Review: Once upon a time in Hawkins

New season comes back bigger, darker than ever

Netflix brought back its subscribers as its highly anticipated show Stranger Things comes back with season four, volume one. 

The first seven episodes were released on June 1 and as expected, this season came back bigger and darker than ever. It is the least we deserve after a three-year wait. For those of you weary about reading this review, fear not, as it will be a spoiler-free one. 

Six months after the Starcourt Mall fiasco, the gang is split up. You have Joyce, Will, Eleven and Jonathan in sunny California while the rest are back in Hawkins, Ind. Everyone is trying to leave the past behind and move on. However, just when everything seems to be going back to normal, the unthinkable happens… again. 

Old monsters seem to resurface, but they are not the only ones. Like we have seen before, it is up to the gang to defeat whatever is terrorizing Hawkins before it gets too out of hand. 

I will admit that the thought of seeing these characters fight the same monsters over and over again had me feeling uninterested and kept me wondering how they were going to make this season better than the last. These thoughts went away shortly after watching the first episode. 

The creators of this show keep the same plot and add on it as each episode unfolds. We get answers to the same questions we have had in the past. After finishing the last episode, you finally realize what started it all. 

There were other subplots in this show that felt unnecessary for a while, but you know they will all tie into the major plot somehow. 

Most of these subplots were left in a cliffhanger which is a total bummer. If we do not get to see what they were leading to in volume two, I will be extremely disappointed.

When I mentioned this season comes back bigger and darker than ever, I truly meant that. The kids are not the only ones who have matured. If you are a horror fan, you will enjoy this season as scenes have become gorier and more suspenseful. Certain scenes will have your head touching the ceiling. I have to take a moment to praise the effects, cinematography and acting in this season as it is incredibly mind-blowing. 

Everyone from the cast and crew to the creators and directors gave it their all and it shows.

This new season does bring two more characters whom viewers have taken a liking to. While this is great, everyone has an understanding that the cast is way too big, and characters will definitely die. I have my tissues ready just in case.

Overall, season four did not disappoint. If you have not seen volume one yet, all I will say is buckle up, you are in for a wild ride. Volume two of this season is coming July 1 to a living room near you.