The last episode wrecked me. I cried at like 5 points. -Johnathen telling Will he’ll love him no matter what -Eddie Dying -Max dying before eleven saved her -Dustin telling Eddie’s uncle he’s a hero -Hopper and Eleven’s reunion The feels roller coaster was real.
Eddie playing Master of Puppets surrounded by bats is probably one of my top TV moments of all time. I knew he'd die but I was really hoping against it :(
Max’s death scene hit so hard, both Caleb and Sadie acted that so so well. Everyone else is obviously great for the whole season too but that scene was something else. Also I loved the split format, built so much more hype for the finale
After season four, Sadie and Caleb are by far my favourite actors on the show. Not only incredible actors, but their chemistry is unbelievable. I see Oscars for them in the future, and hope they get to work together on another project.
I agree about Will, Dan and given that the show started with his kidnapping, it should end with Will having a big role in finishing it all and Vecna being defeated and the upside down closed off for good. Less Mike and more Will in the final season would be really good for the story, IMHO.
True, but they wasted Will for 4 seasons. They should have done more with Will this season cause now suddenly make him more than plot furniture in 5 is just odd.
Everyone is overreacting to what eleven did with Max. She didn’t “magic” her back to life with some new power we haven’t seen. She just restarted her heart with some kind of telekinetic CPR type thing. Something that happens in the real world to real people (albeit non-telekinetically). She didn’t heal her, just made her body technically alive by starting her heart. And not because the Duffer’s were scared to kill her, but because there is still an arc and story to tell there. If Max’s conscious or soul has been absorbed into Vecna then that could create conflict. They kill Vecna, they’re also killing max. I think the Duffer’s have earned our trust to wait and see how they land the plane before everyone complains.
@@margotperez7162 he knew that he had done enough damage to Max to kill her. That's why he said "You have Lost". His spell was complete. There is 2 day of peace because Vecna needed to recover from the fire bombs and gun shots. Then he started flooding the area with Upsidedown smoke. It had nothing to do with Max's physical state at the very end.
Regardless of the “how”, bringing back max like 2 minutes after they told us she was dead is stupid. Dare I say, almost as bad as the chewy “death” in Star Wars 9.
Although I cringed a little for the "talking about someone else but really I am talking about myself" method, I do agree the scene is mainly a confirmation for that
I enjoy (and prefer) the theory that Will looks longingly at Mike and Eleven because he knows that he will never have that type of relationship while he’s connected/tethered to the Upside Down. He knows his days are numbered and he will never have that type of connection with another person because a part of him is always with Vecna and the Upside down. It would be heartbreaking!
Sorry Dan but Robin is not 'open about it'. She told Steve because she trust him, she never told it to anyone else, as far as we know. She point it out in the first episode of season 4, when she is in the car with Steve and says that she can't try to date anyone if she is not sure of their sexuality because if it's the wrong person she would turn into an emarginate at school. It's the 80s, and for Will with the AIDS psychosis during those years, as a gay boy, it would be even worse. Especially with those jackass that were his and Eleven's schoolmates in California. Season 5 has to be Will's season tho, I agree.
My thoughts exactly. She wasn't open at all about it. She told one person who she really trusted. Nobody else knew. I was in high school during this exact time. It wasn't something kids were generally open about.
I believe he meant like open to us the audience and have told us she is, will is only getting hinted at never truly committing, maybe not the correct way to say that from Dan but i believe that's what he meant by open about it and i dont believe he meant ill by it.
I get and agree with all of this. My question would be: Does Robin trust Steve more than Will trusts Mike? Like, he wouldn’t even open up to Mike about it? I know it’s possible, maybe even considering the stigma, particularly in the 80s, of males being gay vs females being gay. But like everyone else, I am hopeful that he (Will) plays a very important role in season five.
@@nickflores9770 I'm not gonna lie, I feel like they are just holding up for Will revealing it to Mike next season and it's probably just going to be a script reason to give Will major moments in season 5. But, to be honest, Mike in the last two season wasn't the best friend in the world. I can see why Will doesn't feel comfortable to. tell him just yet.
She's not out, but she's open about it TO THE AUDIENCE. We can't get that with Will, instead there's a ton of vague references and even the actors and writers dance around the subject when mentioning it, saying there's no need for labels and maybe he's gay or maybe he's just developing slow in comparison to his friends. THAT'S the difference with Robin, who we know for sure is gay, proving that they're more than capable of writing a gay character who's not out but still gets their sexuality confirmed within the story. There's no excuse to what they're doing with Will.
17:30 I wouldn't say Eleven is more powerful now. She was dragging train cars and levitating in season 2. She banished 001 to the Upsidedown when she 8 years old. I would say she is rehabilitating her powers back but she still has miles to go.
I read that scene as indicating that Will is specifically attracted TO Mike. So even though he may have a similar risk in coming out as Robin, societally speaking, she wasn't endangering her relationship to Steve. Will is worried that Mike--clearly in love with Elle--might walk away from their friendship.
@@TheNotoriousNemo I agree but it also provides some depth to her character. Personally, I didn't pay much to Robin's character but it's interesting to see her have her own personal struggles. Not just her thinking about Vecna.
Absolutely agree about Sadie Sink - wise beyond her years, and able to represent emotions and experiences more subtly and effectively than the rest of the younger portion of the cast. It truly has the most perfect casting of anything I've seen in a few years.
As much as I would like Season 5 to come out all at once, the fact that this season’s split release kept the conversation on Stranger Things going for over a month is proof that it is a better business decision as long as you are confident that your finale is very strong.
I agree that Will needs a larger role in Season 5. He has that connection to the upside down; it should be implemented in some way. Also, the main four should all lean into the D&D when facing off against Vecna.
The Duffer Brothers DEFINITELY foreshadowed Will’s role in S5 when it showed young Henry drawing the mind flayer the same way Will did in S2, and when it showed him at the end sensing that this fight isn’t over
The biggest thing I disliked was when Eleven pulled that power outta her ass to save max, just feels like the duffer brothers can’t commit to killing the main characters
They didn’t pull the power out of their ass. She has the power to blow up peoples blood vessels to kill them why is it so hard to believe she can’t do something similar to save someone
@@franohmsford7548 Not really. We have seen Eleven develop her powers as the show has gone forward. She only first started seeing into people's minds and memories in season 2, with Terry. Then she went further with Billy and now even more with Max. It wouldn't be so much of a jump to see her start manipulating what people can see too.
Pretty much on the same track as Dan, although to be honest, I would have preferred a less rambling story, a tighter focus on Hawkins, and wrapping up the whole saga in this season already. Don't get me wrong, the actors are amazing and definitely deserve a paycheck, but I could have done without the Russia plot completely, and even the General Sullivan plot could have taken a backseat (unless he becomes much more important in the final season).
When I saw Eddie rough housing with Dustin in the field before the big battle I know Eddie was going to die. Also Justice for Eddie, I agree that he needs a redemption. In the previous seasons the plot has been neatly tied to a bow, with the victims getting justice or portrayed as the heroes they were. Except now, Eddie went down as a satanist and a possible serial killer, hated by pretty much everyone.
I want an episode that's just Vekna dealing with Demogorgon bureaucracy. He's sitting in meetings with planning boards trying to get permits and the Demogorgons are just opening their faces and screaming at him and then he's trying to negotiate contracts with building crews and the Demogorgons are just opening their faces and screaming at him. Standing in line at the Upside-down Bank and Trust trying to get a loan and the Demogorgon teller opens its face and screams and he realizes he was in the wrong line for the last hour.
I would get distracted by solid acting... then see that half-hearted scar on Brenner and remember "oh, right, how are you alive and barely damaged?" I am choosing to believe that Hen001Vec wanted him saved for... oh, torture, or whatever.
