The title of the season opener, “The Hellfire Club,” began making the rounds a year ago. And in keeping with the show’s retro and geek-friendly vibe, the titles are laden with plenty of pop culture references. As with previous seasons, Netflix also released a video that announces all of the episode titles for Stranger Things 4. Today’s Stranger Things Day event has already premiered a brand new teaser that gives us our best look yet at the show’s highly-anticipated fourth season. So far, it's been a fun ride time traveling through Winden's chaotic history that's all connected.Netflix Announces Episode Titles for Stranger Things 4
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The creators have one more season to get through before their ambitious tale comes to an end. Of the bunch, Moritz Jahn's Magnus and Gina Stiebitz's Franziska have really matured as young actors, each of them getting some dynamic scenes to showcase their respective talents.
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It's a big cast, but the creators do a solid job giving everyone their time to shine. Instead of just waiting for something interesting to happen, the squad decides to take matters into their own hands, setting up some compelling plotlines for the latter half of the season. The Winden high school squad - Magnus, Martha, Franziska, and Bartosz - are more integral to the overall story this time around. Season 2 gives more of its ensemble time to shine as well. Everybody lies in Winden, so it's nice to finally have a character who at least appears to be honest. He asks all the questions we as viewers have about the town - why does no one ever leave? Groth is the perfect fit for the role, portraying Clausen with a memorable "I'm not buying any of your bulls**t" attitude. Dark has never been known for its comedy, but Clausen's subtle "what the f***k is wrong with this town" reactions throughout the season are priceless. Without going into too much detail, we'll just say that his character's progression is one of the more gripping plotlines in Season 2.īack in 2020 Winden, the local police appoint a special task force to help find the missing kids, led by Sylvester Groth's Clausen. Instead of presenting the show's morality in straight black and white terms, the writers smartly imbue Noah with some much-needed nuance. There's a lot of philosophy-speak this season about good and evil, with some characters referring to Noah and the people he works for as evil or even the devil. On the villain front, Mark Waschke's Noah is as menacing as ever. Similar to Mobius Entertainment's puzzle-filled space-exploration sim, Outer Wilds, Dark doesn't hold your hand or take your intelligence for granted. By episode 4 (this reviewer's favorite), titled "The Travelers," the story really starts to click with a few lightbulb moments that might make you feel like you just earned a new college degree. He's also far more proactive this time around, trading in his wide-eyed naivete from last season for a more formidable attitude, especially when he has to stand up against the militaristic leadership that's taken over in the future.ĭark's complicated, yet intriguing time-travel element continues to expand in Season 2, skipping from 2020 to 2053 to 1954 to 1921 - it's enough to make even Doc Brown say, "Great Scott, Marty!" And while it may seem like creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese are trying to prove how clever they are, it doesn't feel like narrative hubris that's driving the plot - they're just damn good storytellers.
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After living in the desolate ruins of his hometown, Jonas has become a more interesting character in Season 2. The story picks up six months after the events of the Season 1 finale, with teenage Jonas (Louis Hofmann) still stuck in post-apocalyptic Winden in 2053, while his older self - played by Andreas Pietschmann - is back in 2020.
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Season 2 has a rich world full of complex characters and fascinating apocalyptic paradoxes to unpack. The decades-long saga surrounding the mysterious German town of Winden needs your full attention in order to comprehend just what the hell is happening from moment to moment Dark isn't a look at your phone while you watch kind of show. (Thankfully, if you need a refresher, Netflix provides a helpful 3-minute Season 1 recap before you start your binge.)
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Simply put, Netflix's Dark is a damn intimidating series to watch, with its dense time-travel narrative and a lengthy list of characters to remember - especially considering Season 1 premiered back in 2017.