Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Review: Thrilling, Tear-Jerker Finale With Twists and Turns

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Review | Leisurebyte

Director: The Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Nimród Antal

Date Created: 2022-07-01 12:30

Editor's Rating:
4

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 has finally been released on Netflix and it has to be one of the most commendable finales of all time. The latest season of this fan-favourite science fiction is yet again produced by the Duffer Brothers, the creators of the show, and Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Iain Paterson.

The second volume which marks the finale for the fourth season of Stranger Things consists of two episodes. The episodes are titled ‘Papa’ and ‘The Piggyback’ with a runtime of 85 minutes and 105 minutes respectively. The first volume of the show consisted of seven episodes, making the fourth season have a total of nine episodes.

– No Spoilers –

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Review

It confused everyone when the fourth chapter of Stranger Things decided to split itself into two parts with the final volume consisting of only 2 episodes. The first volume clearly made an impression but, was not strong enough to promise us an elevated finale. However, as the 4-hour journey of the final chapters commenced, it somehow pulled itself together and served us a plate of emotional thrills.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 starts off exactly where the last episode of the first volume left off. After opening the gate and throwing Vecna into the world of Upside Down, we see young Eleven being discovered by Papa. In the present timeline, older Eleven seems to have finally gained her powers out of the experience of reliving her memories. Meanwhile, Will, Mike, Jonathan and Argyle are still looking for the Nina Project after receiving the coordinates from Suzie.

As for our group in Hawkins, we saw how Nancy was stuck in Vecna’s world listening to his story. We finally see Vecna confronting Nancy after letting the audience know his entire story and, that it is not a sweet affair. On the other hand, Hopper, Joyce and Murray’s situation just worsens with the Demogorgon on the loose and, they are yet to escape the prison completely.

Also Read: Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 Recap: Vecna’s Curse, Eleven’s Traumatic Memories, Death Escapes

So what is so great about Stranger Things 4 Volume 2? Well, the congested storylines do continue to make us jump between scenes (or, countries, even) but, it becomes streamlined as the groups finally start to merge. The editing in the second volume is surely smoother than it was in the first one as it does not feel rushed when we transport ourselves from one particular scene to another.

Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 introduced us to many new sets of characters, a few of which we lost and a few who continued with us on this journey. But, it isn’t until the second volume comes into play that you realise the importance of certain characters. For instance, Argyle’s involvement seemed too forced from the very beginning. But, his pizza skills and contacts are darn helpful in the second volume to make audiences value him as a character, although we still don’t know a lot about him to feel emotionally connected.

The tying of multiple plot lines and climaxes was not as seamless as we would expect it to be but, the efforts put in by the makers to accomplish something so ambitious yet fruitful is really applaudable.

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As for the actors, Noah Schnapp was a pleasant surprise with his endearing dose of good acting, advice and glances of love and pain. Millie Bobby Brown continued to thrill in this episode and, Sadie Sink again delivered another top-notch performance. Even characters that did not seem well-fleshed out at the beginning of Stranger Things Season 4, such as Mike and Lucas, also found some edge and character development by the end of the second volume.

Yet it was the script that trembled throughout the finale. The jokes did not land right, every time they tried and, the little love angles were not always necessary as it did not exactly aid the story in any way. Like, Nancy and Steve’s entire time together that hinted the audience of some romance brewing between the two does not ever come to life and, by the end is just brushed off as Steve’s yet another attempt to find his soulmate.

However, the makers did not miss out on giving us a heavy dose of drama and emotional awakening from time to time. In fact, most of the emotional moments in the show are cathartic and shape the feelings of the viewers towards a particular character. The fact that the screenplay writers were able to overwhelm us from across the screen just goes on to show the undying and diligent effort put into making the second volume stand out.

Final Verdict

If you are a fan, you know you gotta watch it, right? Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 provides a lot of leg room for the characters to breathe, which was missing in the first volume somehow. It set certain loopholes picking at us from the first volume and previous seasons straight as well as let us build something more wholesome with the loveable characters.

You can watch Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 now streaming on Netflix.

Have you watched the finale? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

Also Read: Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 Review: The New Chapter in Hawkins Induces Horror But, Is It Enough?