Stranger Things Season Four Spoilers
Within the world of Netflix’s Stranger Things, there has always been a myriad of inspirations, but one of the instantly identifiable ones is the work of horror icon Stephen King. Many comparisons have been made between It and Stranger Things, especially since they share a setting and cast members. This season, Jane/Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) channels two of King’s female characters, Charlie from Firestarter and Carrie.
We’ve seen elements of Firestarter in Stranger Things before—a young girl made the victim of government experiments with a side of emotional trauma, daddy issues, and a lot of screaming. Charlie, in the novel, is a strong willed character who, despite her age, fights back against the government that wants to use her as a weapon. Eleven has gone through that journey, being raised in an institution before escaping with her psychic abilities. We now see her returning, semi-willingly, in order to get the power she lost at the end of the previous season.
Overwhelmingly, I usually find stories about depowered women exhausting. Yet, I found myself being compelled by the character journey we got for Eleven though it. She is someone who struggles with being a hero/villain and feeling like she must fit into that binary. In many ways, she goes on this journey not just to get her power back, but to get a better understanding of who she is—especially since she has always been used as a tool. Now, her powers can be a weapon she hones for herself.
The Carrie element comes earlier, when she is getting bullied by Angela. It may not have been burning down a theater, but when Eleven hit Angela in the face, I said, “Oh shit,” out loud. After so many seasons of seeing Eleven being this powerful figure, the way her lack of powers also creates this incomplete version of herself is staggering. We have seen power in women portrayed as a corrupting force in fiction—that it can make them “crazy”—but for Eleven, her powers were a part of herself. Without them, she lacks the sole ability she once had to protect herself.
In fact, if Eleven had her powers, I’m sure she likely wouldn’t have hit Angela because she would have pranked her a long time ago. Just like Carrie, she is sheltered, out of touch, and not being nurtured. My biggest fear with Eleven was that the series might end in her death—that her powers, her strength, will be turned into something darker. Yet, by exploring her past, we see that Eleven may not be perfect, and she may have some righteous anger, but she is no villain.
And that is a great story to watch as it makes its way toward its conclusion in the series’ fifth season.
(featured image: Universal/Netflix)
