stranger Things seasons from best to worst.