I know I’m not as on top of it as other diehard fans of Stranger Things, but I did finally get around to watching the final season. Not that it didn’t already take them long enough to get it done.
I’m actually glad that I’ve waited this long to watch the final season, because the release has been almost as frustrating as the wait! It’s been three and a half years, and instead of just giving it to us, they released four episodes at Thanksgiving, then another three on Christmas, and then finally the end of it all will be out New Year’s Eve. Crazy. But the people and I will watch, because even these first four episodes have reminded me of how freaking good it is! I was happy that we got a concise recap of what happened in the last season, because it’s kind of hard for me to remember what happened in which season. You’d think that the kids’ appearances would tip me off (it’s been nine years since the first season!), but I wasn’t sure if the Vecna stuff was the most recent stuff.
Turns out, it was. Though Max is still in a coma after they defeated Vecna, Nancy’s experience with the main villain makes them all believe their time with him isn’t over. And also especially since the Upside Down is still very much in Hawkins. After the split, Hawkins has been quarantined from the rest of the world, but thankfully they still have Murray as their proxy to the rest of the world, and more importantly, supplies. Dustin is out to wreck his life after the death of his new best friend, Eddie, which kind of puts a kink in a lot of the plans the rest of the gang has made to find Vecna. While they are all busy preparing with strategy and elaborate tunnels, El is busy training her body. For what specifically remains to be clarified.
All of their preparing and scouting is expedited when the Wheeler house is attacked by a Demogorgon. In a new development, Will learns that the closer he is to the hive mind, he is able to tap into both the monsters and Vecna’s minds. It’s almost like having visions, but not quite early enough to be of much use. For instance, they couldn’t stop Nancy and Mike’s younger sister, Holly from being taken. Now they need to figure out how to get her back and stop some other kids from getting taken before Vecna realizes the bleak future that he showed Nancy last season.
This means messing with the military at their base in the Upside Down, though El faces several weaknesses there, along with Hopper. Will makes some headway with the help of his maybe new gay best friend, Robin. And I enjoyed way too much seeing Steve and Jonathan interact this season. Somehow Steve still managed to be the mature one here. Talk about character development. In the end, more of the gang end up in the Upside Down learning that they need to go back to the lab that started this whole mess, while Hopper and El take down the lead scientist who has been hellbent on capturing El. Meanwhile, Max is able to find Holly and recounts her time in Vecna’s world. She then tells Holly that her being here gives them another shot at getting out. In the real world, the remaining gang members face actual Vecna again where we learn that Will kinda sorta can use Vecna’s powers as his own.
I imagine that will be helpful in the final showdown, though I also get the feeling that it might be fatal to Will in the long run. What I like about this show is that they aren’t afraid to mess with the main characters, even if that means killing them. They are here for the plot, not to make fans happy. And that’s what good television is! After finishing the fourth episode last night, I am chomping at the bit to watch the next three. And then I know waiting a day for the finale will be torture, but I’m excited to see how this epic will end. Stay tuned!