A Lot Went Upside Down In "Stranger Things 4" — Here Is Your Season Recap

Consider my mind flayed and my heart turned upside down after the emotional rollercoaster that was Stranger Things Season 4. A lot went down this season, and viewers were given major answers about the origin of Hawkins' strange happenings.

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Warning: Major spoilers ahead!

To keep your mind sharp as we await the fifth and final season, here is a recap of every single Stranger Things Season 4 episode...

In summary, Hawkins can't catch a break.

"Chapter One: The Hellfire Club"

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Despite the mind-flaying mall incident that rounded out Stranger Things Season 3, the motley crew begins this fourth installment in better spirits. The Byers family has taken up residence in California, where El is busy working on school dioramas, Will is painting, Jonathan is smoking with his new friend Argyle, and Joyce is living that WFH life as a telemarketer.

Back in Indiana, Dustin and Mike have joined Hawkins High's Dungeons & Dragons club, Hellfire, while Lucas is kicking it with the popular crowd as part of the basketball team. At first glance, it seems like the biggest turmoil this season might face is navigating the turbulence of adolescence — until the town is plagued with yet another tragedy in the form of cheerleader Chrissy's death.

While the good people of Hawkins might not know what went down, viewers are not kept in the dark. The perpetrator is a creepy, crawly Upside Down villain with far more humanistic qualities than we see in demogorgons or Mind Flayers (he talks, for starters...)

The entity preys on a tormented Chrissy and messes with her mind, ultimately leading her to a gruesome demise in Hellfire leader Eddie Munson's trailer. Eddie flees the scene, and we are left to assume this poor D&D-playing soul will inevitably become the crime scene's top suspect.

Oh, and in an ominous flashback at the opening of the episode, we're taken back to Hawkins' lab where a brutal massacre has occurred. At the center of it stands young Eleven (we're talking Eggos-era Eleven), leaving a shocked Dr. Brenner to say, "What have you done?"

What has she done? We will find out.

Other important takeaways: El is dealing with a school bully. Max is dealing with the aftermath of Billy's death by withdrawing from her friends and listening to copious amounts of Kate Bush. Distance has taken its toll on Nancy and Jonathan's relationship. Lucas' sassy sister, Erica, joins Hellfire in his place. Joyce receives a Russian doll in the mail and requests Murray's assistance to decipher a mysterious letter from a person called Enzo.

"Chapter Two: Vecna's Curse"

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In the wake of Chrissy's death, an investigation is underway, and Eddie Munson is officially a suspect. Max and Dustin begin to wonder if this could be Upside Down-related (who can blame them?) and decide the only way to know is to ask Eddie himself. They enlist the help of Steve and Robin, who are currently spending their days working at the local Family Video and comparing love life woes. Together, they embark on a quest to find Eddie.

Indeed they find him, hunkered down in an old abandoned boathouse, and plenty of signature Duffer brothers banter ensues along the way. On the other side of town, Jason, Chrissy's basketball-star boyfriend, has learned the news of his girlfriend's death and becomes hellbent on finding the murderer.

Nancy is also plagued with questions and decides to pull a Nancy Drew by starting her own investigation along with Fred, the nerdy assistant editor of the school paper.

The pair pays a visit to Eddie's uncle to question him about recent events, to which he divulges that Chrissy's missing eyes are reminiscent of crimes committed long ago by a man called Victor Creel. Creel apparently murdered his family and took their eyes, and is now residing in an asylum.

Things go awry when Fred wanders off alone and begins to experience the same strange mind games that Chrissy did before her death. He becomes the second victim — and it's clear that this new villain (deemed "Vecna" by the Hawkins kids) is set on wreaking some serious havoc.

Other important takeaways: Hopper is alive! He's being tortured by Russians, and things are not going well. Mike visits California and is reunited with El, leaving Will to feel like a third wheel. Joyce's mysterious doll included a cryptic note that hinted at Hopper's well-being. She and Murray call the phone number listed in the note and are told to go to Alaska to meet a man called Yuri. El "schmacks" (a term coined by Argyle) her bully in the nose with a roller skate.

"Chapter Three: The Monster and the Superhero"

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We open with Dr. Sam Owens being catapulted from his quiet home back into government business. It's clear why we are seeing this familiar face again later in the episode — Dr. Brenner has been able to locate Eleven after she winds up at a California police station for last episode's roller rink fiasco. Owens takes her into his custody and lays out some pretty weighty news: Hawkins is in grave danger, and he believes that El is the key to ending this madness once and for all. In the words of Owens, "This evil is like a virus. Each time it returns, it comes back stronger, smarter, and deadlier. A war is coming to Hawkins." Ominous!

