Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen

TIME's critic admits fighting "the urge to toggle up the speed to 1.5x" while watching the Duffer brothers' post-Stranger Things horror series, calling it a project that "wrings horror out of pre-wedding jitters but wastes too much time on its least interesting aspects." The AV Club praises a "terrific first episode" that unfortunately "sets a high bar that the rest of the miniseries never quite reaches again," while Nerdist lands on "uneven slow burn" territory with a "mostly satisfying conclusion." With both trade coverage and audience reaction staying notably quiet during opening weekend, critics are carrying the entire conversation—and they're clearly wrestling with a show that defies easy categorization. The AV Club gives it credit "for being hard to define," which reads like both compliment and warning. If you're drawn to psychological horror that takes its time building dread around domestic anxiety, this might reward your patience. Just know you're signing up for something that peaks early and asks you to stick around for a bumpy ride to its payoff.