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The fourth season of the hit Netflix original series Stranger Things looks to be the longest one yet for the supernatural thriller. The upcoming season will consist of nine episodes instead of the eight-episode slate audiences have become accustomed to, separated into two volumes.
The upcoming season of Stranger Things will see the return of Millie Bobby Brown, alongside the talented cast of characters audiences have become attached to throughout the years. Season four will take place over various new locations, following the characters in different aspects of their lives as they combat a new heinous threat from the Upside Down. However, for the plot to function, the threads connecting each storyline need time to converge, which has resulted in longer episodes.
"The more we were writing, the more we realized we need more time in order for these reveals to land, in order for these storylines to work," stated Stranger Things creator Matt Duffer while speaking with The Wrap. "Partway through we knew we needed to ask Netflix for nine episodes instead of eight and as we started shooting we realized, Oh these are mega-long episodes." Plot details from the upcoming season rest behind locked doors, but the experience looks to be a cinematic one.
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Netflix hasn't shied away from the series' ambition, pouring close to $30 million into each episode, which would explain the extended runtime of the upcoming new episodes. The previous season's runtime per episode lingered in a realm of 45 minutes to an hour, but Stranger Things season four will include vast episodes that run over an hour long. "Seven and nine in particular are movies," stated Duffer. "And nine is a long movie." When asked how long, the response was surprising from brother Ross Duffer, who indicated that the ninth episode's runtime would clock a little over two hours.
The extended runtime is not a trait carried by most series, but it's understandable based on the size of the narrative and the things that need to occur before the upcoming fifth and final season. "This season we knew that Season 5 was going to be our last, we had to start revealing a lot," expressed Duffer, indicating that the plot for this new season is twice the size of the plot they were working with throughout the previous season. It'll be interesting to see how things in the series develop and if the expansive Stranger Things episodes can answer questions that still linger for most viewers.
It's been three years since the release of season three, which made its appearance in the summer of 2019 on the streamer. The new episodes may run longer than most are used to, but audiences may enjoy the time immersed in the character's world for what looks to be an exciting final run to the finish. The time being put into Stranger Things season 4 shows that Netflix and the Duffer Brothers want to end things right and in a manner that audiences will remember, but only time will tell if they can bring this incredible story to a proper close.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 hits Netflix on May 27, 2022, followed by Volume 2 on July 1, 2022.
Source: The Wrap