Season 1
Starting from the beginning, the debut cast was something I never knew would have an impact on me. The show starts with four boys who are best friends; Finn Wolfard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers. The famous Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, who since her role in this show, has done many amazing projects with and for Netflix. Winona Ryder makes a return back to the screen as Joyce Byers. Winona Ryder’s criminal case involved a 2001 shoplifting incident at a Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills, where she was found guilty of felony grand theft and vandalism. I now seek out these actors in films and shows.
Taking place in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, the show takes off with Will Byers going missing which starts the boulder rolling for the entire series. All of Will’s friends are out looking for him when they meet a girl in the woods who is their age, has her head shaved and is in a hospital gown with an “011” tattoo on her wrist. The boys take her under their wing and find that she has psychokinetic and telepathic abilities but also knows what happened to their missing friend Will. She escaped a laboratory where she was being tested on and held prisoner for her whole life. The rest of the first season is the three boys and Eleven searching for Will and trying to avoid a monster, the demogorgon, with the help of the police chief and Will’s mom.
Season 2
The second season is more of an “outcast” season. It has a storyline that is all over the place. We get introduced to brother and sister, Sadie Sink as “Max” and Dacre Montgomery as “Billy.” vEleven has now vanished and is in hiding. A large chunk of the season, Eleven is on her side quest while everyone else is back in Hawkins dealing with some sort of evil that has returned and is targeting one of the boys.
The boys all have a huge crush on the new “rugged” girl named Max, that plays video games and skateboards. Throughout the season, she notices the boys are hiding something (Eleven and the evil) and wants to know, so she tags along with their quests. Little did they know, the evil was growing right under their noses.
Every character in the show has some sort of info or skill that is crucial to defeating this which means they all must come together and work together to defeat it.
While this season had a lot of important characterrs information, it felt like some of the characters’ quests felt unnecessary and provided no real impact and could have been without it. Other than that it was thrilling and had some great plot twists.
Season 3
This season is when this show really took off. A new mall is built in this small town in Indiana which is huge for them. The town residents are so excited they don’t even know how to deal with it. Like I said though, it is a small town so it is runs off of mom and pop businesses which are now pissed about the mall taking their business. But something is off with the mall and it does not take the characters too long to notice something is off due the past with this cursed town.
The amount of action in this season compared to the past two seasons grew immensely. The reason for this is the stakes and threat level also grew. Within the action there is more gore and pain than the last two seasons combined.
The aesthetic of season three has allowed for it to be a fan favorite. This season does a great job of capturing the 80s vibe. It has brought in an older audience as well with people who grew up in this time era to feel nostalgia while watching. The production team used old products, songs, brands, clothing and more. This can be seen throughout the entire show most prominently in this season with the mall setting.
Season 4
Season four was a mix of backstory and evolution with the characters.
Being the most recent season, it is more memorable. Season four is so different from the last three. There are new settings and locations, characters and even some characters we thought had died. The main six characters are now in their freshman year of high school which means so many new opportunities but also room for growth and in some cases, bullying. But high school is not the only change they are dealing with. Some are navigating grief, one whole family is working through living in a brand new place away from everyone else. This causes some issues with friendships and romantic relationships.
Max is the main feature of this season as she is going through a very rough time in her life which ends up being used against her. Max’s and really this whole season’s trademark is the song, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush; this song truly saves her life. After this season was released, this song hit the charts running… up a hill. According to Billboard, “Bush’s 1985 hit roared to No. 1 in the U.K., Australia, and the Billboard Global 200 chart for the first time, and lifted to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.”
This is the season where many questions are answered, questions that go back to episode one of the show. How did this all begin? We find out what or… who is behind this “curse” on the town of Hawkins. Finding these answers come with consequences though. Looking too hard for the answers may get you killed but not looking hard enough or at all… you could still die. The whole town is on edge and tearing each other down looking for realistic answers when the main characters know it is something otherworldly and interdimensional. The main characters work together to save the town and, realistically, the world.
I really enjoyed this season. They made the episodes longer and more movie-esc as well as amazing storyline structure and CGI. The whole idea behind the main villain, his motives and who he is was something that shocked me and most fans in a positive way. As these actors have gotten more comfortable in their characters and grew as actors, their performances have also become much more impressive. I am not a crier when it comes to TV and movies, but there is a scene that made me ball my eyes out.
Looking Ahead to Season 5
As the fourth season ends we see Hawkins, the town this show has been taking place in, gets hit with tragedy. And the question is, ‘Has evil truly been defeated?’
I remember reading that the Duffer Brothers mentioned before they started filming, something about how this season is going to be a mix of season one and season four. The storyline of season one while having the action of season four.
The creators, the Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross), told Business Insider that this will take place a year and a half after the ending of season four.
Variety wrote an article about the past, present and future of this show. They go in depth about how it was on set from day one to the last day with some special words given by the cast and producers.
“At the same time, we think it’s our most personal story. It was super intense and emotional to film—for us and for our actors,” Matt Duffer told Variety.
Most of the actors on the show were between the age of 11 and 16 when the show started. They are now in their mid 20s. These actors have grown up together which has made this show ending something hard for them to wrap their heads around.
“I started when I was 10,” said Millie Bobby Brown. “Now I’m 21-years-old. It feels very weird.”
“This is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It’s like eight blockbuster movies,” said Ross Duffer.
It is no surprise that Netflix is expecting the show to dominate the holiday season. The first four episodes premiere over Thanksgiving, the next three at Christmas and the finale on New Years Eve.
“When we finish a season, there’s always the safety net of ‘Oh, we get to go back to these characters,’” Ross said. “That is going to be the hardest thing to adjust to, when it’s January 1 and it’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t have that!’”
With Stranger Things coming to an end, this is the perfect time to watch it if you have not seen it. On the other hand, if you have seen it, I am just as sad as you are to see it end. A large portion of the fans and viewers grew up with the show and cast. But, all good things must come to an end.
