No, Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Didn't Justify Its Extreme Runtimes

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, Vol. 1 & 2

Stranger Things season 4, Vol. 2 set itself some high standards when its runtimes were released, but in the end, they really didn't need to be that long. Vol. 2 had a lot to wrap up, with Vol. 1 leaving on the cliffhanger of the Vecna/Number One/Henry Creel reveal. The complex and interwoven storyline of Vol. 1, then, made the runtimes of Vol. 2 seem fairly believable and justifiable, but they might also have been overly ambitious.

When the extreme runtimes for Stranger Things Vol. 2 were announced, there was an unambiguous hype around the finale of the season. Naturally, the runtimes spoke to a packed conclusion that had ample time to address many plot points, build on character profiles, and showcase more of the relationships between characters. Netflix original shows have never seen runtimes like Stranger Things season 4, Vol. 2, so it seemed promised that it was going to be an epic finale, but that wasn't fully the case.

Stranger Things Vol. 2, in total, clocked in at around four hours, which spanned over a mere two episodes. Yet, despite these extreme hours, Vol. 2 didn't add on to Vol. 1 in any significant way. Vol. 2 did answer the mystery of Vecna in the Upside Down, and his part played in the Demogorgon of season 1 and the Mind Flayer, but there ws little additional information. More than this, many viewers felt that several episodes included some scenes that dragged on, some that were unneeded, and some that felt increasingly repetitious. Moments such as the Katinka scenes were arguably too long, while Steve's repeated mentions of family dreams were perhaps unnecessary. Further, it felt like Steve, Nancy and Robin were stuck to a wall in the Creel house for the majority of Vol. 2. As a result, the episode lengths didn't balance out the amount of new content in the show.

Stranger Things 4 Still Left Out A Lot, Despite The Episode Lengths

Stranger Things 4 Vol 2 Eddie Death Dustin Holding Him

These prolonged, and sometimes unneeded scenes meant that some other scenes that would have been worth having were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps the biggest misstep of all in Vol. 2 was the ''Two Days Later'' time jump, which left so many unanswered questions, and was a missed opportunity for some really good scenes. For example, the time jump came right after Eddie's death, which detracted from the emotional impact of that moment. It begged the question of how Dustin got out of the Upside Down, whether Eddie's body is still there, and if Steve, Nancy and Robin had to find him cradling Eddie's corpse. The latter would have been the perfect scene to showcase Eddie's sacrifice, and show that more of the gang appreciated him, as nobody apart from Dustin mentions him after the time jump. The lack of a scene of Dustin telling Mike about Eddie also felt odd. Given that the final episode came in at 2-and-a-half hours, the fact that there were any stones left unturned felt like a missed opportunity.

In addition, there is the case of Yuri, Dimitri and Murray, who are not mentioned or seen again after the scenes in Russia. Seen as how long the Russian portions of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are, the lack of a definitive ending is a strange creative choice, and it's not even clear if they will appear in season 5. Finally, a huge and traumatic part of Vol. 2 is that Max is now in a coma, but in the hospital room, her mother wasn't even there. Small details like this appear oddly overlooked, contributing to the feeling of emptiness after Vol. 2.

Season 5 will be the last season of Stranger Things, and it may be that some of these storylines overrun into the next season. There, the loose ends could be tied up for good, to give a more overall finish to the Netflix show. Nonetheless, Vol. 2 perhaps should have included a bit more to justify the excessive episode lengths.

Next: How Will Stranger Things End? The Biggest Season 5 Theories

All episodes of Stranger Things are now available on Netflix

Want more Stranger Things season 4 articles? Check out our essential content below...