Stranger Things 4: Vol. 1 (2022) -Review

Stranger Things 4: Vol. 1 wasn’t a great start for me. As the series has gone along, it has struggled with giving its many character meaningful development or even stuff to do. In this latest season, that problem is intensified. There are way too many characters, making characters who have been here since Season 1 get zero characterization in order to introduce new characters who also hardly do anything. Everyone has become vessels to move the plot forward, and for me, that is far less interesting than seeing these character actually grow and interact on a more dramatic level. Add onto that over-blown runtime of each episode and the series feels like a slog to get through at times. That doesn’t mean it won’t get better, highlights like Max’s character and the 7th episode signify some great direction and set pieces for the final two episodes, but as of now, it is the weakest season by far.