'Stranger Things' Season 4 Recap: Everything You Need to Remember Before Watching Season 5
Remember everything you forgot about the fate of Hawkins and its inhabitants.
Season 4 was Stranger Things' most ambitious and darkest yet, setting the stage for the final showdown.
If you've forgotten the latest season's complex twists and turns, this guide will help refresh your memory of the key events before the release of the fifth and final season on November 26.
A New Threat in Hawkins
In 1986, a series of mysterious deaths occurs in Hawkins. The first victim was cheerleader Chrissy, whose body was found with broken bones and missing eyes.
Suspicion fell on Eddie, the leader of the local D&D club, who became the prime suspect. However, Max, who is suffering from nightmares and headaches, just like Chrissy, and Dustin quickly realize that the murders are connected to the Upside Down.
It turns out that Vecna targets teenagers who are tormented by guilt and past trauma.
Investigation and Failure of the Rescue Mission
Nancy and Robin are investigating old murder cases linked to Vecna when Joyce receives a message from Russia. Jim Hopper is alive and being held in a camp in Kamchatka.
She and Murray set out to rescue him, but are betrayed by the smuggler Yuri. Meanwhile, in California, Eleven, who lost her powers after the events of Season 3, is being bullied at school.
Following an incident at the roller rink, Dr. Brenner takes her in and offers to restore her powers in the secret bunker known as Nina.
Vecna's Past and the Battle for Max
Eleven's memories reveal a shocking truth: Vecna is Henry Creel, Brenner's first ward. She sent him to the Upside Down, where he evolved into a powerful being.
While Eleven recovers, the Hawkins team prepares for a confrontation and Max volunteers to be bait to lure Vecna into a trap.
Although the plan is partially successful – the team wounds the monster – Vecna manages to stop Max's heart. Eleven then manages to restart it, but Max falls into a coma.
The Destruction of Hawkins and the Team's Reunion
Meanwhile, in Kamchatka, Hopper, Joyce, and Murray destroy the Demogorgons in a Soviet prison, which weakens Vecna's connection to the Upside Down.
However, this proves insufficient when four gates, opened by the monster, merge into a giant rift above Hawkins. The epilogue shows the town descending into chaos as residents evacuate en masse and the main characters finally reunite.
The ending leaves us with key questions: Will senses that Vecna is alive, yet Eleven cannot locate Max's consciousness in the darkness. This suggests that part of Max may be trapped by the monster.
