After three and a half years, we’re finally back in Hawkins for Stranger Things’ biggest season yet, as Netflix’s most iconic series comes to an epic conclusion. Despite a lack of inventiveness and stakes that don’t ever feel high enough, I’m relieved to report it sticks a mostly satisfying landing, albeit with a bit of turbulence along the way.
This show has gone through a major evolution over the nine years since it premiered. As it gained popularity and grew into an international sensation, its once intimate scale expanded as well. The Amblin style magic started to fade after the second season, and was almost entirely abandoned by season four, where the series became a bonafide science fiction epic, standing on its own without the warm nostalgia of its 80s setting. It gave us a compelling glimpse into Eleven’s past, and established Henry as a truly terrifying villain. It laid the foundation for what promised to be an exciting fifth and final season. Unfortunately, the show lost a ton of momentum during that long wait, but it still manages to wrap everything up in a way that should leave most fans satisfied.
Knowing this is the final season, the initial pacing can be frustrating. The rifts that tore their way across Hawkins being “patched up” with metal plates feels like a writers’ stalling tactic, and an excuse for a soft-reset time jump. There was a real opportunity to come out of the gates blazing from where we left off, but instead the brakes are pumped, and the show plays two hours of catch-up getting us reacquainted with everyone. As we’ve seen with other mega-hit series, bigger doesn’t always equate to better, and this season really made me yearn for the show’s simpler days. A lot of time is spent in the Upside Down, with actors placed against digitally rendered backgrounds and fighting CGI monsters. While the big budget ensures it all looks polished, it becomes a little tiresome watching the characters parade around in front of the same dark blue backgrounds for so much of their screen time. The writing is perhaps a little too convenient, especially when it comes to the way everyone is able to solve problems and concoct complex plans with straight-up guessing and dumb luck. The show has lost a little more of its original identity this season, but four seasons of strong buildup kept me invested, happily rooting for this group of characters I’ve grown to love. We’re given satisfying payoffs to most arcs, and we get the long awaited Vecna showdown we were promised. It’s not always the most inventive in how it brings everything to a close, playing it a little safer than I would’ve liked, but it also didn’t leave me bitter or totally disappointed.
This cast has been growing (literally) since day one, and this season adds even more players to the mix. Recast and inexplicably aged up, Holly Wheeler’s larger role here was actually a pleasant surprise. Nell Fisher crushed it, with Holly being a far more pivotal part in this chapter of the story. While there is some questionable dialogue and line delivery, I will say that this season gave us a handful of standout performances. Sadie Sink’s role is obviously limited, but she continues to prove herself as one of the best talents on the show. Noah Schnapp has taken a lot of heat for his performance, but apart from being too old for the role he’s in (A huge problem with many of these actors), I was impressed. Jamie Campbell Bower gives another stellar performance as Henry/Vecna, and I enjoyed exploring more of his traumatizing past. With such a big ensemble, some of the main cast are sidelined, but I appreciate the show not trying to force them to be larger, unnecessary components in the story just for the sake of inclusion. Oh, also Linda Hamilton is here, in a disappointing bit of stunt casting that feels like a waste of her time.
Stranger Things’ final season is flawed, but it keeps its eye on the prize just enough to deliver a worthwhile conclusion to this nearly decade long story. Its decision to play things safe doesn’t leave much room for excitement, and the writing takes some dips in logic and quality, but the finale wraps the series up nicely. We’ve spend the last nine years with these characters, and I’m satisfied with the goodbye we got.
After three and a half years, we’re finally back in Hawkins for Stranger Things’ biggest season yet, as Netflix’s most iconic series comes to an epic conclusion. Despite a lack of inventiveness and stakes that don’t ever feel high enough, I’m relieved to report it sticks a mostly satisfying landing, albeit with a bit of turbulence along the way.
This show has gone through a major evolution over the nine years since it premiered. As it gained popularity and grew into an international sensation, its once intimate scale expanded as well. The Amblin style magic started to fade after the second season, and was almost entirely abandoned by season four, where the series became a bonafide science fiction epic, standing on its own without the warm nostalgia of its 80s setting. It gave us a compelling glimpse into Eleven’s past, and established Henry as a truly terrifying villain. It laid the foundation for what promised to be an exciting fifth and final season. Unfortunately, the show lost a ton of momentum during that long wait, but it still manages to wrap everything up in a way that should leave most fans satisfied.
Knowing this is the final season, the initial pacing can be frustrating. The rifts that tore their way across Hawkins being “patched up” with metal plates feels like a writers’ stalling tactic, and an excuse for a soft-reset time jump. There was a real opportunity to come out of the gates blazing from where we left off, but instead the brakes are pumped, and the show plays two hours of catch-up getting us reacquainted with everyone. As we’ve seen with other mega-hit series, bigger doesn’t always equate to better, and this season really made me yearn for the show’s simpler days. A lot of time is spent in the Upside Down, with actors placed against digitally rendered backgrounds and fighting CGI monsters. While the big budget ensures it all looks polished, it becomes a little tiresome watching the characters parade around in front of the same dark blue backgrounds for so much of their screen time. The writing is perhaps a little too convenient, especially when it comes to the way everyone is able to solve problems and concoct complex plans with straight-up guessing and dumb luck. The show has lost a little more of its original identity this season, but four seasons of strong buildup kept me invested, happily rooting for this group of characters I’ve grown to love. We’re given satisfying payoffs to most arcs, and we get the long awaited Vecna showdown we were promised. It’s not always the most inventive in how it brings everything to a close, playing it a little safer than I would’ve liked, but it also didn’t leave me bitter or totally disappointed.
This cast has been growing (literally) since day one, and this season adds even more players to the mix. Recast and inexplicably aged up, Holly Wheeler’s larger role here was actually a pleasant surprise. Nell Fisher crushed it, with Holly being a far more pivotal part in this chapter of the story. While there is some questionable dialogue and line delivery, I will say that this season gave us a handful of standout performances. Sadie Sink’s role is obviously limited, but she continues to prove herself as one of the best talents on the show. Noah Schnapp has taken a lot of heat for his performance, but apart from being too old for the role he’s in (A huge problem with many of these actors), I was impressed. Jamie Campbell Bower gives another stellar performance as Henry/Vecna, and I enjoyed exploring more of his traumatizing past. With such a big ensemble, some of the main cast are sidelined, but I appreciate the show not trying to force them to be larger, unnecessary components in the story just for the sake of inclusion. Oh, also Linda Hamilton is here, in a disappointing bit of stunt casting that feels like a waste of her time.
Stranger Things’ final season is flawed, but it keeps its eye on the prize just enough to deliver a worthwhile conclusion to this nearly decade long story. Its decision to play things safe doesn’t leave much room for excitement, and the writing takes some dips in logic and quality, but the finale wraps the series up nicely. We’ve spend the last nine years with these characters, and I’m satisfied with the goodbye we got.
Rating: ★★★½
Review by: Benjamin Garrett