So, how can Eleven be the key to defeating great evil without the power to move things with her mind? Owens says he knows a way to get her powers back, too.

In Hawkins, the posse is busy replenishing snacks for Eddie and filling him in on previous seasons' supernatural events. They try to hype him up by letting him know that, despite being a man wanted for murder, all they have to do is kill Vecna and prove his innocence. No big.

Robin and Nancy (who has now joined the Hawkins crew) dig up newspaper archives to learn more about Victor Creel. They find out that Creel claimed a demon killed his family, which means Vecna has been around for quite some time.

In the meantime, the rest of the group breaks into the school counselor's office to peruse the files of Fred and Chrissy. It appears that in addition to dealing with tragedy, both students were experiencing headaches, nosebleeds, and trouble sleeping before their death. Upon reading these symptoms, Max realizes that she, too, is experiencing these signs.

The episode closes with Max seeing the same vision of a ticking grandfather clock that appeared to Chrissy and Fred before Vecna struck.

Other important takeaways: Before El's arrest, she and Mike squabble over whether or not they are meant to be. Joyce and Murray are off to Alaska. Patrick, a Hawkins High basketball player, begins to experience Vecna-victim symptoms. Jason believes that Hellfire is a satanic cult and is still set on hunting down Eddie. The Hawkins crew finds a crack on the ceiling of Eddie's trailer where Chrissy died, deducing that it may be a gate into the Upside Down.

"Chapter Four: Dear Billy"

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With all signs pointing to Max being the next victim, "breaking Vecna's curse" has become all the more timely. Lucas, who has ditched the basketball team's hunt for Eddie, finally joins Team Hawkins and is beside himself when he learns that Max is on the path to becoming Vecna's next kill.

Meanwhile, Robin and Nancy pose as psychology students writing a thesis in order to meet with Victor Creel. They venture to the institution where he is being held, and we learn his backstory: Creel and his family moved into a large Hawkins estate many years ago and began to encounter strange things.

These things came in the form of dead animals in the front yard, spiders running rampant throughout their home, wonky lights flickering on and off, and weird visions. Creel believes a demon is living inside the house and is all but certain the place is filled with evil when his family is brutally murdered. He also notes that at the time of the attack, the radio was playing his favorite song, "Dream a Little Dream of Me."

This tidbit of knowledge comes in handy when Max decides to spend her final hours at the gravesite of her brother, Billy, and Vecna makes his move. When Lucas, Steve, and Dustin find her mid-air in a trance-like state, they follow Nancy and Robin's advice of playing her favorite song and blare Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."

Max, who is now face-to-face with Vecna in the Upside Down, begins to think of her happiest memories and makes an emotional escape from the monster's clutches to the melody of her favorite tune. It is the power of friendship and Kate Bush that have saved her. The team now knows how to ward off Vecna.

Other important takeaways: When Max is in Vecna's lair, she spots his other victims — including Barb! Joyce and Murray find Yuri, Enzo's contact, who drugs them and wants to turn them in to the Russians for money. Mike and Will have a candid conversation about the state of their friendship, and Mike apologizes for neglecting Will since his move. A stranger appears in the Byers' home with a gun, and Team Cali hits the road in Argyle's van.

"Chapter Five: The Nina Project"

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On the run from a menacing stranger with a gun, Jonathan, Will, Argyle, and Mike flee the Byers home in Arygle's pizza van. They bring a wounded government officer with them, and he uses his final breaths to let the kids know they should warn Dr. Owens that Eleven is in grave danger. He manages to say that Owens can be found through someone called Nina and gives them a pen with a mysterious phone number inside.

After a quick trip to a payphone, the kids discover that Nina is a computer system, and decide they must road trip to Utah to pay a visit to Suzie — yes, Dustybun's girlfriend.

In Hawkins, the kids have set up base in the Wheeler's basement, much to Mr. Wheeler's dismay (they keep eating all of his pancakes!). Via Max's crayon drawings of Vecna's lair, Nancy deduces that this random collection of shapes resembles the old Creel house. Good eye, Nance.

They head to the abandoned mansion, where they find a real-life grandfather clock, lots of spiders, and flickering bulbs that are similar to Joyce's Christmas lights from Season 1. It seems that Vecna's presence can be sensed through light — and the Creel house is where he is setting up camp.

Meanwhile, Eddie is still in the boathouse surviving on SpaghettiOs. Jason and his cronies come to search it, and he only narrowly escapes, taking a motorboat out on the lake. When Jason and his teammate Patrick swim out to get him, Vecna strikes, and Patrick becomes his next victim.