@@singularrookhart7501 Maybe bit the demagorgan destroyed ppl season 1.What he do caught Brenner and just scratched him and left?Brenner old ass would have been dead.
The Duffers continuously subvert the now tired tropes of massive character deaths and seem to offer a more optimistic view of humanity with character redemptions rather than good characters "breaking bad". But their subversions are always earned and grounded and set-up logically in the course of the show. It's simply EXCELLENT writing for characters and a world they love rather than cynical, cheap twists and deaths out of no-where (looking at you, Walking Dead)
Eddie was such a sweet guy, it's sad how he will be remembered. Idk if Max as our Max will be back, Vecna/Henry/One could use her empty mind as a vessel👀
I didn't mind the split. As much as I love getting to see all the story at once, this was a nice compromise compared to weekly releases. It created discussions about volume one and what would happen next.
I actually liked the splitting up of all the main characters. The cast is getting quite bloated, by separating them into smaller pockets it gave each character more of a chance to breath and grow. It was like numerous different small pockets to reflect the small pocket that was present in the first season. It also showed how deeply they all are connected in that, despite physical distance, they all end up working essentially towards the same goal.
This season was intense. I was so heart broken with Eddie's death but it would have been very hard to keep him alive even if he did escape the upside down ,the town would destroy him for the murders he didn't even commit. Lots of emotions in this one for sure. I was very surprised with Max, her breaking was the worst.
This is easily the best season since the first for me. I wasn’t a big fan of the previous two seasons. Season 5 looks to be pretty interesting. I hope the Duffers can stick the landing!
I would argue that Eleven didn't find a new level to her powers as she didn't defeat Vecna -- the team did ... temporarily. There is a line by Mike stating "she never lost before" during the scene where they were cleaning the cabin.
Eleven inadvertently created the Upsidedown version of Hawkins. Opening the maingate on November 6, 1983 she caused the dimensions to overlap. That's why Nancy's Journal stops on that day. It was the same day as Will disappearing. Nancy didn't know that which is why she didn't mention that, instead she mentioned Will disappearing.
Stranger Things is a wonderful mix of my all-time favorite tv shows, combining Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Lost. Great character writing, interesting storylines, fabulous acting, and a true sense of fun in creating something that can be discussed for weeks afterwards.
Hmm. I thought it was all fine, probably the best since the first Season. BUT only fine. Nothing is overtly wrong, the performances are generally strong and the result is clearly a crowd-pleaser, but honestly I found it generally pretty average. There's barely any real character development since we rarely get any moment that isn't heavily plot focused, preventing most introspection or growth. Eddie's death felt particularly forced, he is a very endearing addition to the team, but his arc rings a little cheap. As you mentioned, the series loves adding a darling just to kill them for the emotional hit. But him standing his ground makes little sense, he's not protecting any particular place at that point, RUNNING would have resulted in the same "success". We are lead to believe that the idea that him sacrificing himself was somehow more heroic because he had previously been hiding. However, to me it was clear that the character was already standing his ground with the Master of puppets scene. I got the concept, but I wish they wrote it in a more thoughtful way. Similarly the Russians having an epiphany that the Americans are right, and they need to help them SAVE THE WORLD, felt nice but also extremely convenient. To me it seemed like they'd happily just bow out, as they had no skin in the game. In fact the whole Russian side of the season felt almost entirely disconnected, with a tenuous concept of "if we kill these critters we will be helping 11 in some way". Also, where did that sword come from? What? Why? I am also generally annoyed at how unwilling they are to make ELEVEN get her hands dirty. Not only did she not hurt any of the kids in the past, but she also fails at actually escaping PAPA, for him to be killed by a third party with no real importance. It's a nitpick, but I was also specifically disappointed that they didn't tie "music" as a way to repel Vecna with 11's memories of her mother: if we had had her mother singing a lullaby, and that memory serving as a protection, that would have really rounded out the mechanics of Vecna's powers. All the pieces were there. And as for Will, I'm just kind of frustrated, at this point it's plain gaybaiting, and the inconclusiveness has me wondering if they're actually hinting at him having a crush on 11 that he can't act upon because of Mike (This would also be a pretty awful twist, but he may feel that they are somehow connected to 11 because of how long he was in the upside down, too). The truth is that as you say Dan, it feels that they've never known what to do with Will. All in all, a pretty impressive production in general, and narratively fine... But I can't help this feeling of messy shallowness, reminds me a little of harry potter's later books, trying to tie together unrelated threads in a story that ends up feeling smaller than it should. In the end the series continues to have a lot of fun references but it seems satisfied with presenting them (in a very polished way) without a lot of insight. Lukewarm.
Something very few people are bringing up is the creature Nancy described seeing in her visions with Vecna. I suspect it was the Thessalhydra. It's been teased a few seasons now. It was brought up in the DnD game during the epilogue of season 1. Will drew a hydra for Mike this season. The creature Nancy saw was an emence creature with a gaping wide mouth, which fits with the description, the Thessalhydra being huge and having one large mouth but also 8 heads. It'll be interesting if they introduce the creature in the 5th season.
When Eddie told Dustin to "never change" after seemingly wanting to kiss him, I was like, "Yup, Eddie's gonna die." Since they didn't really establish an emotional core or foundation with Eddie prior to this season, outside of his friendship with Dustin, this was his "lover's farewell", because they needed it to feel sad. Don't get me wrong, I liked the performance, but I wasn't in anyway shocked or worried about a character practically designed to die in this season. It's funny how they took the word "formulaic", and turned it into "homage"... P.S. I gotta say, I stopped really seeing any of these characters as real people after season 1. Since Season 3, it's just felt like toys flinging around on set. Each kid isn't a person, they're a branded enterprise onto themselves. As soon as I saw Argyle I thought, "that's gonna make a cute Funko toy." That isn't to say the performances aren't great. It's just that the stakes don't matter to me. At this point, I honestly don't care who shot JR, I'm just a "completionist". P.P.S. I couldn't agree more about Will. I've been really disappointed with how they've kinda refused to really address Will's identity issues outside of "gay people are sad, confused & lonely", "isn't he a good tragic gay?" Please, with the way they're going, he'll end up drug addicted with a terminal STI diagnosis by the end of Season 5. Yet, they're fully ok with exploiting lesbianism, because "boobs". It's lame af. P.P.P.S. It's pretty obvious they're gonna do Time Travel in the next season and that lowers the stakes even more, because it can all be undone. So expect a lot of characters to "die" next season. It's one of the reasons I don't like time travel as a narrative schema. Good, nonmagical time travel is hard to do, which is why the best stories featuring it are few and far between. I mean, how many movies like Primer exist? I just feel like, with these family-sized episodes, they really dropped the ball with building these characters up.
I guess I'm in the minority of thinking this season was just okay. I re-watched the first season and that story was very tightly written. This season felt bloated, some plot lines just fizzled out, and we changed from "We against a dimension" to "Let El solo him".
I agree. And I feel like we’re watching Infinity Wars and headed into Endgame but like make it spooky? Doesn’t feel like Stranger Things Sci-fi anymore. It’s another super hero movie with a darker tone. I’m nervous this is going to be a Game of Thrones situation 😳
I think many people like myself still think S1 was the best. As you said, tightly written, better focus on the OG kids. S2 was still good except for that one episode. Then it starts to lose its way with S3 and S4. I could do without Argyle or the other subplots with Robin or Nancy. The OG kids, except for 11, are like bystanders now.
They definitely have waaaay too many characters to juggle, the formula starts to feel like everyone split up, do a bunch of stuff and then come back together. But like half of them could take several seats and I'd be just fine.
It's mediocre television at best, this season was entertaining but also frustrating from a story telling perspective. A lot of things happened for no plot reason or character purpose.
