Stranger Things 4 - Any good?

payn · Jul 19, 2022

One thing that was immediately apparent to me, and then immediately forgotten, was that Dusty's girlfriend and older sister were in the van one min, and then just gone the next. Did I miss something?

BookTenTiger · Jul 19, 2022

Overall I thought the season was alright. I actually liked Season 3 better, the mall setting was a lot of fun.

What worked for me: how scary it was. I actually had to cover my eyes during the death scenes. I always enjoy the Upside Down, and I like that more characters got to go there. I always enjoy how this show is willing to let its characters play around and figure out the rules of the supernatural. The focus on relationships is great and really invests me in the show.

What didn't work for me: the pacing! One minute the show would be cutting quickly between three or four different storylines, the next it would spend a long time with a character just... walking across a room, or readying a weapon. The storyline was a little too scattered, though I liked how all the characters came together in their efforts towards the end.

But the biggest flaw for me was:

Their plan didn't work. I get that they're saving Vecna for Season 5 or whatever, but that was a lot of watching time to invest in a plan that failed. Especially since everyone worked so hard and sacrificed so much! It really felt like a DM who had a villain they really loved, so even when the characters were smart and lucky, they refused to let the villain die. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

Overall I enjoyed watching it, but we were considering canceling Netflix, and this season wasn't good enough for me to hold onto the streaming service for a future Season 5

Rabulias · Jul 19, 2022

payn said:
One thing that was immediately apparent to me, and then immediately forgotten, was that Dusty's girlfriend and older sister were in the van one min, and then just gone the next. Did I miss something?

After Suzie's computer wizardry, they exited to house to find Eden (Suzie's sister) in the van making out with Argyle, but the girls did not leave with them.

billd91 · Jul 20, 2022

BookTenTiger said:
But the biggest flaw for me was:

Their plan didn't work. I get that they're saving Vecna for Season 5 or whatever, but that was a lot of watching time to invest in a plan that failed. Especially since everyone worked so hard and sacrificed so much! It really felt like a DM who had a villain they really loved, so even when the characters were smart and lucky, they refused to let the villain die. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

Answer to the spoiler

But, fundamentally, they weren't lucky. Their luck was hosed by outside actors - the (psycho) army guys who thought Eleven was the threat to Hawkins and then Jason "I'm gonna grow up into a smarmy televangelist" Carver at the house. That's not the characters being lucky - that's the characters being unlucky. The lucky part is they did as much as they did while (mostly) surviving. This is The Empire Strikes Back/Goblet of Fire moment for the Stranger Things cast.

BookTenTiger · Jul 20, 2022

billd91 said:
Answer to the spoiler

But, fundamentally, they weren't lucky. Their luck was hosed by outside actors - the (psycho) army guys who thought Eleven was the threat to Hawkins and then Jason "I'm gonna grow up into a smarmy televangelist" Carver at the house. That's not the characters being lucky - that's the characters being unlucky. The lucky part is they did as much as they did while (mostly) surviving. This is The Empire Strikes Back/Goblet of Fire moment for the Stranger Things cast.

I guess it just was not successfully sold to me as such, especially because

their plan did actually work, despite setbacks. They tracked Vecna, surprised him, set him on fire multiple times... And then he just somehow survived and got away. No explanation. It wasn't set up by the show that he could survive such a thing (in fact, the show repeated how much creatures of the other world hate fire), he just vanished. It felt like a cheap victory by the villain. Again, like a DM who is too attached to their BBEG. For me, if they wanted him to win, I'd have preferred there be a reason shown in the story. Maybe they burn off all the tentacles but because he's partially human that part survives. Or his survival reveals something new about the Upside Down. Instead he just... got away.