I cannot remember a scene that affected me as much as *that* scene in Chapter 4 of Stranger Things 4. The whole thing was perfect. A sense of desperation for Max Mayfield’s survival collided with a sense of hope for everyone involved and was perfectly soundtracked by Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’. The scene perfectly encapsulated the thrill, strong emotion and nostalgia that millions are so hopelessly devoted to Stranger Things for. I’ve not stopped thinking of it since first watching it.
But ‘Dear Billy’ wasn’t the only high. The whole series was an ideal continuation of a beautiful storyline. Stranger Things 1 was low-key with a dark and mysterious vibe. Stranger Things 2 cranked it up a notch, being bigger but darker. And then Stranger Things 3 exploded with colour, vibrancy, excitement and chaos. Stranger Things 4 is the natural progression onto this, with even more madness and being scarier than ever before.
I’ve seen many people say that it lacked nostalgia, it had too many characters and there were too many storylines working alongside each other. I entirely disagree. Each character added was a positive addition. Eddie Munson was amazing, becoming a character I connected with straight away. Argyle adds some comedic relief to an increasingly stressful situation. Enzo slightly fills a hole that the late Alexie left, too.
The nostalgia runs throughout. Whether that is 80s nostalgia or Stranger Things nostalgia. 80s references are rife, as usual. Roller rinks, spring break and the music. And then for Stranger Things nostalgia, this never left from start to finish. Demorgogan. Martin Brenner. Sam Owens. Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler. It’s all there. The feeling I had at Stranger Things 1 is the feeling I had now. I guess you can say I am head over heels.
One thing Stranger Things does extraordinarily well is tell storylines alongside each other that all eventually lead to the same destination. This season continues this. With each group of characters going through their own adventures, I sit longing for the moment when all of them come together as one unit. I know for a fact that this moment will be magical and that I will definitely jump out of my seat, just like I have many times already.
I urge everyone (who has already watched previous seasons), if you’ve not already, to binge Stranger Things 4. As soon as possible. And if you’ve not watched any Stranger Things before, then what are you doing?
This isn’t a review. I’m not a critic. I’m a Stranger Things stan. So, yes, I am probably biased with my review but I’ve never felt emotionally connected to a show or a movie as much as I do this one.
