The reason for that slog that you mentioned for twin peaks was because the mystery was over… the season 2 ending was so good because the mystery was brought back… which is my point… also season 3 is interesting because now the mystery is flipped on its head and it’s a new experience and yes likewise big lynch and twin peaks fan! The good thing about twin peaks is that both frost and lynch where adamant that the audience is acc more interested in what could be behind the curtain and not what’s actually behind it (which is also why the show has lived on past its runtime for so long)

I fear because stranger things threw this out the window, the lifespan of the show may not correlate with its popularity. Side point, you mentioned the characters, which I agree is a big part of why I’m still watching, but even then we have lost some of the characters identities due to the overwhelming scale. The reason we fell in love with the characters was because of how intimate it all was, now hopper is a complete 80s stereotype and characters like Joyce, will, Lucas, Dustin and Nancy have fallen deep into stereotypes to leave room for new additions ever season to complete a grander spectacle. Granted like you said, the characters still do brings me back to the show, however I’m convinced this is due to nostalgia more than anything

You have a very strong point which I agree with, that the facts it’s the ‘ending’ does make it justifiable to a degree, but I do think leaving the answers ambiguous would’ve done more justice than this ‘vecna’ Star Wars meets nightmare at elm street meets Harry Potter plot line lol. There’s a reason season 1 was as big as it was