Beware, everyone, the 1st 7 episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 is finally here! Hyping everyone up by releasing the episode lengths for all 9 episodes, we’ve come to a conclusion that The Duffer Brothers are experimenting with the runtimes and the release schedule of this season. The shortest episode will be 1 hour and 3 minutes (Episode 3) and the longest one (Episode 9), will be longer than most Marvel movies, with 2 hours and 30 minutes.
When we first heard about the episode lengths, we were kind of worried that the story would drag on to fill the time but watching the 1st episodes of Stranger Things 4, we can say, that’s not the case. Since we finally got to meet with our favorite teenager crew, although separated due to circumstances, it’s time to do a quick recap and review of Episodes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things Season 4.
Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 1
Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 1
In the opening scene of the 1st episode, Dr. Martin Brenner, the white-haired lab master who parented and trained Eleven when she was a test subject, goes into the lab to train another test subject. But Brenner that we know seems to have changed as he is a lot softer now. When a mysterious force kills everyone in the lab and wounds Brenner, we find out that it is Eleven behind it. Scared Brenner asks the question that was in everyone’s mind while watching the sequence: “What have you done?”
Does this mean Dr. Brenner was only a monster to Eleven because he knew that there was an evil side to her? Hopefully, we will learn in the following episodes. Let’s turn to the present day now and see what our D&D crew is doing. Dustin and Mike are in Hawkins and they have joined a new D&D club called “The Hellfire Club”, which is led by charismatic Eddie Munson. Lucas is not participating as he is busy being a member of the high-school basketball team.
Max seems to be broken up with Lucas and is suffering from PTSD but she doesn’t open up to anyone. Nancy is on the school paper and tries to work through her long-distance relationship with Jonathan, who is in California with Joyce, Will, and Eleven. We learn that Eleven is being bullied and has a hard time getting adjusted to her new life. She tries to answer by using her powers but she cannot as she doesn’t have them anymore.
Stranger Things 4 Episode 1
At the end of the episode, the cheerleader Chrissy meets with Eddie at his home to buy some strong weed that will make her hallucinations stop. While Eddie is in his room, Chrissy is cornered by an evil creature in her hallucinations who lifts her off the ground and throws her into the ceiling. Things get worse when her limbs start to get broken in an agonizing way, her jaw gets separated and her eyes sink into the back of her head. The episode ends with Eddie scared to death.
Although the rest of the episode doesn’t follow up the tension in the opening sequence (except in the last scene), the episode does well by bringing together different storylines. It might be long (more than an hour), but it still doesn’t feel like one scene might be unnecessary. Also, Eleven and Max both have scenes that prove they are played by incredible actors.
There are some parts of the episode that may bother audiences such as the discrepancy between the ages of the actors and the characters they are supposed to play. The new addition to the cast, Eddie (Joseph Quinn) looks way older to be playing a high schooler, as well as Jason (Mason Dye), another addition to the cast, who is supposed to be a high school basketball player when he seems rather like the coach of the team.
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Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 2
Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 2
In the 2nd episode, we get to see the team-up we deserve: Dustin, Steve, Max, and Maya start to search for the mystery behind the murder of Chrissy. Mike goes to visit Eleven in California and witnesses how she is bullied terribly. Eleven, who is embarrassed in front of her boyfriend, attacks her bully by hitting her with a roller skate. Nancy, as a reporter, looks into the crime scene with her friend Fred from the newspaper. As she interrogates Eddie’s uncle, she learns about a murderer named Victor Creel, who used to kill people the same way our new monster does. We believe we will hear his name more in the following episodes.
In the end, we see the monster who appeared in the previous episode. We hear him speak as he kills Fred, the same way he killed Chrissy. We learn that he is a sentient being called Vecna and is really powerful. Did he take over the body of murderer Victor Creel? We may learn in the next episodes of Stranger Things 4.
It’s nice to see our favorite characters back but there are some parts of the 1st 2 episodes that disappoint. Most scenes with Hopper, for instance, feels like it’s from another movie. It doesn’t have any excitement or anything that is going on really. The scenes with Joyce and Murray too make you feel like something’s missing. The moments where we get to hear why Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship doesn’t work are uninteresting as well. We rather watch Steve and Maya more, who seem to develop a great friendship.
Also read: Best Millie Bobby Brown Movies Ranked – Stranger Things Actress
