REVIEW: STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4

STRANGER THINGS Season 4 - Script analysis #SpoilerAlert A lesson in ensemble cast storytelling.

Though the episodes felt longer than necessary, the Vecna monologues tended to make me doze off, and some of the bows tied on the answers to many questions regarding the upside-down felt like a reach, overall I'm satisfied with how this series is headed to the finish. 

Other than the wardrobe, sets and music always doing it for me, I was impressed with how well we tracked the ensemble cast throughout the season. Each character had a role to play, down to the pizza dude, that would've made solving the problem less likely without that character's input. There was no real dead weight. And shoutout to break out star: Eddie.

So how did they accomplish this?
1. Social Proof. Establish each character's skills so when they're needed along the way, they don't feel forced.
2. Stakes. Give each character their own why. Sure, the stakes are life and death for everyone, but individually, they each have their own reasons for destroying Vecna. For example, saving Max, getting back home, helping 11 restore her powers, saving Eddie's reputation, etc.
3. Goals. The cast was broken into groups. Each group had their own problems to solve for the greater good. Each group told a little of their story in each episode, though often one storyline took precedence to move the story forward.

What say you?

Overall, I can appreciate the writers tying the entire series together - something often left on the table of other series, taking risks and killing/seriously injuring characters we like, and leaving room for more to come in this world. We'll see what happens in the 2nd half. 

What say you?

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AUTHOR

Shannan E. Johnson is a former creative executive at The Syfy Channel turned CEO + Head Consultant of The Professional Pen, a script consultancy that develops screenwriters from idea to pitch to become more confident storytellers ready for a professional screenwriting career, and consults with scripted development teams at entertainment companies to streamline their notes process to get to pre-production more efficiently.