Published by Mason Oldridge, 4 July 2022
CONTAINS SPOILERS!
The Duffer Brothers step things up a whole new level with the fourth season of their sci-fi horror drama series.
Season 4 sees the town facing a supposed new villain from the chilling Upside Down: the horrifyingly ruthless Vecna, who enters the minds of his victims before killing them. The new season perfectly balances a multi-strand storyline as the gang investigate the new threat, Eleven returns to the lab to retrieve her powers and Joyce and Murray set off on a dangerous mission to rescue Hopper from his Soviet capture.
Although new addition Joseph Quinn deserves praise for his performance as the eccentric Eddie, Millie Bobby Brown is phenomenal as El is horrified to learn of the truth surrounding the lab massacre and the origin of One, which perfectly ties the whole story together in an episode (episode 7) that provides one of television’s best twist endings ever. Furthermore, Sadie Sink tugs at the heartstrings as Max struggles with her grief before a powerful scene in which she triumphs over Vecna by listening to Kate Bush, with the song in question knocking Harry Styles off the top of the charts in the UK to receive a higher position than its original release in 1985. However, it is newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower who delivers the standout performance as the eerie assistant in the Rainbow Room in a manner that draws parallels to Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka.
With coming-of-age and humorous elements thrown in for good measure in anticipation of the final battle in the ground-breaking 2.5 hours long season finale, Season 4 outperforms the previous tenfold, leaving viewers ready for the commissioned fifth and final season.
10/10