Why Season 4 of ‘Stranger Things’ Is the Worst Season so Far

It’s more disappointing than ever (spoilers indicated).

“We don’t know a lot, but we do know a lot of the big broad strokes. (…) That’s sort of where we are in season four. We have the big broad strokes. It’s just now about filling in those lines in the details.” — Ross Duffer.

The identical twin brothers Ross and Matt Duffer are the creators and producers of Netflix’s Stranger Things. They always work as a pair, and this project wasn’t an exception.

The show was released in July 2016 and received overwhelming praise and response. Rotten Tomatoes — a well-known review aggregator site — has given the series a 97% approval rating. As critics consensus says” “Exciting, heartbreaking, and sometimes scary, Stranger Things acts as an addictive homage to Spielberg films and vintage 1980s television.”

The show quickly gained popularity and a big fan following. Although I’m not a big fan of horror and sci-fi, I’m drawn to the TV show. This captivating, atmospheric and binge-worthy series brings not only an exciting action, but also interesting characters, soundtracks, writing, and mood.

However, the new season came to me as a disappointment. Stranger Things 4 didn’t meet the high standard the show itself set before. Here’s why.

Why Seasons 4 Is The Worst ‘Stranger Things’ Season

If you’ve watched at least one season of Stranger Things, you’ve probably noticed that the main cast is very young. The main characters are middle school students supported by their siblings and parents.

I had no questions about their acting. The performance of young teenagers solving the mysteries of Hawking is simply adorable. They’ve done a great job. But I do have mixed feelings about Stranger Things 4.

While some of the cast demonstrated impeccable acting again, some of the other performances were rather questionable. The new season allows us to get to know some characters that haven’t been in the spotlight before.

For example, Max by Sadie Sink, Nancy by Natalia Dyer, and Robin by Maya Hawke showed us their potential. Having immersed in their roles, they opened up their characters and demonstrated great acting once again. It’s pleasant to watch.

Mike Wheeler, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment. You watch him having a conversation and saying the words, but you don’t believe him. His mouth is moving, but his face and eyes are saying something else. What happened to Finn Wolfhard, and when did his acting become so lame?

The same goes for Will Byers portrayed by Noah Schnapp. These long stares and awkward conversations are so painful to watch. These guys are no longer cute awkward nerds who love Dungeons & Dragons. Perhaps, our teenagers grew up, and their acting is not as cute, naive, and adorable as it used to be.

But poor acting is not the only problem with the new season. Stranger Things 4 stands out due to the unreasonable amount of awkward and illogical scenes — those moments when all you have to say is Duh!

As the Duffer Brothers said, they had big broad strokes in mind and all they needed to do was to fill in the details. Well, the details suck.

[Spoilers follow.]

They have points A and B planned out, but they need to get there. They need to connect the dots. So they make up a stupid explanation with a touch of drama and think it will do the job.

How does Nancy Wheeler in Episode 5 miraculously recognize the house from Max’s visions just from the drawings? Why does Will Byers only stare and do nothing? Or how come four people can’t understand that the pen given to them has a phone number until Mike has an epiphany in a scene with a pizza box? Duh.

Many situations just don’t make sense. They look cheap, illogical, and unrealistic. Another example: Eleven got arrested for hitting Angela while the cool kids gang goes around beating the shit out of their classmates, and nothing happens to them. How come?

I got the feeling the creators didn’t get their detailed story straight. They needed to get from one point to another, and they did it without bothering too much. They had their big strokes figured out, but the way they connected the dots didn’t always make sense.

Throughout the entire season, the only word that came to mind was lousy. The creators did a lousy job filling in the details. For a TV show like Stranger Things, a simple drama plot twist doesn’t suffice, especially if the scene is illogical.

Having watched the first three seasons, one would reasonably expect more quality and better, thought-through transitions.

[Spoilers over.]

Final Words

Any TV show has its ups and downs. Stranger Things is not an exception. While Season 4 has its disadvantages, it’s still bearable to watch (and recommended). The storyline unfolds to let us in on more exciting mysteries.

Stranger Things 4 is binge-worthy as always. But if you take away one thing from this rant, let it be this: keep an open mind and don’t expect too much. The acting, plot details, and certain scenes are so cringe you might want to close your eyes.

As far as I’m aware, the creators are building up for a series finale with a Season 5. I prefer when the show ends while it’s still good. This way, it doesn’t leave a crappy aftertaste. Maybe it’s for the best that Stranger Things are wrapping things up for its finale. It’s good while it lasted.

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