El and Owens arrive at a government facility where they are conducting what is known as "The Nina Project" to try and return Eleven her powers. Eleven is put through PTSD by way of reuniting with Dr. "Papa" Brenner, who forces her to go into a sensory deprivation tank to recall a series of repressed memories.

These memories take her to the Rainbow Room, the place where she and the other lab children played, and she encounters a strangely serene lab assistant who says things like "Someone’s a sleepyhead this morning." No.

El remembers snippets of the lab massacre from Episode 1, but still, we are unsure how everything connects. When she wakes, her powers have returned.

Other important takeaways: The Russians have discovered that Enzo is helping Hopper and have thrown him into a cell. Joyce and Murray are tied up in Yuri's plane but manage to free themselves. Murray utilizes his black belt skills to take out Yuri, and the pair manages to miraculously land the aircraft. Max and Lucas share a few sentimental moments together discussing the power of Kate Bush.

"Chapter Six: The Dive"

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Poor Eddie is put through the wringer again, now a suspect for Patrick's death also. Jason is convinced that Eddie is a "vessel" for the devil, but the Hawkins Police Department isn't buying it.

The Pizza Van crew heads to Utah to enlist the help of Suzie. She successfully hacks into a computer to find The Nina Project's location and saves the day once more!

On the other side of the world, the tables have turned for Joyce and Murray, as they hold Yuri hostage and force him to lead them toward Hopper and the Russians. Speaking of Hopper — he and Enzo are being fed a delicious feast so that they can fatten up and become live prey for a demogorgon. Eek!

Over at The Nina Project, Brenner tells Eleven that it's important for her not only to see her past but to "re-experience it." Thus, she's off to the races and back in the dunk tank to face new repressed traumas. She meets the lab assistant once more, and he bids her warnings about Papa and his experiments. She also recalls being bullied by one of the other kids in the lab.

In Hawkins, the crew is one step closer toward finding Vecna, as they now know he can be traced through electromagnetic energy. They find Eddie on the run once more and bring him with on their latest mission: locating a newly-opened portal to the Upside Down.

A compass leads them to the middle of the lake where Patrick died, and they indeed find an opening to the alternate dimension. They deem this portal "Watergate," and the episode wraps as Steve goes through it only to be attacked by a hoard of angry demo-bats.

Other important takeaways: Steve has clearly never seen The Lord of the Rings and misses all of Dustin and Eddie's literary references. In what is possibly the biggest plot twist yet, the parents of the kids start to wonder where their children are and if they are in danger.

"Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"

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Let's kick off with the happenings of Joyce and Murray in this chapter. Murray is posing as Yuri and has arrived to the Russian prison to deliver the "Americans" (Joyce and the real Yuri) as a means to get inside the grounds to find Hopper. This mad plan actually works, and they arrive just in time to see Hopper, Enzo, and other prisoners gearing up to face a demogorgon.

The demogorgon gladiator pit does not fare well for most of the prisoners, but Enzo and Hopper manage to escape. Finally, Hopper and Joyce reunite. For a moment, all is right in the world.

In Hawkins, police are interrogating Dustin, Lucas, and Max about why they were at the lake, now a crime scene due to Patrick's death. While the adults talk amongst themselves, the kids start to notice flickering lights throughout the Wheeler home.

As it turns out, Steve, now accompanied by Robin, Nancy, and Eddie, stands in the parallel location of the Upside Down Wheeler Home. Pretty neat, huh? The two groups discover they can communicate through lights and make great use of Holly Wheeler's Lite Brite to send messages.

Both respective parties agree to meet up at Eddie's trailer, where the Upside Down kids use that gate to return Right-Side Up. In their journey through the portal, Nancy falls behind, put in a trance by Vecna.

Over at The Nina Project, Eleven is still recovering memories. She recalls a conversation with the lab assistant in which he tells her that Papa means to kill her. He offers to help her escape, as long as she aids him in removing a device buried in his neck, and this is where things begin to go haywire.

An unwitting Eleven obliges, and we soon learn that this man is actually Henry Creel, son of Victor Creel, who was Dr. Brenner's very first patient ("Number One"). Henry was the one that murdered his own family and has since been under Brenner's watchful eye with his powers suppressed.

Now freed, viewers, along with El, learn that Henry was behind the massacre at Hawkins Lab. Past Eleven tried to stop him, throwing him against a wall with her mind, and accidentally opened a portal to an alternate dimension. Henry falls through this portal, where he becomes the creature we know as Vecna.

