Even though the Duffer brothers planned the entire story of Stranger Things before the first season premiered, it is a show that has changed a lot from its original run of episodes. The first season of Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in 2016 and instantly became a worldwide phenomenon. Over the years, Stranger Things has become one of the biggest shows in the entire world. This is exactly why the upcoming Stranger Things season 5, which will be the last season of the show, is so highly anticipated.
Immediately after the cliffhanger ending of Stranger Things season 4, fans wanted to know what would happen next. However, they were unfortunately in for a long wait, as there will be a three-plus year gap between Stranger Things season 4 and the upcoming season 5. As the show has evolved, this is something that fans have gotten used to, as there was also a three-year gap between the third and fourth seasons. However, the reason new seasons of Stranger Things take so long to make is actually the main issue with the series.
Stranger Things Has Become Too Big For Its Own Good
The Scale Of Stranger Things Is Way Bigger Now
Even though the Duffer brothers mapped out the entire series before the release of Stranger Things season 1, it’s unlikely that they would have been able to predict just how big the series would become. Therefore, even though they had a plan for the whole series, it has probably changed because of the pressure brought on by being one of the biggest shows on TV. While the Duffer brothers could have chosen to keep Stranger Things quite small scale, like season 1 was, they instead decided to make it as big and ambitious as possible.
The final episode of Stranger Things season 4 has a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is longer than most movies.
How much larger the scale of the series has become was especially notable in Stranger Things season 4. Not only is the production budget of Stranger Things much larger than it once was, which has resulted in various awe-inspiring set pieces and sequences, but the runtimes of recent episodes are also much longer. For example, the final episode of Stranger Things season 4 has a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is longer than most movies. Therefore, it’s possible that Stranger Things has actually become too big for its own good.
Stranger Things’ Final Episodes Have Been Described As Micro-Movies
Several Episodes In Stranger Things Season 5 Will Be Very Long
The amount of time it has taken to make Stranger Things season 5 proves that the grandness of the series will not change. In fact, it’s likely that Stranger Things season 5 will tell an even bigger, more ambitious story than the fourth season. This could result in episodes of Stranger Things season 5 being even longer than the final episode of season 4. Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard has actually already claimed that some episodes in season 5 are “micro-movies.” He said:
It’s definitely a long season. Not every episode is like a full-blown movie, but there are definitely some episodes this year that the runtime is definitely film-length. When all that adds up, I guess they are like little micro-movies.
The scale of Stranger Things season 5 will likely lead to several amazing moments, such as the potential final battle between Eleven and Vecna. Additionally, even more horrifying monsters could enter Hawkins from the Upside Down through the portals created at the end of season 4. However, it’s possible that Stranger Things is now more focused on spectacle, rather than telling the best story. After all, Stranger Things season 1 is commonly viewed as the best season of the show, and had a way smaller scale.
Stranger Things’ Best Moments Had Nothing To Do With The Scale Of The Show
Stranger Things Season 1 Became A Phenomenon Without Tons Of Set Pieces
The success of Stranger Things season 1 proves that the show never needed to produce massive, blockbuster-like episodes to be successful. After all, the first season of Stranger Things got so many people hooked on the show and barely had any set pieces. While moments like Eleven flipping the van over the kid’s heads are now iconic, season 1 did not rely on set pieces at all. Instead, the first season of Stranger Things just had very high quality writing and made viewers care about the characters.
Even though the quality of Stranger Things’ writing is still high, and the characters are still great, the Duffer brothers are possibly too dedicated to making the show as big as it can be. As a result, fans are forced to wait for years and years between seasons so that incredibly elaborate sequences can be filmed. Therefore, the fact that Stranger Things’ scale has become much bigger is actually something that is working against the show heading into its final season.
