It's worse than previous series, I've noticed myself zoning out a few times, but the entire Stranger Things schtick is that it's a homage to the 80s. It's story lines are cliched, that's the point. They're predictable because you have seen them before.

They even highlight and play with it themselves in the show, introducing the big bad via the D&D table in the first episode of each season, referencing the films they're doing, sometimes including the same actors from the films they're riffing off (Sean Astin as Bob, Robert Englund as Victor Creel).

Season 1 : Aliens/ET

Season 2 : Goonies, The Exorcist

Season 3 : Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Blob

Season 4 : Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser

Season 5 : So far we've seen Home Alone, Lost boys, Terminator

Saying it's predictable and cliched is just saying they've done their job well! And missing one of the main points of the TV show. My friend was almost giddy that they'd used Technicolor in the Holly/Max world.