Things are not going well in Hawkins, Indiana. The kids of Netflix’s Stranger Things have a horrific big bad after them, and with the new trailer season 4’s big part 2 finale, we get to see just what kind of hold Vecna has over our favorite group of friends. Let’s break down what’s going on here, because it’s a lot.
We left off with Nancy being stuck in the Upside Down and being held hostage by Vecna and her guilt for what happened with Barb, and the new trailer gives us a bit of a look into where we can be going—and what Eleven is up to.
So what we learned is that everyone should run?
Eleven wants to help
In the first part of season 4, Eleven was stuck training with Papa, even if she didn’t want to be. She tried to live a quiet life with the Byerses in California, but that didn’t really work out for her (especially after she smacked a girl in the face with a skate). But we can’t end the season with Eleven nowhere near Hawkins or her friends, right? The trailer makes it seem as if she is telling Papa she is going to help Max and everyone back at home, even if he tells her she can’t.
But to his horrible credit, it doesn’t seem as if Papa is telling her no because of whatever messed up experiments he does on the kids. He seems to want to make her strong enough to take on Vecna once and for all, without losing her powers again in the process.
Save Eddie
The standout for season 4 is obviously Eddie Munson. Everyone’s favorite super senior has taken over our hearts, and that obviously means we are worried about his survival, mainly because the idea of a world without Eddie just feels a bit too dark. Eddie’s storyline has been one of the screwup. He’s constantly having to prove himself to everyone around him because they have a preconceived notion of who he is. So, the logical thinking might lead to Eddie sacrificing himself to Vecna in order to save the other kids in Hawkins, and to that I say: absolutely not. Find some other way.
Max’s journey
This season thus far has been a lot about Max trying to cope with loss in a beautiful exploration of grief and pain. But it also means she is a perfect target for Vecna and someone he keeps coming back to. Now that she has sort of figured out how to go about defeating him, the trailer gives us a feeling that she might not be down with Vecna’s emotional torment. She seems stronger in the trailer, a girl defending her own and actually working through her pain, but also, that doesn’t mean that Vecna is done with her yet.
Whats happening with Steve and Nancy?
What we really see in this trailer is more longing looks and Steve seemingly jumping in to save Nancy from the Upside Down, and it all just makes my Steve and Nancy-shipping heart so happy. Could this be their return to each other, or is my worst fear going to happen and Steve is going to die? Frankly, if he died, I might march down to Netflix myself because Steve Harrington deserves to be happy, too. But alas. Until we know more, this trailer at least gives me hope for Nancy and Steve.
From Russia, with love …
Hopper, Joyce, and Murray are all stuck in Russia together since Joyce and Murray’s failed rescue attempt royally backfired. But what the trailer is showing us is some hot Jim Hopper trying his best to get home to Hawkins alive, even if, for a brief moment, he thought it was his time to finally go. What I hope this means is that we might actually get to see Joyce and Hopper talk about their very clear feelings for each other and unpack what the rest of us have been seeing since season 1.
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For now, we just have to sit and wait until we have more of Stranger Things 4 and July 1st cannot come soon enough!
(featured image: Netflix)
