I liked how the world was consistent with that of GoT, from the costumes to the characters. Knowing that these events transpired before the Long Night truly adds a new layer of appreciation for GoT. It was also bittersweet because House of the Dragon very clearly underscored the importance of the role of the Targaryens in the prophecy, none that really materialized in the end of Game of Thrones because showrunners were too busy wrapping things up to work on their Star Wars deal with Disney.

For this season, Eddie had most of the best lines, even more than Vecna himself. When he quoted LOTR at Skull Rock and referred to marching to Mordor, he set many nerdy hearts aflutter. When he dedicated his guitar solo to Chrissy, he made the scene as poignant as it was badas*. When he talked to Dustin about leading the Hellfire Club, there was sincerity in his words. When he made an epic final stand against the Demobats, it was glorious.

All in all, the back half of Season 4 was intense and suspenseful but it still felt like it was pulling back from going all out. There was a ton of foreshadowing that did not materialize yet so it felt sixth Harry Potter movie where it was so quiet before the battle, and them there were so much deaths in the final chapter. Stranger Things may be establishing these long goodbyes for the final season so even if the characters managed to survive this season, its not yet safe to say that they’re out of the woods. There’s a lot to unpack before the finale and I get the feeling that El would not win the fight if she doesn’t get everybody on board.

Stranger Things truly paid homage to the 80s classics and it was amazing. It was like a mashup of the best hits of Nightmare on Elm Street, the Wishmaster, the Poltergeist, the Exorcist, and even the Evil Dead. It was dark. It was gory. It was suspenseful and you can tell that the storytelling was growing with its audience. The first season had an ET and Stand by Me vibe to it but this season was so brutal. It amped up the horror a thousandfold and banked on everything that was good about the series all along.