And...things did continue that way.

Season 4 stuck the landing and ends up surpassing Season 3 in my opinion. The audience has been given some new lore concerning the Upside Down and the villains that come from it. We don't have all the answers yet, as there are some pieces of the puzzle still missing. But that only adds to the mystery and makes the Stranger Things world even more tantalizing.

Going forward, I hope the show doesn't devolve into a Marvel movie with gigantic battles and such. I loved the first and fourth seasons for their spookiness. Season 3 had to be lighter and more fun just to make up for such a dull second season, but it would hold up best over time if it remained the only "wacky" season of the group. Based on what the ending of Season 4 is setting up, I don't see how things could return to paranormal horror. I see the next season being more of an Army of Darkness compared to the simplicity of the first season's Evil Dead. It's kind of sad that the show went in this direction from its roots, but Seasons 3 and 4 have done a fine job of making it seem like that was what it meant to do all along.