Other important takeaways: Do demo-bats have rabies? Asking for Robin.

"Chapter Eight: Papa"

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Present-day Eleven is finally facing the events of the past. She now knows her duel with Henry caused the first Upside Down gate to open and that he is Vecna.

Unfortunately, a colonel called Jack Sullivan believes that Eleven is behind the Hawkins tragedies and ventures out to kill her. El uses her powers to take down a helicopter carrying Sullivan's men, but Brenner is fatally wounded. With his last breath, he tells El that he is proud of her and she is his family.

The Pizza Van crew arrives just in time, since they have been tracking The Nina Project's location, and reunite with Eleven. Together, they make haste toward home.

In the Upside Down, Vecna shows Nancy a terrifying premonition of Hawkins' destruction. He lets her go, under the condition that she tells Eleven everything she has seen, and the posse now is privy to Vecna's plan.

After taking a fourth victim to create a fourth portal, Vecna will have the power to take over the world. This means that he is just one kill away from unleashing mass chaos. Set on taking him down, the Hawkins crew steals an RV and visits a store called War Zone to load up on weapons. The battle has begun!

In Russia, Joyce, Hopper, Murray, and Enzo discover that the prison has been experimenting on demogorgons. It's not a good time. They find that the prison is also home to a caged cloud of floating particles from the Upside Down.

Other important takeaways: In one emotional scene, Will shows Mike the painting that he has been working on. Dr. Owens is captured by Jack Sullivan. Steve confesses that he's dreamt of having six kids and traveling around in an RV with his future Harrington brood.

"Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"

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Prepare yourself for a condensed version of this emotional rollercoaster finale. Equipped with weapons galore, Team Hawkins has plotted out an elaborate plan to take down Vecna. It has a lot of moving parts, which we will see throughout the episode, so let's break it down:

Phase 1: Erica stands on lookout/signal duty at the playground across from the old Creel house.

Phase 2: Max pauses her Kate Bush tune long enough to encounter Vecna. She's the bait, and Lucas is with her to keep watch.

Phase 3: In the Upside Down, Eddie and Dustin distract the demo-bats.

Phase 4: Also in the Upside Down, Steve, Nancy, and Robin find Vecna and use a bunch of fiery weapons on their enemy. Flambé!

As half the bunch enters the other dimension, Steve reminds everyone to stick to the plan even if things go awry. Eddie pipes in saying that he won't divert from their mission as he is "no hero." Prepare your tissues.

Right-Side Up, Lucas and Max have a heart-to-heart. As they wait for Vecna to strike, they agree to hit up the movies on Friday! Vecna is a total mood killer and shows up shortly after, invading Max's mind.

Upon his arrival to claim Max as his fourth victim, all hell breaks loose. Jason arrives to the Creel house and beats up Lucas. Eddie and Dustin rock out to Eddie's guitar in the Upside Down and attract a hoard of demo-bats. Nancy, Steve, and Robin "flambé" Vecna as best they can. Hopper encounters a loose demogorgon in the Russian prison and battles him with a sword. It is a LOT.

Since Eddie's jams bring all of the demo-bats to the yard, Dustin makes a narrow escape, but Eddie stays behind to keep the creatures at bay. This wrongly-convicted felon, who has spent the entire season running, decides that this time he will stay put. His sacrifice costs him his life, and it's one of the most gut-wrenching scenes of the season.

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Will have created a makeshift sensory tank using salt from Argyle's pizza place. Eleven is using her powers to infiltrate Max's mind as a way to protect her friend and encounter Vecna.

In a face-off between Brenner's children, Eleven wounds Vecna, but not before he begins the process of making Max his next victim. Just as he promised, a massive portal begins to bleed into the real world, destruction ensuing. Eleven (and the flambé squad) finally render Vecna unconscious, and Max manages to escape his clutches alive, but barely.

The episode culminates by jumping ahead two days later. Hawkins believes they have survived a terrible earthquake, leaving the town to ponder yet another inexplicable tragedy. Max is hospitalized and in a coma, leaving us to ponder what state we will find her in next season.

Despite the bleak turn of events, we do get some heartfelt moments: Dustin offers Mr. Munson Eddie's guitar pick and shares that his nephew died a hero. Hopper and Eleven finally reunite. The crew is back together in Hawkins but are uncertain about what's to come since Will says that he can still feel Vecna's presence.

It seems that the war is not won quite yet...

Other important takeaways: Hopper and Joyce have a moment. Steve confesses that Nancy has always been part of his "six lil nuggets" fantasy. Robin shares a moment with her crush, Vickie.

What did you think about Stranger Things 4?