DEFINITELY loved the split! It allowed for time in-between theories and press releases bringing even more attention to the show, and put a HOLD on spoilers!
I think they need less characters. So many characters and they don’t know what to do with them. Also stop splitting the group up all the time. The group works best together.
I actually think Only The Young is one of the best and underrated journey songs, from the film vision quest starring Dr. Brenner/Matthew Modine! But the separate ways remix was pretty awesome!
Season 4 the good, the bad and the ugly: The good: - Vecna is a quality villain with personality. -max was a standout and had one of the best moments in the whole series. -eddie was the shit -Eleven felt like a real superhero -the scariest season so far, real Freddy Krueger vibes. The bad: No character development for most of the characters (Steve, eleven, Mike, will, Nancy, etc) they end up pretty much where they started -it was tooooo long and bloated. -the side quest with hopper in Russia was fun but served no purpose. Filler. -the killed off Eddie. Wtf -they didn't kill off max, or other main characters. No stakes. -at this point Mike, Robyn, Nancy, Nancy's boyfriend, Steve, do not need to be in the show at this point. They literally did nothing. The ugly: Poor Mike. We all can't stay cute kids forever.
I mean they've already established the characters we've known from season 1 and the Hopper/Russia storyline was still very entertaining to watch. But I agree with Max not dying. They kinda wrote her character into a hole. If she died then that just serves the character wrong because she was already at her lowest point.
Enjoyed Vol 1 way more than Vol 2, i was expecting more resolution but instead the last 2 episodes felt like mere setup for season 5, and the 2 weeks time jump took a lot of emotion out of Eddie´s death, and it´s now the 3rd season in a row a charming secondary character is introduced just to kill him off (Bob, Alexei, Eddie) whille all the main characters remain intact
@@m3rl707 yes. I believe that vol 2 have 2 of the best scenes in history, Eddie playing master of puppets, and the remix with vecna and the gang. Even tho volume 1 seems more into season 4 than volume 2, volume 2 is still really great and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
I disagree on Jason, the more I think about from his characters point he was kind of a good guy.. unhinged yes, but he was such an asshole only with the knowledge we have as the audience, his intentions werent bad. her ex-girlfriend gets brutally killed at random satanist dude place (who wasnt that really, but they really had no idea about D&D and with the satanic panic going on and eddie playing up his role, its understandable he had that idea), the guy he is convinced did it- with a reason - on the run, he is chasing him saying he is not planning to kill him, but give up to the police, other friend on him gets brutally killed by some force when eddie is in a pinch..what he was supposed to think or how to act? he was trying to get justice for his ex and his friend. he even wanted lucas to wake max cause he thought he put him in a trance, and the way lucas were started babbling about vecna, pretty much confirming there is some demon activity going on.. he supposed to believe the guy who was protecting "satanist" dude surrounded by gruesome deaths all along while catching him in some weird ritual as well? the way he acted taking his point of view as well as the psychological toll it took on him was logical, and he didnt deserve such an unceremonious death dying like a total villain.
I agree. I liked that Lucas finally stood up for himself at the end and his little sister didn't swoop in and rescue him but I wish Jason could have had a redemptive arc.
I just don’t understand why Eddie did what he did, really no reason. That version the Journey song was amazing. Pineapple is good on pizza with jalapeños
Am i wrong? To me the sword that Hopper used to fight demigorgon was a lot like the sword in Conan the barbarian movie. It’s a long time when i watched it but that idea came to my head as soon as i saw that sword.
The season was great. But i want to focus this comment on you and your style of reviewing: you are analysing, not prejudging or hating on things even if there is a thing you dislike (well in Stranger Things wasn't after all too much to dislike but generally speaking). You are a reviewer, a critic, who doesn't get toxic, unfair to the material or the producers that you review and you always stay gentle and focused on the review. There aren't many good, respectful and watchable youtubers like you outside, so please stay on this path and continue your great work! Thanks🙂👍
This is the one piece of entertainment that continues to make me feel a special type of way. The writing and the like ability of this cast is on a level I’ve never seen before. Throw in a good blend of sci-fi horror, and great dramatic beats, there’s very little that comes close to the production quality and execution of Stranger Things.
Steve is gonna realize that he already got his dream of traveling in a Winnebago with a bunch of little nuggets, Nancy at his side. They gave him that scene, with the kids in the back. Maybe he’ll die in season 5 and realize he had that brood all along.
THANK YOU for giving the separate ways scene it’s proper credit! Don’t get me wrong, both the running up that hill and master of puppets scenes were just too notch. But this one deserves to sit on top with them!
Bro the characters had way too much plot armor, Nancy, Robin, and Steve were being suffocated for 40 minutes, Max was levitating for 3:25 secs before Vecna finally decided to kill her, Hopper was able to barehandedly hold off a demigorgan that was able to take out countless side characters in seconds, Lucas was being choked out for 4 minute, and Max being brought back to life
The idea was that all of these things were happening simultaneously rather than one after another as they are shown. But I agree that due to the number of plotlines they decided to wrap up in one moment, it looked kinda goofy.
You know what would be crazy? Season 5 having an Infinity War style opening where a [couple] of beloved characters are killed off. I wouldn't want to see it but it would certainly shake up things
With those grand future plans, it's a good thing for Steve that he wasn't a cop a few days from retirement, or the protagonist's father in the first 10 minutes of a Disney movie.
Personally this was my least favourite of the four seasons so far. While I'm happy it championed Kate Bush and pineapple on pizza (two of the best experiences that life has to offer), I didn't like the just wait until the final season when the characters will finally say the things they should have been saying all along. It's like the How I Met Your Mother effect. A show that delays character revelations until the end and puts too much stuff on the back burner that should have been front burner when we were ready for it. And the characters being separated for the entire season until the very very end added to this waiting and not really getting the pay-off we wanted. And I didn't buy Hopper's idea that he was somehow helping everyone in Hawkins when he was in Russia--he's deluding himself and Joyce.
I like the decision to split this season. It added a lot of interaction and theorizing within the community which I love. Also, pineapples on Pizza? That's a new low for the Duffer Bros... /s
I watched the first season again and in some of the upside down sequences you can actually hear the clock chimes very faintly. So vecna probably was a thing planned from the beginning :0
Glad to hear someone speak about Max’s future from a storytelling perspective. People who think the Duffer brothers are going to save Max just to pay Sadie Sink to lay in a hospital bed for the final season just don’t get it.
Forget the whole “Will is gay” thing. Will should become one of the villains in season five. The Upside Down is heavily connected to Will. For example, Will has always been the main target of both the demogorgon and the mind flayer in season one and two. Will has also been a massive third wheel in season three and four. So here’s my season five fan theory: In the first few episodes, Vecna secretly invades Will’s mind and gives him thoughts of anger and hatred towards his friends. Vecna then talks Will into working together with him in order to destroy Eleven. Will gets powers and starts to fight Eleven and the gang. It’s Jonathan however who is able to bring back Will. Will is now good again and he still has his powers. Will and Eleven destroy Vecna, the mind flayer and the upside down. It would be cool if Will comes up with a masterplan to betray Vecna.
The split volume thing was so cool....as never have i been left in so much anticipation for a series as i was for the 2nd volume! The fact that it worked well gives me hope that we'll get st least the first volume of S5 in 2024, & the 2nd dropping in 2025! The delay, waiting, & most importantly the aging of the characters must be driving everyone crazy!
For 13 hours of this season, I feel like nothing really happened. It is well directed, I just thought that they could've cut so many things out. I don't want this to be the new Walking Dead that just goes on and on and on. Remember they initially only wanted 1 season and a 2nd season potentially that has the kids all grown up, like IT style. Now's it's just becoming a money grabber.
