Shawn Levy has served fans’ screens with several of his brilliant works. But his involvement in Netflix’s Stranger Things is one of the things that even the Canadian director is enthusiastic about. Serving as an executive producer and an occasional director, Levy’s unique vision contributed to the massive success of the show. Looking forward to working with the Hawkins gang one last time, the director revisited his remarkable work in the previous season.

Prior to the season finale of the Netflix drama, the Deadpool director shared his thoughts on the episode that he would be remembered for and the reason behind it. 

Shawn Levy revealed his best Stranger Things episode yet

Shawn Levy recently had a conversation with the host of Salon Talks to discuss his recent war series, along with Stranger Things and much more. In their conversation, the interviewer lauded Levy’s exceptional direction of the ‘Dear Billy’ episode in the supernatural drama, recognizing its grand success. Levy then went on to reveal the episode that would be remembered. “Guess what? Up there, is ‘Dear Billy’,” would be his answer.

The reason behind his choice was that it was a one-hour episode of television that became culturally rich and creatively inspiring. Explaining further, Levy said he read the Duffer Brothers’ script that inspired him. He said the script conveyed “it wanted to be epic” and to have imagery that felt iconic. Moreover, praising the genius of the Duffer Brothers’ screenwriting, the 55-year-old director added their writing was extremely clear in its visual suggestions.

This very episode has one of the biggest pop songs, ‘Running Up the Hill’. What stood out in episode 4 of season 4 of the show was the use of the song, along with the story of Billy’s grief. Although both scenes have their unique significance, one was not possible without the other. So, how did the director manage to balance it?

How was the iconic Billy episode directed?

The Billy episode has self-loathing and grief on one side and desperation on the other. Therefore, the Deadpool director recognized the importance of both scenes. As he said, “For climax in storytelling to work, the building blocks around the way need to work.” He explained that Max’s desperation while running toward her friends was extremely effective because the intense grave-side monologue expressed grief and self-loathing.

While this episode conveyed a beautifully painful story, it also represented the creative genius of the director so much so that Sadie Sink herself admitted that it was a wild episode. So, Shawn Levy was not wrong in his statement about his epic work. Now, with the SAG-AFTRA strike’s end, all the Stranger Things fans want more of the director’s brilliant vision.

Do you agree with Shawn Levy’s statement about his legacy? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.