Is ‘Stranger Things’ a victim of its own success? Find out if the popularity hurt the show’s storyline!
When the third season of Netflix’s hit show ‘Stranger Things’ premiered on July 4, 2019, a record 26.4 million US viewers tuned in. It was nearly 17% higher than the season two premiere. Not only did it have higher viewership than the previous season, but it was also the most-watched Netflix original series, with over 500 million streams. However, as season 4 approaches, many fans are wondering if the show is becoming a victim of its own success.
HIGHLIGHTS —
- When Will got sidelined from the main cast
- The plot became predictable
- ‘Stranger Things’’ future
When Will got sidelined from the main cast
‘Stranger Things’ first season was mainly concerned with Will’s disappearance. Will was on his way home after playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends when he got attacked by a monstrous creature. Even though he made it back home, he was still in danger from the monster, so he vanished.
Will’s mother, Joyce, and Chief Hopper discovered that Will got trapped in a mysterious dimension known as the Upside Down, with the only way out being Hawkins Lab. Will’s time in Upside Down allowed ‘Stranger Things’ to continue exploring the mysteries of the other dimension.
Unfortunately, the character has gotten sidelined since his time as the Mind Flayer’s host. By the third season of ‘Stranger Things’, Will’s role in the plot got forgotten completely. A central character got sidelined, and his character was never fully explored. Instead of focusing on new characters such as Steve and Dustin, the series focuses on Mike, Eleven, Max and Lucas.
The plot became predictable
‘Stranger Things’ became a huge hit after the creators drew nostalgic music, design elements, character tropes, and themes from 80s classics such as ‘The Goonies’, ‘E.T.’, ‘Alien’, and many more while creating an entirely new story. The obvious visual allusions to Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King were also instantly recognizable.
The story leveraged the audience’s insight and influence during the 1983 period. It transported them back in time while also presenting them with an unbelievable story from another realm. It did not take advantage of the decade or genre but instead demonstrated that there are a billion different ways to tell a great story. The storytelling was concise and riveting, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
The earlier storytelling never revealed anything beyond what the characters already knew. As a result, the gradual reveals were full of dread and horror. By the third season, this is mostly gone. The writing now follows rules that viewers are familiar with and understand. The suspense gets broken like the first episode reveals all the answers right away, revealing the characters’ individual stories.
When the strange events Nancy is investigating get explained, Nancy’s story loses its impact. When the Russians get shown in Hawkins during the opening scenes, the Soviet scientist Joyce and Hopper meet is unsurprising. The story would be much less compelling without the mystery.
‘Stranger Things’’ future
Regardless, ‘Stranger Things’ is one of the most anticipated series and is unlikely to change in the future. The highly anticipated upcoming season is said to premiere in mid-2022. The long wait is attributed mainly to the delays experienced by the ‘Stranger Things’ crew while working on season 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 ended with a powerless Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) leaving Hawkins. After her adoptive father, Hopper (David Harbour) allegedly died in an explosion, she agreed to relocate to California with the Byers family. However, the final scenes of season 3 revealed that guards in a Russian facility had imprisoned a Demogorgon as well as an American prisoner (Hopper).
David Harbour previously told Collider that season 4 would set up the show’s definitive ending. “We are introducing new stuff, but we are also tightening and wrapping up in a certain direction to make it have a clear, clean specific, and definite ending at some point, which I cannot really talk about”, Harbour said.
Tell us in the comments if you think ‘Stranger Things’ popularity has harmed the show!