There is two things I’m hoping they do with Will. The first is that the reason he has been acting kind of the way he does, is not that he’s been struggling with his sexuality, but rather he’s had Vecna in his head the whole time and didn’t know how to coupe with it. And it’s not that I care that he might be gay, in fact I figured he was. But since they haven’t r out and said it yet, and the Duffers are good about playing with expectation, I think that would be a neat turn. And secondly, I hope that he and 11 team up, using wills insight to his mind, and 11 using her powers, to fight Vecna.
Am I the only person who didn’t think that Eleven was excited enough when Hopper appeared? Is it because she knew in advance that he was coming - either psychically or otherwise? Was she in shock? My dad died four years ago, and I would muster up a lot more enthusiasm than that if one day he unexpectedly walked into the room.
Pineapple on pizza is EXCELLENT and people only hate it because the internet tells them to hate like they're told The Last Jedi is the worst film ever made or something. Also I SCREAMED at Jason's death that was wild.
Unfortunately, like S3, I was very underwhelmed by S4. Don't get me wrong, like S3 it had a lot of cool moments, and compelling arcs for certain characters. But so many core characters have little to no character development: Mike, Will, Jonathan, the whole Russia storyline, etc... It seems like Stranger Things was never able to re-capture the magic it had in S1 & S2. Although I enjoyed S3 & S4, they were ultimately a disappointment, which is why my ranking is S1 > S2 > S4 ≥ 3.
My thought on a better release strategy compromise: assume 8 or 9 more normal-length episodes, release 2-3 one week, wait 1-2 weeks, release another 2-3, and so on, not that it was necessarily bad that they released 7 and then waited over a month for the last 2, but that may have been slightly too long a break between...
Netflix should capitalize on the next-levelness the season finale delivered. I can’t be the only who thought, “I would’ve paid to see this in IMAX or in theaters”. Especially given the strength of the season as a whole and the scale/quality they put on screen. It’d be a win-win for both the fans and Netflix to have the series finale released in theaters. Schedule out the season like this past one and have a month of build up to a 3 hour movie without having to do much for marketing in the process. Obviously still release it on Netflix like normal, but to give fans the option of having an experience to cap off the show in a unique way. All while Netflix could rake in guaranteed money from the box office.
29:16 I always hated pineapple on pizza but I realized I had just absorbed popular opinion as my own. When I actually tried it a few years ago, it was good. I don’t order it every time but I enjoy it whenever I do.
Great review. I agree that the style and performances elevate some of the tired story premises. That being said I was slightly disappointed when the final credits rolled- the season was just a little too overstuffed with filler story. I feel like they could have accomplished the same plot in half the time.
Definitely this is probably the best season of Stranger Things. Which surprised me since the longer running times and bigger budget I thought would hurt the show. But the show is stronger than ever. The only major flaw I have, and since this is a spoiler video. I’m glad Eddie got a redemption. But I wish the show was more daring on who died. Eventually someone from the original season needs to die. Almost every character that’s died usually is not a main character. Or was not introduced until later seasons. But I’m glad Steve survived though.
Best Season Yet. Love the darker tone and Horror elements compare to other seasons. Sadie, Millie, Joseph, Jamie, Gaten deserve Emmy Nominations. This is the Empire/Infinity War of Stranger Things, 5 is probably going to be the Return/Endgame.
There is much to like about season 4. However, in season 5, we need to concentrate on Will as he is the catalyst that started the Stranger Things universe. Give Kali a resolution. Kill fan favorites with an ideal send-off. Finally, if there is going to be a time jump, please include Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler in the folds. They needed some actions, especially have Mr. Wheeler doing something heroic for Mrs. Wheeler to be proud of since she was bored and almost had an affair with Billy in season 3.
I am a Wheel in the Sky man myself, but I agree Separate Ways is on the medal stand somewhere. And the remix was genius, I wish they'd used it a bit more.
A bit worried that the Steve Nancy Jonathan love triangle is gonna consume those characters’ storylines in season 5 when I think there’s just way more interesting things they could do
I found the writing to be EXTREMELY bland and generic. To the point that I was finishing lines before they were and guessing what was going to happen. Vecna was everything but scary. I missed they days of season 1 about suspense and scary of the unknown. Now? Is just another generic gory action adventure show on TV. I'm really not looking forward for season 5. And I'm not even gonna start on that stupid Chrissy-Jason arc and how they had NO IDEA what to do with Will.
The last episode wrecked me. I cried at like 5 points.
-Johnathen telling Will he’ll love him no matter what
-Eddie Dying
-Max dying before eleven saved her
-Dustin telling Eddie’s uncle he’s a hero
-Hopper and Eleven’s reunion
The feels roller coaster was real.
same!
Cool
Eddie playing Master of Puppets surrounded by bats is probably one of my top TV moments of all time. I knew he'd die but I was really hoping against it :(
I thought they would do War Pigs, since Eddie references Ozzy earlier in the season.
@@MrAdamloring1985 i thought it'd be an Iron Maiden song based on Eddie's reaction earlier
When I saw it, it reminded me of a scene from Dusk to Dawn except better.
I also thought it was gonna be some ozzy or Black Sabbath, ya know, on account of the bats 🦇
Max’s death scene hit so hard, both Caleb and Sadie acted that so so well. Everyone else is obviously great for the whole season too but that scene was something else.
Also I loved the split format, built so much more hype for the finale
I thought she was still alive?
@@joselopezjr.4604 meant “death”
After season four, Sadie and Caleb are by far my favourite actors on the show. Not only incredible actors, but their chemistry is unbelievable. I see Oscars for them in the future, and hope they get to work together on another project.
I agree about Will, Dan and given that the show started with his kidnapping, it should end with Will having a big role in finishing it all and Vecna being defeated and the upside down closed off for good. Less Mike and more Will in the final season would be really good for the story, IMHO.
True, but they wasted Will for 4 seasons. They should have done more with Will this season cause now suddenly make him more than plot furniture in 5 is just odd.
I think they set that up with Will saying he can still feel Vecna.
Everyone is overreacting to what eleven did with Max. She didn’t “magic” her back to life with some new power we haven’t seen. She just restarted her heart with some kind of telekinetic CPR type thing. Something that happens in the real world to real people (albeit non-telekinetically). She didn’t heal her, just made her body technically alive by starting her heart. And not because the Duffer’s were scared to kill her, but because there is still an arc and story to tell there. If Max’s conscious or soul has been absorbed into Vecna then that could create conflict. They kill Vecna, they’re also killing max.
I think the Duffer’s have earned our trust to wait and see how they land the plane before everyone complains.
@@margotperez7162 Nah. That was just because Vecna needed to recover. The spell was fulfilled with Max's clinical death.
@@margotperez7162 he knew that he had done enough damage to Max to kill her. That's why he said "You have Lost". His spell was complete. There is 2 day of peace because Vecna needed to recover from the fire bombs and gun shots. Then he started flooding the area with Upsidedown smoke. It had nothing to do with Max's physical state at the very end.
@@margotperez7162 we'll have to wait and see what the world is like in season 5.
Regardless of the “how”, bringing back max like 2 minutes after they told us she was dead is stupid. Dare I say, almost as bad as the chewy “death” in Star Wars 9.
@@aarongutierrez7705 I'll agree with that. There would have been more stakes just killing her off. Same thing with Steve.
100% agreed re: "Separate Ways"
When it played, I texted out to my family "Ladies and gentlemen... we have Journey. I repeat, we have Journey."
I think the Will/Mike scene was less marking Mike for death and more confirming to the audience that Will is in love with Mike
Although I cringed a little for the "talking about someone else but really I am talking about myself" method, I do agree the scene is mainly a confirmation for that
I enjoy (and prefer) the theory that Will looks longingly at Mike and Eleven because he knows that he will never have that type of relationship while he’s connected/tethered to the Upside Down. He knows his days are numbered and he will never have that type of connection with another person because a part of him is always with Vecna and the Upside down. It would be heartbreaking!
