The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
I honestly am having a hard time staying interested in this series because of how slow the production on this thing is. 3.5 years is quite a bit for me to even care to remember what the hell the story was.
Sure a recap video might help tell me the story, but my interest, curiosity and care just waned over time.
I wonder if the combination of both the slow production calendar and the ability to mainline each season in a quick binge is what makes the show feel so cumbersome. Between seasons, I’d lose context on side characters and not quite understand where or how they fit in.
In anticipation of this final season, I re-watched Stranger Things about a month ago. It’s the first time I’d revisited any of the show since binging each season as it was released.
In all, I was quite happy with how the series holds together in retrospect. It’s not cumbersome at all, and many of the rough edges that I really disliked at the time felt rounded off. Even Eleven’s punk-rock-greaser sojourn episode felt enjoyable (with the benefit of hindsight knowing that this was a mere side quest and no fear that this was a major narrative shift).
I ended up blasting through it a lot faster than I thought I would. The first season by itself is tremendous television.
I just hope Millie Bobby Brown finds something not garbage to be in next. Gaten Matarazzo seems to be the smartest one – he’s doing Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.
I am so stoked for the next season!!