The reviews for Stranger Things season 4 part 2 are in, and many critics are calling it the best season ending of the entire series to date. Stranger Things is one of Netflix's flagship streaming series, following the adventures of the townsfolk of Hawkins, Indiana during the 1980s. The series, which was created by the Duffer brothers, originally premiered in 2016 and has now run for four seasons. The cast, which brought young stars Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Sadie Sink to the fore, also includes more established presences like Matthew Modine, David Harbour, and Edward Scissorhands star Winona Ryder.
Stranger Things season 4, which took nearly three years to come to fruition, was split into two parts, the first of which premiered on May 27, 2022. The first seven episodes of the season made a predictably huge splash in the pop culture sphere, causing fans to obsess over the new villain Vecna and especially the way that his intended victim Max uses her favorite song to keep him at bay. The track, "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" by Kate Bush, has received a massive resurgence, hitting #1 on the charts for the first time since its release over 35 years ago.
Now, Stranger Things season 4 part 2 has been released, comprised of two extra-long episodes. Critics have reacted quickly, sharing their thoughts in a tidal wave of praise for the season finale. While some have found fault with the show's overstuffed, time-consuming episode structure, many have described the pair of episodes as the best ending for any season of the series so far, indulging in the more grim and serious tone that the first half of the series trafficked in. Check out selected quotes from reviews below:
Daniel D'Addario, Variety
The moments that sing — including, once again, in the cadences of Kate Bush, this season’s musical patron sorceress — really are on a different level than just about anything the streamer has done lately. And they come within the context of episodes that seem designed to make the showrunning Duffer Brothers’ aspirations punishingly clear: The finale is two-and-a-half hours, a length the viewer really feels. This is likely not an episode that many franchise fans this side of standom will watch in one go, thus diluting the season’s cumulative power and impact in the name of creating a monument to just how much Netflix will allow.
Carly Lane, Collider
It speaks to the strengths of the show and its cast that Season 4 manages to extend moments of hope and poignancy even in the midst of greater circumstances that could quite literally signal the end of the world. The performances in these final episodes are staggeringly good.
Joy Press, Vanity Fair
On a visual level, the season’s second volume delivers a blockbuster experience, full of epic special effects, though it’s moved much closer to a gory horror movie than to the ET and Goonies-style adventures of its early years. This overarching darkness, combined with the endlessly frenetic pace of the season, can make the long episodes exhausting to watch.
Alex Stedman, IGN
It still ends up feeling a tad bit unwieldy – a hard thing to avoid when juggling this many characters and storylines – but ultimately, these four hours pack in just about everything a Stranger Things fan could ask for.
Tyler Treese, ComingSoon.Net
With incredible action and even more memorable characters, Stranger Things continues to be some of the best television that streaming has to offer. Netflix spares no expense in making Season 4 Volume 2 its most thrilling and satisfying conclusion to date.
Fay Watson, GamesRadar
What's clear, though, is that Stranger Things has not lost any of its magic. Volume 2 has all the elements that made this show a phenomenon: witty dialogue, heartfelt characters dealing with growing pains, and a whole lot of '80s nostalgia. But this is also a new Stranger Things. Both the series and the characters are coming of age... The ingredients are there for a season 5 that could conclude one of the best sci-fi series ever created. If they can keep up the quality after season 4, then that's exactly what's down the line.
So far, including the new reviews, season 4 has maintained an 89% Fresh rating overall on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. This has kept it consistent with season 3, which was also a hit with fans when it was released back in 2019. However, the show critically peaked with Stranger Things season 1, which premiered at 97%, dipping to 94% for season 2.
This steady but slightly less enthusiastic rating for Stranger Things season 4 part 2 certainly seems to be consistent with the current critical consensus. While these episodes have brought season 4 in for a strong finish, the first half of the series was slightly more divisive for reviewers. The shift in tone following several years off the air threw some people for a loop, but now that these final episodes have brought everything full circle, it is likely that many people will circle back around and reconsider their original opinion on the opening slate of seven episodes.
Source: Various (see above)