Stranger Things creators have heard the fans' concerns, and they want to let them know that they are listening. Fans of the beloved horror show want to spend more time with original characters, claiming that while they loved characters such as Barb Holland and Eddie Munson, they wish the show would focus more on the original gang.
Stranger Things has become one of the biggest shows since its release back in 2016, and this season alone broke records at 7.2 billion minutes of streaming viewership. Stranger Things season 4 was an epic ride for the audience, as they got a deeper dive into the upside-down and who is responsible for creating the alternate dimension of horror. However, fans seem a little disappointed that the show didn't completely focus on the original characters.
Matt and Ross Duffer acknowledged these concerns during an interview with IndieWire by saying, "Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they're going to be an integral part of the narrative." Ross continued, "So that's something with Eddie this season, where we go, 'Well, we need a character here for this storyline to really work and to give it the engine that is needed." Ross went on to talk about how nerve-wracking it is to introduce a new actor because they do take some time away from the rest of the cast. The creators truly like to make sure the cast has great chemistry all around. "You just go through so many edits because you know that we can't add someone that's just going to take away from our characters if they're not terrific."
From a viewer's perspective, it's understandable why fans want to spend more time with the original Stranger Things cast. Lucas and Max was also a big love storyline that fans wanted more of. While Lucas is an original cast member, Max technically isn't. However, when she arrived in season 2, fans embraced her as one of the OGs'. That being said, the audience watched the relationship between Lucas and Max flourish in season 3 but when it came down to season 4, fans wanted more insight into their relationship and how it fell apart. The creators hinted that it did have to do with the loss of her brother Billy, however, it seems as if there is more history and more of a story between Max and Lucas that wasn't really illustrated.
However, from a storytelling perspective, the one thing the Duffer Brothers are great at is building up suspense and getting the audience to experience the excitement and thrills of the story. They claim that they will not add new characters, however, as a fan of the show, it wouldn't be upsetting if they did add another character into the mix. Season 4 alone is a build-up to the bigger picture, where all the questions and theories will be answered in a possibly bittersweet finale of the epic journey that fans have all been on together.
Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: IndieWire