“Stranger Things” returned to Netflix for its final season on Wednesday, Nov. 26, releasing the four-episode Volume One.
After much anticipation, the Duffer Brothers deliver a big atmosphere and exciting action scenes, but the story at times is lacking and the difference in acting ability is apparent.
Sadie Sink, in her short time on screen, builds upon her season four performance and is one of the standout performers. She conveys emotion, humor and gives young actress Nell Fisher someone to play off effectively in scenes together. The latter half of season five would benefit greatly from her recovery in Hawkins or increased role in the Upside Down.
Fisher, a newcomer portraying the younger sister of Mike and Nancy Wheeler, also gives a valiant performance while being the character that interacts with the main villain Vecna the most. Her ability to portray both fear and excitement in a genuine way is commendable.
Maya Hawke also continues to provide needed comic relief. Often featuring in surreal scenes that would otherwise feel ridiculous or campy, the general awkwardness in her portrayal of Robin along with her caring traits make for a grounding presence.
Elsewhere, the aging of some actors has become more apparent, but not necessarily in the sense that they took too old to be playing their characters — which to be fair, is also true.
Specifically, Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the cast. Since debuting in “Stranger Things,” Schnapp has picked up considerably less outside work than his counterparts, and the lack of experience shines through at times.
It’s interesting that, in scenes where he is affected by the Upside Down and its entities, it’s far more believable than when he must deliver any actual dialogue. He seems more comfortable acting out paranormal activity than having to deliver any dialogue consisting of multiple sentences.
Byers’ discovery of his own paranormal powers, the major revelation and cliffhanger of the first four episodes, feels like a cop out by the show’s writers. It is a problem created partially by circumstances — a show that has to raise the stakes every season will eventually fall flat because it can’t go any higher without becoming ridiculous. When you introduce a figure like Vecna in the prior season who controls the Upside Down and possesses the ability to destroy the world, can you really go up from there?
The evolution of Jim Hopper is also a sore subject. Once a skeptical cop fighting against an unknown magical entity while also trying to raise an adopted daughter, he became a super soldier who can take on both the Russians and U.S. government on his own and come out victorious. This isn’t a knock on the acting of David Harbour. Rather, his best moments are when he is having heart-to-hearts with Eleven instead of acting like a cross between James Bond and Rambo.
The show feels more organic when it’s a bunch of high schoolers acting like high schoolers. The love triangle between Nancy, Jonathan and Steve gets old quick, but it also feels like something that real teenagers and young adults would care about even in a moment of intense outside pressure.
The “Home Alone”-inspired booby trapping of a house to try and capture a demogorgon is also a very fun sequence and provides the makeshift, rough around the edges approach that the kids took in season two when the series was nearing a creative peak.
This season hasn’t reached those heights yet. Still, the first four episodes create enough intrigue and excitement for the next batch of episodes, which will be released on Christmas Day, in that they do their job as being a base for the conclusion of the series.
Rating: 3.2/5