@@TheTinkerbell1611 nah, he's just gay for Mike
@@TheTinkerbell1611 I think it works both ways. It's vague enough.
I mean it's pretty transparent, they're not being subtle.
Sorry Dan but Robin is not 'open about it'.
She told Steve because she trust him, she never told it to anyone else, as far as we know. She point it out in the first episode of season 4, when she is in the car with Steve and says that she can't try to date anyone if she is not sure of their sexuality because if it's the wrong person she would turn into an emarginate at school.
It's the 80s, and for Will with the AIDS psychosis during those years, as a gay boy, it would be even worse. Especially with those jackass that were his and Eleven's schoolmates in California.
Season 5 has to be Will's season tho, I agree.
My thoughts exactly. She wasn't open at all about it. She told one person who she really trusted. Nobody else knew. I was in high school during this exact time. It wasn't something kids were generally open about.
I believe he meant like open to us the audience and have told us she is, will is only getting hinted at never truly committing, maybe not the correct way to say that from Dan but i believe that's what he meant by open about it and i dont believe he meant ill by it.
I get and agree with all of this. My question would be: Does Robin trust Steve more than Will trusts Mike? Like, he wouldn’t even open up to Mike about it? I know it’s possible, maybe even considering the stigma, particularly in the 80s, of males being gay vs females being gay. But like everyone else, I am hopeful that he (Will) plays a very important role in season five.
@@nickflores9770 I'm not gonna lie, I feel like they are just holding up for Will revealing it to Mike next season and it's probably just going to be a script reason to give Will major moments in season 5.
But, to be honest, Mike in the last two season wasn't the best friend in the world. I can see why Will doesn't feel comfortable to. tell him just yet.
She's not out, but she's open about it TO THE AUDIENCE. We can't get that with Will, instead there's a ton of vague references and even the actors and writers dance around the subject when mentioning it, saying there's no need for labels and maybe he's gay or maybe he's just developing slow in comparison to his friends. THAT'S the difference with Robin, who we know for sure is gay, proving that they're more than capable of writing a gay character who's not out but still gets their sexuality confirmed within the story. There's no excuse to what they're doing with Will.
17:30 I wouldn't say Eleven is more powerful now. She was dragging train cars and levitating in season 2. She banished 001 to the Upsidedown when she 8 years old. I would say she is rehabilitating her powers back but she still has miles to go.
I read that scene as indicating that Will is specifically attracted TO Mike. So even though he may have a similar risk in coming out as Robin, societally speaking, she wasn't endangering her relationship to Steve. Will is worried that Mike--clearly in love with Elle--might walk away from their friendship.
I thought Robin's crush thing was the weakest part of this whole last 2 episodes, to me it was real cheesy. It's believable but still pretty ehhh.
@@TheNotoriousNemo I agree but it also provides some depth to her character. Personally, I didn't pay much to Robin's character but it's interesting to see her have her own personal struggles. Not just her thinking about Vecna.
It would be a good thing for mike to walk away from will
@@mariorizkallah5383 ?
@@langreeves6419 Just this person jumping on the Mike hate train that started for no apparent reason
Absolutely agree about Sadie Sink - wise beyond her years, and able to represent emotions and experiences more subtly and effectively than the rest of the younger portion of the cast. It truly has the most perfect casting of anything I've seen in a few years.
As much as I would like Season 5 to come out all at once, the fact that this season’s split release kept the conversation on Stranger Things going for over a month is proof that it is a better business decision as long as you are confident that your finale is very strong.
I agree that Will needs a larger role in Season 5. He has that connection to the upside down; it should be implemented in some way.
Also, the main four should all lean into the D&D when facing off against Vecna.
It seems like being back in Hawkins has brought his powers back. Maybe that will play a part next season.
The Duffer Brothers DEFINITELY foreshadowed Will’s role in S5 when it showed young Henry drawing the mind flayer the same way Will did in S2, and when it showed him at the end sensing that this fight isn’t over
He's a gloryfied upsidedown detector
Here’s an idea, Will CAN be the same as Henry, Will can be “Twelve” or something
The biggest thing I disliked was when Eleven pulled that power outta her ass to save max, just feels like the duffer brothers can’t commit to killing the main characters
That was me making a deal with god for 11 to save max. I can’t stand main character death but max honestly got a worse fate
I hope they explain it better in season 5
They didn’t pull the power out of their ass. She has the power to blow up peoples blood vessels to kill them why is it so hard to believe she can’t do something similar to save someone
@@franohmsford7548 Not really. We have seen Eleven develop her powers as the show has gone forward. She only first started seeing into people's minds and memories in season 2, with Terry. Then she went further with Billy and now even more with Max. It wouldn't be so much of a jump to see her start manipulating what people can see too.
That wasn't Murray struggling to climb out, that was Yuri in Murray's clothes. So it makes perfect sense that Hopper didn't help him.
Still…come on, Hop. Cut the guy a break
When the break back into the prison, just the three Americans, Hopper actually does not help him out that time
@@DanMurrellMovies accept the reason. Geez...
@@tommymarki9226 Get a sense of humour
@@DanMurrellMovies the guy who would rat them out to the Russians?!
Pretty much on the same track as Dan, although to be honest, I would have preferred a less rambling story, a tighter focus on Hawkins, and wrapping up the whole saga in this season already. Don't get me wrong, the actors are amazing and definitely deserve a paycheck, but I could have done without the Russia plot completely, and even the General Sullivan plot could have taken a backseat (unless he becomes much more important in the final season).
Absolutely agree about the Russia plot - it was way too dragged out and unnecessary.
When I saw Eddie rough housing with Dustin in the field before the big battle I know Eddie was going to die. Also Justice for Eddie, I agree that he needs a redemption. In the previous seasons the plot has been neatly tied to a bow, with the victims getting justice or portrayed as the heroes they were. Except now, Eddie went down as a satanist and a possible serial killer, hated by pretty much everyone.
I want an episode that's just Vekna dealing with Demogorgon bureaucracy. He's sitting in meetings with planning boards trying to get permits and the Demogorgons are just opening their faces and screaming at him and then he's trying to negotiate contracts with building crews and the Demogorgons are just opening their faces and screaming at him. Standing in line at the Upside-down Bank and Trust trying to get a loan and the Demogorgon teller opens its face and screams and he realizes he was in the wrong line for the last hour.
Lol Yes!
13:42 Robin wasn't actually open about her sexuality. She only came out to Steve and nobody else.
Robin and Steve were captured by a foreign military and thought they would die, so Steven confessed his feelings, and Robin felt the need to be honest
when Noah is given work to do, like season two, he's the best on the show.
How did nobody ask Dr.Brenner how he survived season one?
I would get distracted by solid acting... then see that half-hearted scar on Brenner and remember "oh, right, how are you alive and barely damaged?"
I am choosing to believe that Hen001Vec wanted him saved for... oh, torture, or whatever.
@@singularrookhart7501 Maybe bit the demagorgan destroyed ppl season 1.What he do caught Brenner and just scratched him and left?Brenner old ass would have been dead.
Eleven & Hopper being reunited hit me right in the feels. It was so sweet.
I loved that scene!
The Duffers continuously subvert the now tired tropes of massive character deaths and seem to offer a more optimistic view of humanity with character redemptions rather than good characters "breaking bad". But their subversions are always earned and grounded and set-up logically in the course of the show. It's simply EXCELLENT writing for characters and a world they love rather than cynical, cheap twists and deaths out of no-where (looking at you, Walking Dead)
Didn’t mind the split, it was nice to be able to talk about the show for a little bit and then get another taste without waiting too long
Eddie was such a sweet guy, it's sad how he will be remembered. Idk if Max as our Max will be back, Vecna/Henry/One could use her empty mind as a vessel👀
I didn't mind the split. As much as I love getting to see all the story at once, this was a nice compromise compared to weekly releases. It created discussions about volume one and what would happen next.
