Stranger Things Season 4 Has Rejuvenated The Franchise

Ever since its release on Netflix in 2017, Stranger Things has been one of the “go-to” watches for all generations. There can be no doubt that everyone loves watching Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Eleven, and all the rest of their friends join up to stop the evils coming from the Upside Down. Still, that beloved formula was getting a tad-bit stale in recent seasons…until Season 4.

Before Season 4’s release, there really was no debate as to which season of Stranger Things was the best: Season 1. Why? Well, it’s because that was the season that not only everyone was introduced to Hawkins, Indiana and all its residents, but also it had all the elements which made this franchise great.

Season 1 had the elements of mystery, adventure, friendship, hardship, and love (both familial and romantic) that enthralled everyone into watching. Seasons 2 and 3 were each lacking at least one of those components.

For Season 2, there was the hardship (El’s struggle with being unique, Will’s struggle with overcoming the effects of the Upside Down world, Max Mayfield’s struggle with fitting in, and the D&D gangs’ struggle with the hardships of getting older); there was also friendship (Max being accepted into the gang, Steve Harrington and Dustin becoming friends, and El’s reunion with her friends); and, there was love (Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers’ blooming romance, El and Mike’s continuing romance, Joyce Byers and Bob Newman’s brief love story, and Lucas and Max’s budding romance).

Stranger Things Season 4
(Stranger Things Season 4: Official Trailer)

However, there really wasn’t any new mystery/adventure. Yes, we were introduced to the concept of the gate between worlds, the Mindflayer, and how Eleven became supernaturally gifted. But we already knew of the gate’s existence in Season 1, how El opened said gate, and the Mindflayer wasn’t really the physcially oppressing antagonist he was in Season 3 (his Demodogs took that role in Season 2).

Also, the adventure Eleven had in that season was probably one of the weaker aspects of the story, as that season has had the smallest effect on her character growth compared to the other two.

Also, the gangs adventure through the undergrown tunnels was reminiscent of Hopper and Joyce’s adventure into the Upside Down to save Will in Season 1, so that wasn’t too new either.

As for Season 3, we got almost the reverse of Season 2. There was new adventures (the adventures involving Starcourt Mall) and new mysteries (the secret Soviet infiltration of Hawkins, Billy Hargrove’s involvement with the Mindflayer), but the majority of the romances and hardships stayed the same.

What makes this season better than Season 2, in my opinion, is the advancement of a lot of the friendships.

Joyce, Hopper, and Murray Bauman’s friendship dynamic was great to watch, as was Robin Buckley, Erica Sinclair, Steve, and Dustin’s. Those new friendship groups made that season for me.

However, in my opinion, what really damaged it was its overreliance on comedy and the “overly-fantastically” aspects of the show. Unlike in Season 1 and 2, the show that season just didn’t feel believable.

Now, I’m not saying either one of these seasons was bad. They were definitely 8/10 worthy, with Season 3 being closer to 9/10. However, with Season 4, I’m struggling to not place it at 9.5/10 or even 10/10. It has been that good.

With the introduction of Vecna and normal high school issues, Season 4 has had all the elements that made Season 1 great. There has been mystery with Vecna’s motivations and backstory, as well as adventure with Max’s and Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Eddie Munson’s, respective, adventures into the Upside Down.

But, more importantly, the heavy involvement of the “friendship” and “hardship” elements has made this season one of the best. Showing how each gang member has uniquely struggled with their heroics of past seasons, along with the hardships that high school has taken on them mentally and emotionally has transcended this season to the level of Season 1.

If Season 4 Part 2 is as good as Part 1, then this season could really go down as the best one yet.

Images Source: Feature Image: (Screenshot)(Stranger Things 4 | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube)