The first half of Stranger Things’ final season has hit viewers, and reactions are mixed. Critics are divided on whether the show is still at its peak.
Ed Potton of The Times gave it four stars. He called the first four episodes “richly entertaining” with emotion and real danger. Jack Seale in The Guardian also awarded four stars, saying the season is “luxurious” and makes viewers cheer with joy.
Not all reviews were glowing. Kelly Lawler of USA Today said the show “seesaws between thrilling and annoying.” Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic called it “largely joyless and grim.”
Netflix briefly crashed when the episodes launched on Wednesday in the US. Early Thursday, UK viewers experienced the same. Service resumed within five minutes.
Three more episodes will drop at Christmas, with the finale scheduled for New Year. The season builds toward a showdown between the grown-up teenagers of Hawkins and the villain Vecna.
Some fans woke early to binge the new episodes. Eve Edmunds, 25, got up at 04:45 after missing her first alarm. She said she “didn’t take her eyes off the screen” and found the episodes “incredible” and “worth the wait.”
Vicky Jessop of The Standard praised the show’s 80s adventure feel, humor, and heart. The Times added that Volume One doesn’t reinvent the show but succeeds anyway. Leila Latif in Empire said it keeps its dark humor, whimsy, and poetry of trauma, proving it hasn’t lost its sense of fun.
BBC Culture called episode four “bombastic” and “Stranger Things at its best.” Some reviews were more cautious. Ed Power of The Telegraph called it “top-rank comfort viewing.” Seale in The Guardian said it’s “worth indulging one last time.”
Others noted the characters’ ages. Critics argued the series traps itself by not allowing them to grow. Some said the story felt too long, with too many characters and plotlines.
Volume Two will release on Christmas Day in the US, Boxing Day in the UK, and the finale on New Year’s Eve in the US, New Year’s Day in the UK.
Also read: “Stranger Things” Premiere Overloads Netflix
