OK, you know those cheap Chinese icicle lights?

Does anyone understand enough about the circuitry to have an explanation as to why the first third of a string wouldn’t work, but the rest of it does? I look at the wiring, and there seems to be a lot more than necessary (sometimes four in the strand, sometimes three, sometimes two). What’s the deal?

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on it, because I can replace them for a few bucks, but if it’s something easy, it would be worth not having to run to Tarzhay for them.