I actually liked the splitting up of all the main characters. The cast is getting quite bloated, by separating them into smaller pockets it gave each character more of a chance to breath and grow. It was like numerous different small pockets to reflect the small pocket that was present in the first season. It also showed how deeply they all are connected in that, despite physical distance, they all end up working essentially towards the same goal.
This season was intense. I was so heart broken with Eddie's death but it would have been very hard to keep him alive even if he did escape the upside down ,the town would destroy him for the murders he didn't even commit. Lots of emotions in this one for sure. I was very surprised with Max, her breaking was the worst.
This is easily the best season since the first for me. I wasn’t a big fan of the previous two seasons. Season 5 looks to be pretty interesting. I hope the Duffers can stick the landing!
I really loved this season, 5 is going to be nuts
I'm kinda mixed about the mind flyer reveal. He's not as scary now that he's just some guy and not some Aldrich monstrositie
I 100% feel the same
Please please please knock it out of the park in Season 5
@@alchemistofsteel8099 but the Mind Flyer isn’t the biggest big bad.
Mind flayer is just a cloud in a form of a spider, lol
That part where the master gate was opening was so damn cool. The sound effect, the pause, the way it opened👌
I would argue that Eleven didn't find a new level to her powers as she didn't defeat Vecna -- the team did ... temporarily. There is a line by Mike stating "she never lost before" during the scene where they were cleaning the cabin.
Eleven inadvertently created the Upsidedown version of Hawkins. Opening the maingate on November 6, 1983 she caused the dimensions to overlap. That's why Nancy's Journal stops on that day. It was the same day as Will disappearing. Nancy didn't know that which is why she didn't mention that, instead she mentioned Will disappearing.
Stranger Things is a wonderful mix of my all-time favorite tv shows, combining Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Lost. Great character writing, interesting storylines, fabulous acting, and a true sense of fun in creating something that can be discussed for weeks afterwards.
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer." Definitely best line.
Hmm. I thought it was all fine, probably the best since the first Season. BUT only fine.
Nothing is overtly wrong, the performances are generally strong and the result is clearly a crowd-pleaser, but honestly I found it generally pretty average.
There's barely any real character development since we rarely get any moment that isn't heavily plot focused, preventing most introspection or growth.
Eddie's death felt particularly forced, he is a very endearing addition to the team, but his arc rings a little cheap. As you mentioned, the series loves adding a darling just to kill them for the emotional hit. But him standing his ground makes little sense, he's not protecting any particular place at that point, RUNNING would have resulted in the same "success".
We are lead to believe that the idea that him sacrificing himself was somehow more heroic because he had previously been hiding. However, to me it was clear that the character was already standing his ground with the Master of puppets scene. I got the concept, but I wish they wrote it in a more thoughtful way.
Similarly the Russians having an epiphany that the Americans are right, and they need to help them SAVE THE WORLD, felt nice but also extremely convenient. To me it seemed like they'd happily just bow out, as they had no skin in the game. In fact the whole Russian side of the season felt almost entirely disconnected, with a tenuous concept of "if we kill these critters we will be helping 11 in some way". Also, where did that sword come from? What? Why?
I am also generally annoyed at how unwilling they are to make ELEVEN get her hands dirty. Not only did she not hurt any of the kids in the past, but she also fails at actually escaping PAPA, for him to be killed by a third party with no real importance.
It's a nitpick, but I was also specifically disappointed that they didn't tie "music" as a way to repel Vecna with 11's memories of her mother: if we had had her mother singing a lullaby, and that memory serving as a protection, that would have really rounded out the mechanics of Vecna's powers. All the pieces were there.
And as for Will, I'm just kind of frustrated, at this point it's plain gaybaiting, and the inconclusiveness has me wondering if they're actually hinting at him having a crush on 11 that he can't act upon because of Mike (This would also be a pretty awful twist, but he may feel that they are somehow connected to 11 because of how long he was in the upside down, too).
The truth is that as you say Dan, it feels that they've never known what to do with Will.
All in all, a pretty impressive production in general, and narratively fine... But I can't help this feeling of messy shallowness, reminds me a little of harry potter's later books, trying to tie together unrelated threads in a story that ends up feeling smaller than it should.
In the end the series continues to have a lot of fun references but it seems satisfied with presenting them (in a very polished way) without a lot of insight. Lukewarm.
Something very few people are bringing up is the creature Nancy described seeing in her visions with Vecna. I suspect it was the Thessalhydra. It's been teased a few seasons now. It was brought up in the DnD game during the epilogue of season 1. Will drew a hydra for Mike this season. The creature Nancy saw was an emence creature with a gaping wide mouth, which fits with the description, the Thessalhydra being huge and having one large mouth but also 8 heads. It'll be interesting if they introduce the creature in the 5th season.
When Eddie told Dustin to "never change" after seemingly wanting to kiss him, I was like, "Yup, Eddie's gonna die." Since they didn't really establish an emotional core or foundation with Eddie prior to this season, outside of his friendship with Dustin, this was his "lover's farewell", because they needed it to feel sad. Don't get me wrong, I liked the performance, but I wasn't in anyway shocked or worried about a character practically designed to die in this season.
It's funny how they took the word "formulaic", and turned it into "homage"...
P.S. I gotta say, I stopped really seeing any of these characters as real people after season 1. Since Season 3, it's just felt like toys flinging around on set. Each kid isn't a person, they're a branded enterprise onto themselves. As soon as I saw Argyle I thought, "that's gonna make a cute Funko toy." That isn't to say the performances aren't great. It's just that the stakes don't matter to me. At this point, I honestly don't care who shot JR, I'm just a "completionist".
P.P.S. I couldn't agree more about Will. I've been really disappointed with how they've kinda refused to really address Will's identity issues outside of "gay people are sad, confused & lonely", "isn't he a good tragic gay?" Please, with the way they're going, he'll end up drug addicted with a terminal STI diagnosis by the end of Season 5. Yet, they're fully ok with exploiting lesbianism, because "boobs". It's lame af.
P.P.P.S. It's pretty obvious they're gonna do Time Travel in the next season and that lowers the stakes even more, because it can all be undone. So expect a lot of characters to "die" next season. It's one of the reasons I don't like time travel as a narrative schema. Good, nonmagical time travel is hard to do, which is why the best stories featuring it are few and far between. I mean, how many movies like Primer exist?
I just feel like, with these family-sized episodes, they really dropped the ball with building these characters up.
I guess I'm in the minority of thinking this season was just okay. I re-watched the first season and that story was very tightly written. This season felt bloated, some plot lines just fizzled out, and we changed from "We against a dimension" to "Let El solo him".
I don't think you're in the minority but it sure seems like it around all the fanboys (and girls) including this reviewer...
I agree. And I feel like we’re watching Infinity Wars and headed into Endgame but like make it spooky? Doesn’t feel like Stranger Things Sci-fi anymore. It’s another super hero movie with a darker tone. I’m nervous this is going to be a Game of Thrones situation 😳
I think many people like myself still think S1 was the best. As you said, tightly written, better focus on the OG kids. S2 was still good except for that one episode. Then it starts to lose its way with S3 and S4. I could do without Argyle or the other subplots with Robin or Nancy. The OG kids, except for 11, are like bystanders now.
They definitely have waaaay too many characters to juggle, the formula starts to feel like everyone split up, do a bunch of stuff and then come back together. But like half of them could take several seats and I'd be just fine.
It's mediocre television at best, this season was entertaining but also frustrating from a story telling perspective. A lot of things happened for no plot reason or character purpose.
