WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1.

The new bully characters in Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 may serve a plot purpose, but they disregard the clever ways that the series has historically used human antagonists. Season 4 introduces a few new bully characters who antagonize Eleven, Mike Wheeler, and Eddie Munson. However, Angela, Jason Carver, and their hordes of cronies are not as compelling as previous bullies, due to sloppy writing.

Having relocated to California following the end of season 3 with Joyce, Johnathan, and Will Byers, Eleven (now going by Jane Hopper), finds herself the victim of an entire school full of bullies. Besides Will, Eleven seems to have no friends and is picked on by pretty much the whole school, led by Angela and her cronies. Back in Hawkins, Indiana, Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler, and their new leader, Eddie Munson, are bullied by the jocks, led by Jason Carver. This bullying escalates after Vecna kills Chrissy Cunningham, Jason's girlfriend, as Jason and the jocks (including Lucas Sinclair) go on a mission of revenge, blaming Eddie for Chrissy's death.

Related: All Stranger Things Retcons In Season 4 Explained

Angela and Jason - and their respective gangs - feel like stereotypes rather than real people in Stranger Things season 4. The series has previously offered more nuanced takes on bullies, giving them character development and showing why they are the way they are, such as with Billy Hargrove. While Jason is given Chrissy's death as a motivating factor, there is seemingly no reason for Angela's over-the-top cruelty towards Eleven. She is just presented as a nasty person as a means to make Eleven lash out and eventually end up back with Dr. Brenner and Sam Owens.

Eleven's Bully Angela in Stranger Things

Stranger Things season 1 also has bullies, Troy Walsh and James Dante, who taunt and beat up Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas. Unlike Stranger Things season 4, however, this season focuses on two bullies, making it far more believable than Angela encouraging an entire roller rink to mercilessly bully Eleven. Additionally, while Troy and James are not deep characters, they feel more grounded, as James even hesitates when Troy forces Mike to jump off of Sattler Quarry. The two feel more at home in a Stephen King novel, whereas Angela and Jason seem more like stereotypical 80s bullies from movies like Back to the Future, reflecting a tonal change within the series on the whole.

Stranger Things has already proven that it can write compelling bully characters, both with Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington. Steve starts off season 1 as a stereotypical bully, much like Jason, though not on the same level of cruelty as Angela. The series then turns him into a lovable babysitter, owing to the charisma of his actor, Joe Keery. It is therefore even more frustrating that Stranger Things season 4 makes its bullies so one-dimensional by comparison.

Next: Stranger Things' Number 1 Fully Explained

Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 releases on Netflix on July 1.

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