'Stranger Things' Season 5: Why Netflix thriller series should drop Enzo and Yuri in final run
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Netflix's iconic original fantasy series 'Stranger Things' is getting ready for its final lap and the most anticipated series is currently under production. Season 5 will see the Hawkins gang have a final battle with Vecna. Season 4 introduced characters including Nikola Djuricko as Yuri and Tom Wlaschiha as Dmitri Antonov. However, this raises the concern that the series would bring back these two newly introduced characters to the series as a subplot.
'Stranger Things' stars Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers.
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The newer characters in Season 4
Yuri Ismaylov and Dmitri Antonov AKA Enzo were introduced in season 4 of 'Stranger Things'. They were primarily seen in the plot point taking place in the Russian prison. Yuri is an eccentric smuggler who has a plane that would later help him transport Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) towards Jim. However, Yuri is not a trustworthy person, as he drugs both Joyce and Murray and betrays the team at every chance he gets. Yuri is very patriotic and supports his motherland. When Yuri learns about the danger from the upside down and how it will affect the entire world, he changes his mind and agrees to help Joyce, Murray, Jim, and Dmititi. His plane really helped the gang with the prison mission.
On the other hand, Dmitri is a prison guard in Kamchatka, where Jim Hopper was held and formed an unlikely bond with Jim. He is the major reason Jim escapes the prison in the first place with cash in return. However, Dmitri was double-crossed by Yuri, who was supposed to pick Jim up and get him out. This leads Dmitri to lose his rank and be thrown into prison. He and Jim then fight with the captured Demogorgons in the prison.
Is the subplot necessary for Season 5?
Both of these newly introduced characters played a key role in the progression of the plot. However, their characters were not as well received as Argyle (Eduardo Franco) and Eddie (Joseph Quinn) due to the long-drawn-out storyline. But it is not like they were insignificant to the story. Both Yuri and Enzo fought back the Demegorgans with the perfect timing in the prisons and it was with Yuri's flight that everyone escaped. Their presence connected the puzzle from the Season 3 plotline and now it feels like their contribution to the main story dealing with the prison is fully complete.
It is to be noted that there are already several loose ends that need to be addressed in the upcoming season. Burning questions like, is Max alive, and if so, would she participate in the final showdown? Is Eleven's power stronger now? What is the unexplained connection between Will and upside down? And as Vecna has already sent a clear destruction warning to Hawkins by the end of season 4, what would be the strategy of the Hawkins Gang to defend other than the powers of Eleven? and so much more.
Though Enzo and Yuri played an integral part in the Jim Hopper storyline in a Russian prison in season 4, returning these characters to the upcoming final season seems unnecessary, particularly if the supposed storyline would follow the consequences of the duo betraying the Soviet military. And this leads the way to dragging the subplot away from the main storyline, which is defeating Vecna. So it is best if 'Stranger Things' avoids both these characters in the final battle.
The first four seasons of 'Stranger Things' is currently available to stream exclusively on Netflix.