After three years Stranger Things is back. Set six months after the Battle of Starcourt, the group of friends is split between Hawkins and California but the threats from the Upside Down still loom large. Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 has received positive reviews and has put to rest some of the biggest criticisms of the Sci-Fi show.
In Stranger Things season 1, many viewers grew fond of Barbara 'Barb' Holland, the caring best friend of Nancy Wheeler. Her sudden death outraged fans who demanded "Justice for Barb" because no one in Hawkins seemed to care about her disappearance. Having opposite luck with viewers, Suzie received backlash in season 3 of Stranger Things for wasting time singing the theme song to Never Ending Story, which arguably made Suzie responsible for Billy's death and the fate of Hopper. But rather than ignoring the criticism, the Duffer Brothers have tackled the hate towards Barb and Suzie head-on in Stranger Things season 4.
After years of being seemingly forgotten, Barb is given justice when Vecna forces Nancy to her. In Stranger Things season 4, Nancy is made to look at Barb's decaying body, while Vecna asks whether she's already forgotten about how she left Barb alone to die. The scene goes some way toward responding to Stranger Things' criticism that no one cared about Barb because clearly her death still weighs heavily on Nancy's mind. Others will argue that Barb's funeral in season 2 already gave "Justice for Barb" because the Hawkins community acknowledged her death, which was a large part of what the movement was about, but having Nancy directly confront Barb's death one last time was a good decision.
Following criticism of Suzie in Stranger Things, she is redeemed in season 4 when Mike its that she was the hero of season 3. While struggling to figure out how to locate Eleven, Mike insists that Suzie is the only one who can help them given she "saved the world last year". Although Suzie's actions could have come quicker during the Battle of Starcourt, Mike's line confirms that if it wasn't for Suzie's expertise then no one would have survived. Although it won't satisfy all Stranger Things viewers, it does respond to the backlash that Suzie received.
Suzie's return in Stranger Things season 4 will have gone some way into winning over more Stranger Things fans, particularly now she is teaming up with the crew in person rather than through walkie-talkies. For Barb though, it is likely that her brief cameo in season 4 will be her last appearance now that the show has wrapped up her story. By developing Barb and Suzie's characters further following criticism of how they had been handled in earlier seasons, Stranger Things has proven that it can deal with audience backlash.