DEFINITELY loved the split! It allowed for time in-between theories and press releases bringing even more attention to the show, and put a HOLD on spoilers!
I think they need less characters. So many characters and they don’t know what to do with them. Also stop splitting the group up all the time. The group works best together.
I actually think Only The Young is one of the best and underrated journey songs, from the film vision quest starring Dr. Brenner/Matthew Modine! But the separate ways remix was pretty awesome!
Season 4 the good, the bad and the ugly:
The good:
- Vecna is a quality villain with personality.
-max was a standout and had one of the best moments in the whole series.
-eddie was the shit
-Eleven felt like a real superhero
-the scariest season so far, real Freddy Krueger vibes.
The bad:
No character development for most of the characters (Steve, eleven, Mike, will, Nancy, etc) they end up pretty much where they started
-it was tooooo long and bloated.
-the side quest with hopper in Russia was fun but served no purpose. Filler.
-the killed off Eddie. Wtf
-they didn't kill off max, or other main characters. No stakes.
-at this point Mike, Robyn, Nancy, Nancy's boyfriend, Steve, do not need to be in the show at this point. They literally did nothing.
The ugly:
Poor Mike. We all can't stay cute kids forever.
I mean they've already established the characters we've known from season 1 and the Hopper/Russia storyline was still very entertaining to watch.
But I agree with Max not dying. They kinda wrote her character into a hole. If she died then that just serves the character wrong because she was already at her lowest point.
Too bloated. Too many characters. New characters introduced only to be killed off. I agree with your feelings.
Enjoyed Vol 1 way more than Vol 2, i was expecting more resolution but instead the last 2 episodes felt like mere setup for season 5, and the 2 weeks time jump took a lot of emotion out of Eddie´s death, and it´s now the 3rd season in a row a charming secondary character is introduced just to kill him off (Bob, Alexei, Eddie) whille all the main characters remain intact
I agree volume 1 was better than volume 2. But v2 was still very good. If season 5 delivers then Season 4 Volume 2 would be even better.
@@m3rl707 yes. I believe that vol 2 have 2 of the best scenes in history, Eddie playing master of puppets, and the remix with vecna and the gang. Even tho volume 1 seems more into season 4 than volume 2, volume 2 is still really great and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
I disagree on Jason, the more I think about from his characters point he was kind of a good guy.. unhinged yes, but he was such an asshole only with the knowledge we have as the audience, his intentions werent bad. her ex-girlfriend gets brutally killed at random satanist dude place (who wasnt that really, but they really had no idea about D&D and with the satanic panic going on and eddie playing up his role, its understandable he had that idea), the guy he is convinced did it- with a reason - on the run, he is chasing him saying he is not planning to kill him, but give up to the police, other friend on him gets brutally killed by some force when eddie is in a pinch..what he was supposed to think or how to act? he was trying to get justice for his ex and his friend. he even wanted lucas to wake max cause he thought he put him in a trance, and the way lucas were started babbling about vecna, pretty much confirming there is some demon activity going on.. he supposed to believe the guy who was protecting "satanist" dude surrounded by gruesome deaths all along while catching him in some weird ritual as well? the way he acted taking his point of view as well as the psychological toll it took on him was logical, and he didnt deserve such an unceremonious death dying like a total villain.
I agree. I liked that Lucas finally stood up for himself at the end and his little sister didn't swoop in and rescue him but I wish Jason could have had a redemptive arc.
The last episode was amazing! I threw my fist up in the air when Eddie started playing Master of puppets!! And was very heartbroken when he died :(
One thing that I thought was weird was that the flamethrower was used extensively on the battleground, yet the sword was not too hot to handle.
I think that is a nitpick, maybe the cold temperature cooled it off.
Most things in this show are convenient, can't expect too much quality.
Also: Millie Bobby Brown's short hair? Is a wig! The best wig work I've ever seen, that stuff needs a some kind of award.
I just don’t understand why Eddie did what he did, really no reason. That version the Journey song was amazing. Pineapple is good on pizza with jalapeños
"Ericaaa HEEELLP!".....gave me such chills😭💔
Am i wrong? To me the sword that Hopper used to fight demigorgon was a lot like the sword in Conan the barbarian movie. It’s a long time when i watched it but that idea came to my head as soon as i saw that sword.
It is the sword from Conan. Great 80's reference.
Same. I recognized it right away. And agreed with the other fellow that it was a great reference.
Same here
It's literally the same sword Arnold used. The actual prop.
It kinda looked like he-man’s sword from live action masters of the universe with dolph lungren
Minor Spoiler:
Is Doctor Sam Owens still handcuffed at the facility?
I feel like they will need him in Season 5 to help Eleven prepare for the final battle with Vecna.
The season was great. But i want to focus this comment on you and your style of reviewing: you are analysing, not prejudging or hating on things even if there is a thing you dislike (well in Stranger Things wasn't after all too much to dislike but generally speaking). You are a reviewer, a critic, who doesn't get toxic, unfair to the material or the producers that you review and you always stay gentle and focused on the review. There aren't many good, respectful and watchable youtubers like you outside, so please stay on this path and continue your great work! Thanks🙂👍
Thank you so much for the kind words! That’s what I aspire to be
This is the one piece of entertainment that continues to make me feel a special type of way. The writing and the like ability of this cast is on a level I’ve never seen before.
Throw in a good blend of sci-fi horror, and great dramatic beats, there’s very little that comes close to the production quality and execution of Stranger Things.
Steve is gonna realize that he already got his dream of traveling in a Winnebago with a bunch of little nuggets, Nancy at his side. They gave him that scene, with the kids in the back. Maybe he’ll die in season 5 and realize he had that brood all along.
THANK YOU for giving the separate ways scene it’s proper credit! Don’t get me wrong, both the running up that hill and master of puppets scenes were just too notch. But this one deserves to sit on top with them!
Justice for Eddie!
“The smoke monster from lost”
LOL I knew the particles were part of the mind flayer but that’s a valid comparison
Amen Dan! Been saying it for years Separate Ways (World's Apart) is Journey's most essential hit, and the margin is not even close. IMO
The story grew up with the characters. We haven't seen it done this well since the Harry Potter movies.
Speaking as someone who has been eating pineapple on pizza since the 80s, it checks out. Pineapple only recently became a controversial topping.
Bro the characters had way too much plot armor, Nancy, Robin, and Steve were being suffocated for 40 minutes, Max was levitating for 3:25 secs before Vecna finally decided to kill her, Hopper was able to barehandedly hold off a demigorgan that was able to take out countless side characters in seconds, Lucas was being choked out for 4 minute, and Max being brought back to life
The idea was that all of these things were happening simultaneously rather than one after another as they are shown. But I agree that due to the number of plotlines they decided to wrap up in one moment, it looked kinda goofy.
Dan, will you review RRR on this channel?
Even though it was quick, it was incredibly satisfying to see 'blonde cruise' burned in half.
...and pineapple on pizza with a protein IS delicious.
You know what would be crazy? Season 5 having an Infinity War style opening where a [couple] of beloved characters are killed off.
I wouldn't want to see it but it would certainly shake up things
Id love to see a couple of the annoying kids get axed like Mike. 🤣
With those grand future plans, it's a good thing for Steve that he wasn't a cop a few days from retirement, or the protagonist's father in the first 10 minutes of a Disney movie.
Personally this was my least favourite of the four seasons so far. While I'm happy it championed Kate Bush and pineapple on pizza (two of the best experiences that life has to offer), I didn't like the just wait until the final season when the characters will finally say the things they should have been saying all along. It's like the How I Met Your Mother effect. A show that delays character revelations until the end and puts too much stuff on the back burner that should have been front burner when we were ready for it. And the characters being separated for the entire season until the very very end added to this waiting and not really getting the pay-off we wanted. And I didn't buy Hopper's idea that he was somehow helping everyone in Hawkins when he was in Russia--he's deluding himself and Joyce.
