Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 – Review

Stranger Things 4 first seven episodes are entirely focusing on growth. There are four intertwining tales, over a dozen primary individuals who are all grappling with the effects of Starcourt Mall, and a new threat that is developing in Hawkins. The difficulties that came with juggling so many threads were numerous. While some storylines moved quickly—most notably Dustin, Steve, Robin, and the group’s search for Vecna—others dragged, particularly those set in California.

About Stranger Things 4 (Vol 2)

It seemed like a huge hurdle when the Stranger Things showrunners. The Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross Duffer). First disclosing that the fourth season finale is split into two episodes with a possible runtime of up to four hours. It seems that the two episodes could manage to get uneven considering the material they had to pack in given the gap between the framework of an episodic format content and a feature film, but happily, that does not happen with Stranger Things. The show’s final episode is so monumental that it deserves its own theatrical release.

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Moments after the significant revelation that Vecna, Henry Creel, and One are the same, Volume 2 picks up. The others are frantically attempting to release Nancy. While she is being held captive in the Upside Down. The reporter is imprisoning in a nightmare of painful recollections. She’s not the only one in danger. Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle are frantically trying to figure out where Eleven is being held. Eleven is reeling from learning the truth about how she assists in the creation of Vecna, and Hopper, Murray, and Joyce are trapped in Russia with a Demogorgon.

The Duffer brothers skillfully intertwine these narratives as the final two episodes go on, and before long. Everyone is moving in the same direction. The season finale provides an epic conclusion and a nearly flawless wrap-up by turning the attention back to Hawkins rather than the larger world.

Cinematically, the new season is a delight to watch.

You’ll wish Netflix had broadcast the nearly two-and-a-half-hour conclusion in theatres since both episodes are visually gorgeous and have great cinematic scenes. However, the episodes continue to sustain the eerie mood that the Duffers have developed this season. There is a sense that anything could happen to anyone at any time, and danger lurks around every corner. That’s felt all the more because the grander, more monumental sequences are balancing out by smaller, more personal ones.

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Importantly, these scenes give screen time to the characters that is neglecting for the majority of the season’s first half. While David Harbour continues to give Hopper gravity and Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin gives one of the show’s most tragic performances, Noah Schapp steals the stage as the defenseless Will. And although the finale is primarily focussing on a conflict, there is a tonne of romance in the air. Thus, when heartbreak does arrive, it is all the more potent. We are given warning to be “extremely concerned” for these people before the episodes ever aired, and that caution is well-founded. It will be difficult for you to maintain your composure.

The Season Finale

The last episode’s length is what most people are complaining about. Though we all will argue they have been justified thus far. Richer and more emotional storylines are told without the restrictions of the hour-long deadline. A lot has been made of the inflating episode durations this season. It is challenging to maintain the pace over a lengthy conclusion, though. There are several unfinished businesses in TV shows since they lack the same narrative framework as feature films. As a result, the pace continues to slacken, especially as the program draws to a close. We can’t help but wonder if breaking the episode into two parts could have given some of the sequences a little more breathing room.

But it’s obvious that Stranger Things’ magic is still intact. All the components that made this program a hit are present in Volume 2: funny language. Touching characters going through growing pains, and a tonne of nostalgia for the 1980s. But there is a new Stranger Things as well. The show and its characters are both maturing. The stakes have never been higher as we leave the Duffers to get ready for the last season of their iconic Netflix series. The ingredients are there for a season 5 that might wrap up one of the best sci-fi series ever made: the characters are old, the conflicts are bold, and the fear are cold. That is what will happen if they can maintain the standard after season 4.