No, season 4 is not why season 5 failed

So, I've been hearing people say that the reason why season 5 failed is because of season 4. And although there is a world in which it is sort of true, for the most part, it is not. No, season 4 is not why season 5 failed. I think season 4 is one of the best seasons of Stranger Things. It is cinematic, it has high stakes, the genres match with some of the earlier seasons, and above all, it has the perfect setup for the final season. And with all of these things lined up, I believe the reason why season 5 failed is because of bad writing. If you look at things like cinematography, the final seaosn doesn't fit in with the dark aesthetic of season 4 which it should have. The stakes are comparitively lower in this season. The villain doesn't fulfil his potential. And the intro to season 5 completely fumbled the great set up which season 4 had brilliantly crafted. So, overall, season 4 does have its problems. Sometimes the narratives are too long, some characters don't get enough screen time, and character arcs are not fully developed. But the plot was back on track. Stranger things was dark once again. It was ready to explore and take on stakes that it had never seen before. But season 5 played it safe and that is one of the biggest reason why it failed. So, yeah, stop blaming season 4 for season 5's failure.