Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 Review-No Spoilers

I tried to pace myself, I really did. I started with the first two episodes on the day it dropped. The next day I watched two more. By day three I couldn’t stop and I finished up the last three episodes. Which is no small feat. The last episode has a run time of an hour and 38 minutes. That’s a feature length movie! But I loved every single second of it. If you keep reading I’ll tell you why.

First let me offer reassurance that this is a completely spoiler free review! No spoilers at all. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Okay? Feeling good? Great.

So, Why is Stranger Things so good? It’s a question my wife and I talk about, and kept talking about, over the course of the weekend. Part of this discourse is inspired by comparing and contrasting this show against another popular streaming service, Disney Plus. Disney’s latest Marvel and Disney installments have had mixed reviews. While WandaVision raked in several Emmy nominations and awards, it seems all of the following Marvel shows haven’t been able to reach the bar that WandaVision set. That’s not to say they aren’t good. They are, but sometimes they’re not great. And it seems the Star Wars shows are following in those same footsteps with The Book of Boba Fett not being able to fill the shoes of The Mandalorian that came before it.

And yet, Stranger Things meets my expectations, and exceeds them, time and time again. What a gift it is to know what your audience wants and to be able to completely deliver to them. Here’s some of my thoughts of what they’re doing right.

Time Frame. Part of the beauty of streaming services is you don’t have network restrictions. Your TV show doesn’t have to fit inside a 30 minute (22 minutes with commercials) or an hour time slot. You can take the time to tell the story you need to tell at the pace you need to tell it. ST4 does this remarkably. For Volume One of this series (for those that don’t know, season 4’s been divided up into two “volumes”, volume two will drop July 1st) the episodes average to about an hour and fifteen minute runtime. This compared to Disney’s Marvel and Star Wars episodes that average about 45 minutes, give or take. Not always, but sometimes, the end of a Marvel show comes too soon. It’s as if they’re afraid we’re going to get bored. And yet, with ST4 having over an hour of storytelling per episode I never feel it. I never once look at a clock and wonder what time it is. I’m glued to the screen, and time is of the essence. As I stated above, the last episode is feature length, with an hour and a half runtime. And every bit of it is captivating.

Episodes. Again, as I mentioned, Season 4 is being divided up into a two parter. Volume 1 dropped May 27th, and Volume 2 will drop July 1st. Why did they decide this? I have no idea. I mean, I’m sure I could research it and find a satisfying answer but the thing is-I don’t need an answer! Let’s indulge in a little mystery! I don’t mind slowly digesting Volume One in anticipation of what the next Volume will bring! George Lucas left an audience in awe, questioning if Darth Vader was indeed Luke’s father, for 3 years! I certainly don’t mind waiting a month. But the point here is-again-it isn’t network TV. You can do what you want! Especially if your storytelling is as top tier as the Duffer brothers is.

Storytelling. Which brings me to storytelling. The reason Stranger Things can successfully get away with outside-the-box thinking when it comes to telling this story is because the Duffer brothers are delivering in every way. I trust these dudes. They’ve never given me a reason not to trust them, and that-I think-is key. Star Wars has had so many missteps that I enter every new show a skeptic, with expectations set super low. The Marvel shows I anticipate more, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes either. But Stranger Things I never doubt. When I hit play on my little Roku remote I know I’m in for a great story and one told well.

As a writer myself, I pay attention. There are things to consider: pacing, character development, believability and even suspension of disbelief. As a photographer and artist, there are other things I pay attention to: lighting, color and composition. Stranger Things delivers on all fronts. Some shots in Stranger Things 4 are beautiful, even in the most dire settings. And the actors, the entire ensemble, are acting at such high levels that I often forget I’m watching actors and not just…kids.

After my wife and I finished the last episode of this first volume, we just sat and talked about what had just happened. As if it were something we lived through and not just watched. My wife often says she wishes she could go back and read Harry Potter again for the first time, so she can experience that newness again, the excitement that it stirred up. We think the same about Stranger Things.

While we were hurdling through each episode watching the story unfold, just immersing ourselves in that world again, she remarked upon the dichotomy that existed. The dichotomy between the excitement of finishing the story-seeing how everything comes together and the ultimate sadness that once you do, it’s over. We’ll never be able to watch Stranger Things, for the first time, ever again. While those feelings are at war with each other, it’s that feeling that I think every story should strive for. Make it to where I never want to stop watching. Make it to where I’m sad when I do.