Stranger Things Season 4 Already Wasted Its Biggest Twist -  cast, spoilers, trailer, episode 1, actress, leak

Stranger Things season 4's latest trailer seemed to hint at a huge twist, but it is a revelation that the show already fumbled back in season 3.

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One Stranger Things season 4 trailer hinted at Mike and Eleven’s imminent breakup, but this potentially devastating twist was already squandered by season 3 of the Netflix hit. Although the show has been consistently popular with viewers since its 2016 debut, Stranger Things has had its fair share of storytelling problems. Stranger Things season 3’s lighter tone and faster pace, in particular, saw the show lose focus and emotional impact, as proven by the pointless subplot centered around Mike and El’s brief breakup.

Stranger Things season 4 hopes to fix a lot of season 3 mistakes (as its episode titles prove), but this particular twist could cost the upcoming outing one of its most potentially affecting stories. While Stranger Things season 4 could break up Mike and El again, the effectiveness of this surprise will likely be blunted by the fact that the duo has been romantically separated before without much fanfare. Since season 3’s breakup was surprisingly lacking in dramatic impact, Stranger Things season 4 will struggle to make the prospect of El and Mike splitting up into the gut-wrenching reveal it could have been.

Mike And El’s Relationship Explained

Mike and Eleven at the end of Stranger Things Season 2

In Stranger Things season 1, the more grounded tone of the series meant that Mike’s infatuation with El was taken more seriously than in the show’s more playful, goofy later outings. The duo were small children in season 1 and their tentative attempts to impress each other were cute, culminating in the tragic ending of Stranger Things season 1 wherein El protected Mike and the boys but seemingly lost her life in the process. When she returned in Stranger Things season 2, Mike spent a long time not knowing El was alive, and this led to some classic rom-com misunderstandings when she spotted him hanging around with new (platonic) friend Max, but they were reunited by the season’s happy ending.

The lighter tone and happy ending of season 2 paved the way for season 3, which upped the comedic elements of Stranger Things and dialed down the darker moments. However, Stranger Things season 3 also struggled with too many subplots pulling the story in numerous divergent directions, resulting in a shapeless outing for the show. While Mike and El did break up and make up mid-season, this storyline was lost in the wash along with Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship troubles, Hopper’s attempts to woo Joyce, and the rest of season 3’s half-baked character moments. With body snatchers, secret Soviet agents, multi-story monsters, and a corrupt mayor to follow, Stranger Things season 3 had too many story strands to focus on Mike and El and wasted their break-up’s potential emotional impact as a result.