‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Finale – Henry Creel Tries to Eat the World
Stranger Things Season Four has wrapped – let’s take a look at what worked and what didn’t.
Season four will begin six months after the end of Season three’s massive mall battle. The crew will is separated for the first time. Some in California, some remain in Hawkins, and one key character is in a Soviet prison. The first half of this season went back in time, revealing a new enemy, his history, and his demented plan to gain revenge on the world. Dr. Owens (good dad) and Dr. Brenner (bad dad) return attempt to protect Eleven from those pursuing her and to help regain her powers.
This season ended in two extended episodes pack in a lot.
Spoilers for Part 2 Below
The Likes
The pauses to let the characters talk about life. While the crew is actively growing apart (as you do when you get older), they are still a family. A family that comes together in crisis. While Max and Eleven are at the forefront for the second half, everyone still get a bit of growth. Ok, maybe not the adults but I’ll get to that.
Argyle is awesome as the stoner sherpa for the California kids. He’s the Spicoli of Stranger Things and he’s great.
Eleven’s journey brings her to major realizations about her years in the lab and about Brenner. He goes from scary to a partner of sorts to a monster. He is a man that wants power and to feel control – two things he cannot get with Henry or Eleven. His death at the hands of a military sniper was deserved – it wasn’t close up and personal. He didn’t matter to the soldier that shot him. And Eleven (though she forgives him) doesn’t give him the recognition he wants before he dies.
She’s finally able to let go of that abusive relationship that’s been clinging to her.
via Neflix
More Likes
The Duffer Brothers promised a cinematic experience, and they delivered. Both episodes had plenty of action and effects shots that would look right at home in a big screen movie.
via Netflix
The use of Journey in this moment.
Making Eleven a bridge between Hawkins and Nevada to deal with the distance a great choice. It’s a new ability in Eleven’s powerset and allowed her relationship with Max to shine again. Eleven’s life has been surrounded by men, her relationship with Max is special and it helps her make that connection. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking when she loses her.
Max’s sacrifice was planned early in the writing stages of this season. According to Matt Duffer.
“It had to be Max. Because she was targeted, and she had never rid herself [of] this curse. She was just putting on a Band-Aid. She was using, effectively Kate Bush, her music as an armor. So it was very early on. That was the plan that she was going to remove that armor and more or less sacrifice herself to back them in order to give them a chance to kill him.”
via Netflix
The two and a half hour final episode delivers. We get to watch the fight with Henry on all fronts – and it’s a nail biter. There are some amazing moments of bravery and badassery. Everyone fights – be it in someone’s mind, in the Upside Down, or with a crazy jock in Hawkins above. Everyone plays a part. And they fail – something that hasn’t happened before at the end of a big fight. People die, Hawkins is split asunder and the Upside Down is creeping out. Plus, Henry isn’t exactly dead.
We have to wait till season five to see if Henry is finally, totally defeated.
via Netflix
The Dislikes
I get that they didn’t want to put a break in the action, but two and a half hours of television in one episode is a bit much. There’s been a promise that Season five won’t be structured like this. I hope that pans out.
I wanted to fast forward through the whole Russia storyline to get back to the kids vs. Henry. It has some comedic moments and the Conan sword moment. Otherwise, it just slowed things down and it didn’t really do much for the characters involved. It feels like filler and I don’t think we learned anything important from it. It would have been fine as a prison break and lent the time to other things or just cut entirely.
via Netflix
Eddy’s death didn’t carry the weight it should have. I get that it was supposed to prove that he wasn’t a coward and that he didn’t run from his problems. It would have been more effective if he had directly saved Dustin in the process. Sacrificing himself for his friend. The way he died just doesn’t feel right, especially the importance he’s had since the start of the season. And this epic performance.
He deserved a better, more meaningful death.
via Netflix
A release date for season five hasn’t been released (expect at least another two years), but the Duffers have said they have a map and an have an ending for the series. The writers’ room convenes next month to flesh all of it out. There may be a time jump because the younger cast members aren’t getting younger.
