What The "Stranger Things 4" Volume 2 Ending Means For The Future of The Series
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*Spoilers for Stranger Things 4 below!*
Just when we thought the Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 ending was intense, the final two movie-length episodes that made up Vol. 2 have proven that the havoc in Hawkins is far from over. We saw the teens plotting to take down Vecna (Henry? One? Like Robin, we dally know what to call this season's chilling villain anymore) once and for all at the Creel House. Joyce and Murray bring Hopper back to the states after being imprisoned in Russia. — and Eleven ties to teleport into Max's thoughts to save her from Vecna's curse. There is so much to unpack from the intense season 4 finale. Plus, there's all the drama that ensued between the government and Dr. Brenner's experimental lab.
Without further ado, let's break down everything that happened in Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 and what it means for the final season of the Duffer Brothers' sci-fi love letter to the 1980s.
Steve, Robin, Nancy, Eddie, Max, Dustin, Lucas, and Erica team up for an epic battle at the Creel House and in the Upside Down
That's right. Our Hawkins heroes have created a solid plan to battle Vecna simultaneously in the Creel House and the Upside Down. Lucas watches Max's physical body as she takes on Vecna in her mind while Erica is on standby to let the elder teens know when to move to the next phase of the plan. Steve, Robin, and Nancy head into the Upside Down to attack Vecna's physical form with gasoline and fire as he tries to curse Max.
Meanwhile, Dustin and Eddie are also in the Upside Down to create a diversion for the demobats to lure them away from Vecna's side. Eddie uses his killer guitar skills to play Metallica's "Master of Puppets" (and proceeds to shred a major solo and create one of the greatest Stranger Things moments of all time).
Although the crew started strong, their plans have been soiled due to numerous factors, like the Hawkins High jocks beating up Lucas and Erica; Robin, Steve, and Nancy being trapped by Vecna's vines in the Upside Down; and Eddie, unfortunately, meets his demise after fighting the demobats, while leaving Dustin behind in Hawkins (RIP to our forever crush 😞).
Eventually, Steve, Robin, and Nancy are freed from the vines and they attack Vecna by setting him on fire (Alexa, play "Watch" by Billie Eilish). They then push his physical body out a window and realize he's disappeared when they hear the four chimes of the grandfather clock, that represent each of Vecna's victims and the portals to the Upside Down that he has plans of opening.
Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle pick up Eleven from Dr. Brenner's secluded lab and she "piggybacks" into Max's mind to fight Vecna
After driving cross-country to rescue Eleven, the California crew finally finds El in the middle of the desert as she uses her powers to get rid of government officials who were out to kill her. They successfully shot Dr. Brenner before El used her powers to make the government helicopters crash.
The crew then decides to make their way back to Hawkins to save their friends before El realizes she can "piggyback" into Max's mind as she did with her mother in season 3 to help her battle Vecna. Naturally, she needs a tank and salt water to mentally transport to Max's mind, so Argyle drives the crew out to a nearby Surfer Boy Pizza to get the job done. Then, the beginning of the end commences.
Once El makes it into Max's consciousness, she tries to get her attention as she walks through positive memories, like the Snow Ball where Max and Lucas shared their first kiss. Max attempts to hide from Vecna in these memories, but it doesn't work as he infiltrates them and makes them scarier. El then battles Vecna for a bit to put him in his place.
Before she left Dr. Brenner's lab, Eleven was told that she wasn't ready to take down Vecna. When she confronts the villain in Max's mind, he echoes that sentiment and lets her know that she and her friends will lose the battle. Unfortunately, he was right as he almost kills Max, who ends up partially blind with broken limbs. At the end of the season, she is comatose in a hospital bed.
It's also revealed that Vecna was behind all the madness the Hawkins kids have endured in previous seasons (yep, that includes the Demogorgons, the Mindflayer, and everything that went down at Starcourt).
Hopper, Joyce, Murray, and Dmitri fight Demogogons before escaping the Russian prison
After Joyce and Murray successfully rescue Hopper from the Russian prison and are beginning to find their way out, they discover that the Russians have been doing some shady stuff with multiple Demogorgons in glass jars. They also find wounded soldiers with a black shadow through their mouths, which could potentially be the Mindflayer in action.
The Demogorgon that Hopper and Dmitri were planning to fight also escaped and started attacking other prisoners and guards. Although they had already left the prison, Hopper, Joyce, and Murray make their way back to take down the Demogorgons in an epic medieval-style battle with swords and all. While they do this, Yuri attempts to fix up an old helicopter in his compound under Dmitri's watch. After the battle, they head back to the U.S. with Yuri's improved aircraft.
The kids and adults reunite in Hawkins
Following the events at the Creel House and in the Upside Down, the kids see each other for the first time and embrace. They then pay a visit to Max, who's in a coma at the hospital, where Lucas and Erica have been keeping her company.
With the four portals to the Upside Down having caused a massive earthquake, Steve, Robin, and Dustin head to Hawkins High to help the townspeople stay safe in the gym, which is being used as an evacuation center. Dustin shares an emotional heart-to-heart with Eddie's uncle, who still believes his nephew is missing. Simultaneously, Robin patches things up with her crush, Vickie, as they make sandwiches for Hawkins' citizens.
Meanwhile, El, Mike, Jonathan, Will, and Nancy are fixing up Hopper's old cabin for El to hide in when Hopper and Joyce return. They all have an emotional reunion before realizing that the darkness is still out there, which means their war with Vecna and the Upside Down is far from over.
Want to know more about Stranger Things 4, including exclusive cast interviews and fan theories? Stay tuned to Seventeen Watch Club for the latest on the series.
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