{"id":17777,"date":"2022-07-01T09:01:24","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T07:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1672270"},"modified":"2022-07-01T09:32:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T07:32:14","slug":"stranger-things-4-part-2-review-a-barnstorming-end-to-an-epic-season","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/stranger-things-4-part-2-review-a-barnstorming-end-to-an-epic-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Things 4 part 2 review: A barnstorming end to an epic season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Huw Fullerton\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 01 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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*contains mild spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 2*<\/strong><\/p>

<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

If there\u2019s one thing that has bubbled up around the discourse about Stranger Things 4<\/a> (apart from endless Kate Bush remixes) it\u2019s that it\u2019s long. <\/em>Good, but long.<\/p>\n

In fact, the length of episodes<\/a> in this new season of Stranger Things have sometimes felt like being drowned in engaging TV \u2013 like being smothered to death with delicious cake, crushed with endless hugs. There\u2019s so much good stuff \u2013 and there\u2019s so much of it \u2013 that inevitably it\u2019s felt richer and more epic than the seasons that came before, with deeper character development and a wider sweep.<\/p>\n

Now, the final two episodes of the split season have debuted, and they definitely continue in this tradition. While the first seven chapters more or less all topped over an hour, these episodes take things further with a combined runtime longer than Lawrence of Arabia. The final instalment alone is about 20 minutes longer than your average Marvel movie.<\/p>

It\u2019s quite a time commitment, but it is largely worth it. Picking up where we left off, Stranger Things 4 part 2 sees our heroes gear up and take the fight to Vecna on multiple fronts, in-person, in the Upside-Down, in Max\u2019s (Sadie Sink) mind and (oddly) in Russia. There\u2019s a lot of prep time, a lot of characters having pre-battle heart to hearts and then a smorgasbord of (not hugely kinetic, but still entertaining) action.<\/p>\n

As before, Sink\u2019s Max is the MVP this season, and she gets plenty of moments to shine in these finale episodes. Plumbing the depths of Max\u2019s despair and going to some very dark places, it\u2019s a sign of her versatility that (hopefully) bodes well for any material they might give her in Stranger Things 5.<\/p>\n

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STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington and Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix \u00a9\u00a02022<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Other characters also get their moments. Joseph Quinn\u2019s fan-favourite newcomer Eddie has some moments of blazing glory that may prove controversial, while Gaten Matarazzo\u2019s Dustin ditches the humour for some real tearjerking moments. Will (Noah Schapp) opens up at last, Hopper (David Harbour) gets physical with a Demogorgon, and even stoner Argyle (Eduardo Franco) has a moment of triumph where his particular set of skills become essential.<\/p>\n

And as ever, Millie Bobby Brown\u2019s Eleven is at the centre of it all. Never have we seen a character quite so literally tackle her demons, whether in the form of her father\/abuser Dr Brenner (Matthew Modine) or Vecna (Jamis Campbell Bower) himself. She gets the biggest punch-the-air moments of the series, as well as the biggest emotional catharsis.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not perfect. As with the earlier episodes, there\u2019s a slight whiff of bloat to some parts of these supersized episodes, and a few plotlines feel like they could have been left on the cutting room floor. Personally, I could have done without the Riverdale-style vigilantes or the Evil General at this point in the story, while Hopper\u2019s Russian antics felt largely like an attempt to keep those characters busy until they could bring them back into the fold later on.<\/p>\n

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STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix \u00a9 2022<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

There\u2019s also a few laboured attempts to tie together the mythos of the series as a whole that feel a little unnecessary at this point \u2013 but we won\u2019t say more, at risk of spoilers. Come back here in three and a half hours or so and just fill in what you\u2019d imagine we\u2019d say (but much wittier, of course).<\/p>\n

Still, overall it\u2019s a barnstorming end to what\u2019s been an immensely popular, crowd-pleasing season (and with a cliffhanger hint at even bigger things to come). It\u2019s an emotional, warm-hearted continuation of a series that already had a lot to offer, and is sure to satisfy its loyal audience. It\u2019s cheesy, but treacly lines I\u2019d cringe at in another show slide right past me in this one, because the work to get the characters to say them is so well laid.<\/p>\n

Basically, if you liked Stranger Things 4 part 1, you\u2019re bound to like this \u2013 it\u2019s more of the same on an even larger canvas. And if you didn\u2019t like it, well, there might be a few things you could do with the time instead. Anyone for Lawrence of Arabia on repeat?<\/p>\n