![]() ![]() ![]() the Extraterrestrial” to “The Silence of the Lambs” (yes, the movie didn’t come out till 1991, but never mind). Of course, those completely enamored with the show might decide there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing, and “Stranger Things” – now unfolding in 1986 – rewards them with a fresh assortment of pop-culture references and homages, from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” to “E.T. Flashbacks that explore her beginnings and origin story – as well as the debate over whether she’s a monster or, as her friends see her, a superhero – serve as the highlight of these episodes, though that story arc isn’t immune to the overall misstep of advancing too slowly.įinn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp in 'Stranger Things.' Netflix The most effective aspect involves Eleven ( Millie Bobby Brown), who remains the emotional centerpiece of the series. ![]() Even then, there are detours and subplots that could easily be jettisoned or trimmed, killing time as the show peels back the latest peril from the Upside Down and what might be done to stop it. The first two episodes feel particularly bloated before the storytelling by the Duffer brothers and company settles into its groove. Burdened by expectations and clearly unfettered in terms of creative interference, the producers have responded with a dizzying new threat while scattering the characters, in one case across the globe in terms of that cliffhanger involving Hopper (David Harbour). That’s not to say the seven episodes premiering this week don’t have their moments, only that you have to wade through a lot of “Strange”-ness in order to encounter them.Īfter a near-three-year absence since Season 3, and with the kids looking conspicuously older and thus graduating into a different set of issues in a way that parallels the maturation in “Harry Potter” – the Netflix series is in some ways a victim of its own success. “Stranger Things” experiences a serious case of gigantism in its fourth season, with super-sized episodes and even more drawn-out lead-ups to things actually happening. ![]()
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