Season 2

Season 2 of Stranger Things has got to be the worst season released ever. Again this is debatable, as some like it and many loathe it.

Why is it the worst?

  1. Rotten pumpkins. Will’s nightmares. Joyce’s paranoia. And Eleven being a brat kid. They tested our patience way too much with these plots.
  2. Lucas and Dustin’s petty fights for the new girl Max (they are all teenagers. Yet, it was way stretched out) and the uncanny tension growing between the boy gang and Max.
  3. El leaves Hawkins, finds her long-lost sister, and gets a makeover. Thank god, the writers shove this into the basement and never touched it again.

What made Stranger Things season 2 tolerable?

  1. Steve went from being a rich, snotty, and obnoxious f**k boy to a considerate, brave, and sensitive person.
  2. A well-rounded character like Bob, Joyce’s boyfriend, who faced a sad yet heroic death. Didn’t we all secretly wish for a Bob in our life?
  3. Witty jokes and one liners from the most unexpected characters like Murray Bauman.
  4. El finds her strength and where her morality lies. She closes the door and saves the town.

Season 1

Season 1 is where it all started and way better than season 2. Hence, the mid rating goes to season 1. 

Why is it mediocre (compared to the rest of the seasons)?

  1. We see Will’s funeral, but we can’t wrap our mind around the fact that Will could be dead. It felt cliched that main characters never perish.
  2. Jonathan is downright creepy when he clicks private pictures of Nancy. Yet, he is never called out. Nancy finds it rather cute. Ewww!
  3. Mike’s family’s mundane conversations at the dining table. The cold and awkward energy felt a bit off-putting.
  4. Dragging scenes featuring Will’s father who adds no value to the story (except proving us he is a jerk).
  5. Season 1 has no cliffhangers except for the part where El disappears around the end. This could be due to the fact that the writers wanted to wrap this story up with one season, featuring a different story for the next.

What stood out in season 1 Stranger Things?

  1. Story moves fast. Characters, dialogues, and aesthetics sit well with overall a satisfactory ending.
  2. Being new to the story, the writers Duffer brothers managed to keep us hooked, curious on what happens next.
  3. Friends going to any extent to protect their friends, be it Will or El. Volunteers of the town gathering and searching Will. And the helplessness of a mom who pulls out all the stops to find her son. If not love, don’t know it is.

Season 3

Season 3 of Stranger Things is top-notch in all angles, deserving to be called a great season. Everything fits perfectly to the story and nothing feels forced – the nostalgia factor, song placements, Teen romance, and even-death-can’t-do-us part friendships.

What fans loved about season 3 Stranger Things?

  1. Season 3 of Stranger Things balanced the gender gap with more potent female characters – Robin, Erica, Suzie Bingam (Even if she appeared in one scene). The blossoming friendship between El and Max and their shopping and sleepover sagas are both fun and mushy.
  2. We get to see both sides of Billy – a cruel villain and a yearning son with childhood trauma.
  3. It’s not El who does all the heavy-lifting while fighting the evil. Everyone contributes in their own way – throwing fireworks, getting through secret Russian warehouses, killing the flayed…
  4. Steve, Dustin, Robin, and Erica become the unexpected tetra gang we didn’t see coming. With brains and bravery, they solve the musical puzzle, find the Russian secret place, and get out unscathed.
  5. Edge-of-the-seat moments in the last two episodes, where all subplots merge in the Starcourt mall.

What could have been better in season 3 Stranger Things?

  1. Mike’s mother’s thirst trap attempts and Billy’s flirting with someone of his mother’s age. Not here to judge, but this plot was obsolete.
  2. Hopper and Joyce go from supportive friends to bickering partners. All of a sudden, Hopper is possessive and wants to go on a date with Joyce. Talk about the timing that all men in Joyce’s life are gone. Yet, it feels a little forced for some.
  3. Joyce’s anxious about magnets falling off the fridge door. Too basic for a woman who fought against the mind flayer and demogorgons.
  4. Killing Alexei broke the hearts of many. He could have had a peaceful life somewhere in Alaska, playing arcade games and slurping cold drinks. Sigh!

Season 4

Out of all 4 seasons of Stranger Things, season 4 deserves to be crowned as the best and exceptional. Notwithstanding the three year gap in release, season 4 managed to capture people’s hearts and make it the most-watched Netflix English series within 28 days of its release. 

What made Stranger Things Season 4 the best season?

  1. Even close friends drift apart with distance and time. Stranger Things season 4 showed us the stark reality. Mike, who was hellbent on saving Will and being his confidante, neither cares about him nor writes to him anymore. He justifies his detachment with zero remorse. That ought to be icy-cold than the whole upside down world.
  2. Nothing more comforting than watching a group of friends and their trauma bonding dramas. Everyone loved watching Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Nancy getting protective about Max and how they yanked her out of death’s entry gate.
  3. Mike breaking generational cycles as he learns to confess and communicate his love for El. He stopped being neurotic and became an emotional support to El. Good for him. Bad for Will.
  4. We get to see the ultimate villain, Number one/Henry Creel/Vecna. The mind-boggling details in episode 7 ‘The Massacre at Hawkins lab’, leave us aroused, where they tell the villain’s perspective in two different visions through Nancy and El.
  5. The last episode that left us wanting for more. We know it’s doomed from here. Guess we have to wait till 2025 and find how messed up it’s gonna be.


Season 4 had a few flaws too. Jonathan – Nancy – Steve’s triangle love story is incomplete. Eddie, Chrissy, and many favorite characters are gone just like that. Chrissy’s useless boyfriend track. No explanation on why El believes in Dr. Brenner’s manipulations, yet never forgave him at the end. And, a few other minor pitfalls. Yet, the best things even out the negatives, making Season 4 the best season of Stranger Things.