Review of Season 4 of “Stranger Things”: The best so far

Is there a covered bank vault somewhere in the opposite? If so, empty it and give all the money to the Duffer brothers, because season 4 is on Strange things is the best so far.

And that says something. Season 3 was a remarkable return to form after a polarizing season 2. Perfect on the field Starcourt Mall, the cheeky little sister of Lucas Erica, Alexey, who slips – settings and friendships revolve perfectly around the central plot of the season.

Season 4 begins with the core team of Stranger Things scattered around the world. Hopper, believed to have died saving the world, has been held captive by Russians. Joyce, Will, Jonathan, and Elle moved to California.

Hawkins, meanwhile, is experiencing a new set of threats centered around Creils, a Hawkins-based family killed at home in the 1950s. The ghostly mansion of Creels is connected to the central mystery of the show in a number of satisfying ways. By the end of episode 7, everything makes sense.

But Stranger Things wouldn’t be half the show without the personalities and relationships we love. I was worried that splitting the show between three fronts – Russia, Hawkins and California – would scatter friends and break the camaraderie, but at Duffer we believe because, damn it, if they don’t.

The crew in California receives a spring break visit from Mike (Finn Wolfhardt), who discovers that poor, powerless El (Millie Bobby Brown) doesn’t fit in the Golden West more than in Hoosier. There is a snotty blonde named Angela who is fighting for a new child and her story is infuriating, with a confrontation on a roller coaster that is as difficult to watch as it needs to be. Elle’s contemporary struggles are mixed with a look at her past that deepens and explains much of the show’s main mystery.

Hawkins’ crew, meanwhile, is just as busy as the gruesome killings continue to haunt the city. Their Nancy Drew-style attempts to solve the mystery are solid, but not at the expense of comedy. Steve-Dustin’s friendship remains one of the best on current television. (This’ 80s kid loved the scene with the two of them crammed into the back of a wood-paneled van.)

Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) gets a friend who delivers pizza, Argyle, who is just having fun. Robin (Mia Hawk) is just as witty and reliable a hacking video rental as she was rowing on a rocky road. Max gets her own shocking story, and Sadie Sink shows that she is ready for the task. And what is left to say about Lucas’ little sister Erica (Pria Ferguson), who steals every scene in which she appears?

Hopper, meanwhile, is really suffering in his snow-covered Russian prison, but don’t be afraid – Joyce and Murray are on the case. Winona Ryder and Brett Gelman are an inspired couple as they fight and fight, but still manage to come up with the strangest rescue plan ever. (This includes jars of peanut butter and a shave for Murray, among other things.)

Although the ping-pong show between California, Hawkins, Russia and Eleven Lab Days, none of these settings drag on. You will have to press the pause button for any necessary bath breaks or snacks, because once this season starts to move, it does not give way. And the seventh episode ends dramatically, prompting fans to count the days until July 1, when the last two episodes of the season are scheduled to air.

Stranger Things aired its third season in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic. His return lands in a very different world, where viewers, like Hawkins’ children, have been forced to fight a deadly enemy that no one fully understands. such as The king of the tiger, baking bread and dalgon coffee in those early days of the pandemic the show was balm, distraction and comfort. It is encouraging that he is still so rich and well made in four seasons. We needed that.