I like the decision to split this season. It added a lot of interaction and theorizing within the community which I love. Also, pineapples on Pizza? That's a new low for the Duffer Bros...
/s
Argyle is just trying to pick a fight with Klaus from Umbrella Academy. The two chillest dudes on Netflix.
Pineapple only recently became controversial. I’ve been eating pizza that way since the 80s - so it checks out.
I too was like "oh no are we doing the pencil/paper wormhole/blackhole analogy again. Ha!
I watched the first season again and in some of the upside down sequences you can actually hear the clock chimes very faintly. So vecna probably was a thing planned from the beginning :0
I need to rewatch Season 1 so I can listen for it!
Planned? No. Retconned? Yes.
Great observation!
Glad to hear someone speak about Max’s future from a storytelling perspective. People who think the Duffer brothers are going to save Max just to pay Sadie Sink to lay in a hospital bed for the final season just don’t get it.
Forget the whole “Will is gay” thing. Will should become one of the villains in season five. The Upside Down is heavily connected to Will. For example, Will has always been the main target of both the demogorgon and the mind flayer in season one and two. Will has also been a massive third wheel in season three and four.
So here’s my season five fan theory: In the first few episodes, Vecna secretly invades Will’s mind and gives him thoughts of anger and hatred towards his friends. Vecna then talks Will into working together with him in order to destroy Eleven. Will gets powers and starts to fight Eleven and the gang. It’s Jonathan however who is able to bring back Will. Will is now good again and he still has his powers. Will and Eleven destroy Vecna, the mind flayer and the upside down. It would be cool if Will comes up with a masterplan to betray Vecna.
The split volume thing was so cool....as never have i been left in so much anticipation for a series as i was for the 2nd volume! The fact that it worked well gives me hope that we'll get st least the first volume of S5 in 2024, & the 2nd dropping in 2025!
The delay, waiting, & most importantly the aging of the characters must be driving everyone crazy!
Why is nobody talking about how they dressed Dustin up like an Ewok?
YES. The whole time, I was thinking, “Why is Dustin wearing that?”
For 13 hours of this season, I feel like nothing really happened. It is well directed, I just thought that they could've cut so many things out. I don't want this to be the new Walking Dead that just goes on and on and on. Remember they initially only wanted 1 season and a 2nd season potentially that has the kids all grown up, like IT style. Now's it's just becoming a money grabber.
Next season is the last season.
I always knew Eddie was gonna die for me the tension was from who else would die too
There is two things I’m hoping they do with Will. The first is that the reason he has been acting kind of the way he does, is not that he’s been struggling with his sexuality, but rather he’s had Vecna in his head the whole time and didn’t know how to coupe with it. And it’s not that I care that he might be gay, in fact I figured he was. But since they haven’t r out and said it yet, and the Duffers are good about playing with expectation, I think that would be a neat turn. And secondly, I hope that he and 11 team up, using wills insight to his mind, and 11 using her powers, to fight Vecna.
Been looking forward to your review
But one of my favorite pizzas has pesto, mozzarella, sausage, jalapeños, pinapple, and sundried tomatoes. So good!
Am I the only person who didn’t think that Eleven was excited enough when Hopper appeared? Is it because she knew in advance that he was coming - either psychically or otherwise? Was she in shock? My dad died four years ago, and I would muster up a lot more enthusiasm than that if one day he unexpectedly walked into the room.
Sorry for your loss. My mom passed around that time too.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
Pineapple on pizza is EXCELLENT and people only hate it because the internet tells them to hate like they're told The Last Jedi is the worst film ever made or something.
Also I SCREAMED at Jason's death that was wild.
Unfortunately, like S3, I was very underwhelmed by S4. Don't get me wrong, like S3 it had a lot of cool moments, and compelling arcs for certain characters. But so many core characters have little to no character development: Mike, Will, Jonathan, the whole Russia storyline, etc... It seems like Stranger Things was never able to re-capture the magic it had in S1 & S2. Although I enjoyed S3 & S4, they were ultimately a disappointment, which is why my ranking is S1 > S2 > S4 ≥ 3.
This review was so spot on!
My thought on a better release strategy compromise: assume 8 or 9 more normal-length episodes, release 2-3 one week, wait 1-2 weeks, release another 2-3, and so on, not that it was necessarily bad that they released 7 and then waited over a month for the last 2, but that may have been slightly too long a break between...
A fun easter egg with Hopper, that sword looked like Arnold Schwartzenegger's from Conan the Barbarian.
To be fair, Robin is only out to Steve.
Netflix should capitalize on the next-levelness the season finale delivered. I can’t be the only who thought, “I would’ve paid to see this in IMAX or in theaters”. Especially given the strength of the season as a whole and the scale/quality they put on screen.
It’d be a win-win for both the fans and Netflix to have the series finale released in theaters. Schedule out the season like this past one and have a month of build up to a 3 hour movie without having to do much for marketing in the process. Obviously still release it on Netflix like normal, but to give fans the option of having an experience to cap off the show in a unique way. All while Netflix could rake in guaranteed money from the box office.
29:16 I always hated pineapple on pizza but I realized I had just absorbed popular opinion as my own. When I actually tried it a few years ago, it was good. I don’t order it every time but I enjoy it whenever I do.
I really like how the show seems to have a tropes, but then upends your expectations. Second best season so far.
Great review. I agree that the style and performances elevate some of the tired story premises. That being said I was slightly disappointed when the final credits rolled- the season was just a little too overstuffed with filler story. I feel like they could have accomplished the same plot in half the time.
Definitely this is probably the best season of Stranger Things. Which surprised me since the longer running times and bigger budget I thought would hurt the show. But the show is stronger than ever. The only major flaw I have, and since this is a spoiler video. I’m glad Eddie got a redemption. But I wish the show was more daring on who died. Eventually someone from the original season needs to die. Almost every character that’s died usually is not a main character. Or was not introduced until later seasons. But I’m glad Steve survived though.
I have a feeling and hope that in the final season most of the cast end up dying.
"I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer' needs to be on T-shirts and mugs.
Robin was open about it to Steve and only Steve and Steve never shared that information with anyone else.
Definitely agree with the Will commentary. Season 5 supernatural gay Will let's goooo!
Best Season Yet. Love the darker tone and Horror elements compare to other seasons. Sadie, Millie, Joseph, Jamie, Gaten deserve Emmy Nominations. This is the Empire/Infinity War of Stranger Things, 5 is probably going to be the Return/Endgame.
There is much to like about season 4. However, in season 5, we need to concentrate on Will as he is the catalyst that started the Stranger Things universe. Give Kali a resolution. Kill fan favorites with an ideal send-off. Finally, if there is going to be a time jump, please include Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler in the folds. They needed some actions, especially have Mr. Wheeler doing something heroic for Mrs. Wheeler to be proud of since she was bored and almost had an affair with Billy in season 3.
Separate ways is my favorite Journey song too!
I am a Wheel in the Sky man myself, but I agree Separate Ways is on the medal stand somewhere. And the remix was genius, I wish they'd used it a bit more.
A bit worried that the Steve Nancy Jonathan love triangle is gonna consume those characters’ storylines in season 5 when I think there’s just way more interesting things they could do
I found the writing to be EXTREMELY bland and generic. To the point that I was finishing lines before they were and guessing what was going to happen.
Vecna was everything but scary. I missed they days of season 1 about suspense and scary of the unknown. Now? Is just another generic gory action adventure show on TV.
I'm really not looking forward for season 5. And I'm not even gonna start on that stupid Chrissy-Jason arc and how they had NO IDEA what to do with Will.
I'm right with you Dan. I've long held Separate Ways as the song Journey should best be known for.