With the fourth season, Stranger Things has delivered its darkest storyline ever so far with the first volume. For the second half of the season, these last two episodes are jam-packed with major developments as it sets up for what will possibly be the final season of the series. Even though it’s only two episodes, the four hours we get for this season finale have all the ingredients for an incredible binge as if it’s a movie event. It is perhaps one of the most ambitious installments to date as most of the action takes place within the world of Upside Down. Fans will be satisfied with what they see and surprised by what happens towards the end of the finale wanting more.
Without going too much into detail, what is great about this half of the season is that the different storylines that were branched out in the beginning finally come together as most of our heroes team up to face off against this season’s major antagonist Vecna. The first seven episodes found our heroes scattered around between Hawkins, California, and Russia. Because of the geological locations, we would get different storylines happening at the same time, which was a major complaint with critics and some viewers. Luckily, it all pays off during volume two as our characters finally come together in a satisfying finale to a divided season.
We had some big standouts from the first volume and the same goes for the second half of the season. Noah Schnapp didn’t get as much screen time as we would’ve liked in the first seven episodes, but we get some really good scenes with him in regards to his character Will. Joseph Quinn continues to deliver an amazing performance as Eddie Munson, especially during the epic battle that takes place in Upside Down. He shared some great chemistry with Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin, who also put on some incredible scenes in these last two episodes. We also can’t ignore some great tender sweet moments we got with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) that are reminiscent of the third season. Joe Keery’s Steve also puts on a great arc this season as we see how much he’s grown these past few years and where his head is at regarding his future.
Despite him being more of comedic relief, Eduardo Franco did become more useful to the group during volume two as his character Argyle. We do get some of that goofy behavior from that character but it doesn’t undermine what he’s able to do to show his resourcefulness in the direst situations with the group. David Harbour has also been given some incredible work this season during Hopper’s storyline in Russia with Wynona Ryder, Brett Gelman, and Tom Wlashchiha. There are some great moments we get from these characters that don’t feel out of place this season and it’s incredible how much screen time we were able to get with them.
Even though volume two may feel like a huge commitment with the run time running at feature-length, what we get in the end is an epic two-part finale that doesn’t feel rushed. Volume two delivers on action, and emotion, and unravels some questions we may have had since the beginning of Stranger Things. With such a huge roster of characters both old and new, we get to spend an equal amount of time with them and it feels as though they have each gotten a spotlight to put on some great performances. It may feel like a lot is going on in these last two episodes, but we do get some breathing room in between scenes for some drama with our core group. It would’ve been practical to have the ninth episode split up into two parts rather than an epic season finale but we still get what we want in the end as far as closure with the season while opening up more questions as we head into the final season.
It is incredible how much work the Duffer Brothers have put into these last two installments. It feels as if we are watching an entire movie, especially with the amazing visual effects, production designs, and stunt work that was put into this action-packed second volume. It is definitely a step up in production from the previous seasons we’ve watched but doesn’t completely undermine them in any way as it just builds up from that. We start to see the grand plan that the Duffer Brothers are doing as we reach the endgame with Stranger Things. Hawkins will soon become a major setup for one final battle with our group of characters, which will have fans excited for what’s to come in the fifth season.
The last two episodes of Stranger Things’ fourth season are perhaps the most ambitious installments ever done for this series in regards to story, action, and emotion. There’s a lot to take in and it delivers on so much that fans could ask for and more. We get some tension but also get some room for emotional scenes with our characters. Great performances are given all around despite juggling through many characters, especially for Noah Schnapp putting more attention to Will than we’ve ever had this season. This season closes with a magnificent display of what Stranger Things has meant to fans and delivers one of its best seasons to date.
Stranger Things Season Four Volume Two is now out on Netflix.
