Stranger Things 4 Vol 1 Review: Netflix Series Hasn't Lost it's Magic

Stranger Things Season 4 is now streaming only on Netflix. Reader Beware, Spoilers Ahead!!!

Stranger Things 4 has finally arrived on Netflix! Well, at least the first volume of the supersized season 4 is available for your binge watching pleasure. Volume One sees all of our Hawkins crew spread between California, Russia and Indiana. But physical distance isn’t the only barrier that our favorite D&D group will face this season.

It’s been six months since the events of season 3 and we find Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) living in California trying to move on with their lives. The whole Byers crew and El are trying their best to pretend that everything is great. However, it’s clear the move hasn’t been easy and that they are still reeling from the loss of Hopper (David Harbour).

Trauma isn’t all that’s dragging them down. El is relentlessly bullied in school, Jonathan’s relationship with Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is struggling, Will has become secretive and Joyce’s new job is less than ideal. Even still they are trying to be happy, especially since Mike (Finn Wolfhard) will be spending Spring Break with them. With help of Jonathan’s new friend Argyle’s (Eduardo Franco) vehicle they will show him all around their new town.

Stranger Things 4 — STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Eduardo Franco as Argyle, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, and Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Hawkins hasn’t changed much in time since the destruction at the Starcourt Mall, but the group has changed. With Will now living in California, Mike (Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucus (Caleb McLaughlin),and Max (Sadie Sink) are growing apart. Max is struggling the most since the death of her step brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery). Dustin and Mike have found their niche of nerds but Lucas is tired of being bullied. He is attempting to find his place among the jock crowd. Which means we get some new characters as their group of friends expands.

The introduction of new faces is a welcome breath of fresh air to the core cast. Fan favorite this season is Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), D&D master, friend of Dustin and wanted killer. Eddie is the pinnacle of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not only is he blamed for brutal deaths happening around Hawkins but also is the scapegoat for the Satanic Panic that hits the small town. We all become wrapped up in the struggle to prove Eddie’s innocence. He’s not just Eddie the freak, he’s really just a kid who was in the wrong place.

Argyle (Franco) is the stoner 80s character that Stranger Things has been missing from the decade. Bringing more comedy to the series but also moments of levity for the characters who are used to battling interdimensional creatures and the government. Still, there is lots of sarcastic humor from Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke) as the crew prepares to face another threat from the Upside Down.

Viewers also find that Hopper survived the explosion in season 3, only to end up a secret prison in Russia. Joyce (Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) set out to free him with help of a guard and sleazy smuggler. But trusting the untrustworthy is alway a gamble. Gelman is always a joy to watch but watching him opposite Ryder is so much fun. Even though they have no clue about what is happening in Hawkins, when a demogorgon shows up behind the iron curtain they know that it all leads back to the Upside Down.

The first death sets off a chain of events alerting those close to Eleven that something is happening again. However, the death also catches the eye of a government agency that thinks El is the cause of these new horrors. Leading them to raid the disgraced Dr. Owens’ (Paul Reiser) home, guessing correctly that he has been helping to keep her hidden. After the unknown agency leaves, Owens sets out to collect El in California, and reveals that he has an idea to get her powers back. But to help her, he’s had to work with Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), and in a real Aliens move, hands her over to Papa.

Keeping everyone separate allows all of our ensemble cast to stretch their legs a bit. Even though they are not together they all know something is happening. The adults are all in Russia, doing their best to rescue Hopper, while none of the kids even know that he’s alive. The California crew knows that El is trying to get her powers back to help Hawkins and they also are the only group that knows she is in trouble of being found by the government.

The Hawkins guard are the only ones who know that Vecna is killing teens and opening up multiple gates into the Upside Down. Meanwhile, in hopes of restoring her powers, El digs deep into her own memories to discover that she opened a gate long before meeting the demogorgon in season one.

Vecna

The main villain in Stranger Things 4 is Vecna, named after a D&D character like the big bad’s of the past. However, with the help of Robert Englund we get perhaps the creepiest origin stories of the whole franchise so far. Speaking of Englund, his performance was poignant, even if it was too short. The whole setting of an asylum was an excellent ode to The Silence of the Lambs and fit right in with the sleuthing Robin and Nancy were up to. I really hope we see more of the Victor Creel character even though it seems like a one off for the horror icon.

The culmination of the story of Vecna is actually the story of Henry Creel a.k.a 001 (Jamie Campbell Bower). Showing fans that the Duffer Brothers haven’t lost their ability to craft a twisty narrative in the long break between seasons. Unlike the Mind Flayer, Vecna isn’t taking over people like with Will in the second season. He begins by invading people’s dreams, haunting their thoughts and reminding them of their deepest secrets. Instead of adding to the hive mind, he completely consumes them, which contorts their bodies and seems to explode (implode?) their eyes.

Now, I have a few questions about what exactly Vecna does to his victims. Is it a Highlander situation where he gets their powers? Does he want people out of his way or is he just evil? Either way, the deaths are more brutal than in the past seasons, allowing more horror genre staples to be used in the setting. Especially when invading minds, he brings all the red fog and bats you could ever want.

But, more than just an avatar for a monster, Vecna can be seen as a representation of trauma and depression that haunts these teens. Even though he is not in our physical world, Vecna is a very real threat. Using terrible memories from each person’s past to subdue them into his clutches. When El revisits her memories of 001, we see that he has been using this manipulation long before he was forced into the Upside Down.

Stranger Things 4 is still as good as it always was, and maybe even a little better after a 3 year wait. The introduction back into the world of Hawkins and the characters’ lives feels organic. Vecna brings a new sense of doom, and a welcome change from the threat of the demogorgons, Mind Flayer, and the meaty Mind Flayer. While the new threat has completely caught them off guard, our group remain at the ready to protect the world. Volume One was everything we were hoping for in the new season and hopefully Volume Two bring a cohesive ending to Stranger Things 4. 5/5

★★★★★