Stranger Things 4 Volume Two Has Arrived….And It Is Just As Awesome And Tragic As Predicted

Season 4 is the best Stranger Things season of all time. After watching the harrowing, thrilling, scary, emotional, whatever else anyone wants to call it, season, I no longer have any doubts as to Season 4’s supremacy. (MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW)

Okay, let’s calm down a moment and discuss Volume 2’s first episode: Papa. It was really the “get everyone to the place they need to be” episode, but it did its job wonderfully.

The four major moments of that episode were the NINA lab being stormed by the FBI and Dr. Brenner’s death, Eleven learning how to enter Max’s mind with Vecna already in it, Joyce, Hopper, and Murray preparing to fight the Demogorgon monster in Russia, and Eddie, Steve, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica, Nancy, and Robin all gearing up and entering the Upside Down.

Everything about this episode was great as it added a ton of tension and emotional investment to the final episode.

The best moment for me had to be the lab being stormed, plus Dr. Brenner’s untimely (well, not really) death. I really thought the guy was heading down a redemption arc, like Steve, and was finally going to do right by Eleven. But, no, Brenner went back to his old child-kidnaping tricks when Eleven tried to leave to save Hawkins.

Thankfully, he was able to save her from being murdered by the FBI as the lab was stormed, but it still does not excuse all of the horrible stuff he’s done. Eleven was justified to not give him the closure he wanted as he laid dying in the sands of Nevada. Anyway, enough about Dr. Brenner. Everybody and their grandmother could have predicted he was going to die.

You are probably wondering who else got their eyeballs blown out from their heads in the final episode? Well, nobody in Vecna’s preferred eyeball-bursting manner of murder. But sadly, Eddie and Max were the unfortunate victims in the final episode. (Sort of, you’ll see more below)

But before I talk about their deaths, I have to start off by praising the episode itself. The Piggyback, the episode’s title, is probably the greatest Stranger Things episode ever produced. The acting, set design, cinematography, music, and practically everything else was on par (if not better) than blockbuster Hollywood movies.

Especially the acting. This cast is probably the greatest collection of actors and actress on television right now. Each one of their performances truly bring their, respective, characters to life, which makes you feel just as scared, happy, sad, nervous, angry, and emotional as the characters themselves.

Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) and Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield) were especially terrific in Volume 2. (Again, you’ll see why below)

Alright, back to the story. I’ll start off with Eddie and how he died.

He got the hero’s death he more than deserved, fighting off hordes of Demobats to buy time for Nancy, Robin, and Steve to vanquish Vecna. What makes his death even more noble was the fact that he could have easily of abandoned the trio and saved himself but choose to stay and fight.

Eddie Munson may be wrongfully remembered as a murderous coward by Hawkins, but we know the truth. It’s a shame that he had to die in this season, but his character arc was heading there all along.

Anyway, on to Max’s death. This one is probably the saddest moment in all of Stranger Things. At first, Max willingly puts herself at risk of Vecna’s mind warping in order to lure him into a trap set by Nancy, Steve, and Robin. Obviously, the plan goes awry almost immediately as Vecna already knows the gang’s plan.

First, he has his tentacle hivemind inside the Creel house capture and kill (or try to kill as they don’t succeed) Steve, Nancy, and Robin before they can reach him while he is in Max’s mind. Then he easily captures Max and is about to kill her when….Eleven appears.

But she isn’t able to help either. Vecna eventually defeats Eleven and resumes his murder ritual on Max. Luckily, Eleven is able to overpower Vecna, with Mike’s loving encouragement (he’s sitting beside her as she is in a sensory deprivation tub), and holds Vecna off long enough for Steve, Nancy, and Robin to burn and shoot Vecna in the Upside Down, and out of Max’s mind.

Sadly, the damage of Vecna’s sacrificial killing method breaks Max’s limbs and blinds her. As Lucas cradles Max in his arms, she confesses how she doesn’t want to die and how she’s afraid. Despite Lucas’ frantic attempts to calm her down and keep her alive, she dies in his arms.

This is what I was talking about when I mentioned Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink’s great acting. These two gave the performance of their lives with that scene. I don’t see how Sadie Sink doesn’t get nominated for an Emmy with her performance this season. Everything Max was involved in was fantastic, and easily the best parts of the show.

And for Caleb McLaughlin, I’m glad he is getting the recognition he deserves. In past season, he was definitely overlooked as a great actor. This year shows why he should be considered as one.

As for Max, her death brings about Vecna’s grand plan. The twist of the episode was the Vecna was the one who created the Upside Down, not morphed by it as previously thought. He used the deaths of Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, and Max as gateways for him to merge the Upside Down into the real world. With the four victim-gates created, a massive earthquake/gate is formed right in the center of Hawkins, unleashing the Upside Down on Hawkins.

But that’s not all as Max doesn’t actually die. Eleven, who is still in her mind, is somehow able to restart Max’s heart, which revives her and puts her in a coma. (Too bad she couldn’t have done that before the gates opened and converged.)

I’m not too sure what to think about Max’s death/coma. I like that we’ll see her in the next season, but in what capacity? It seems Vecna crippled her and blinded her for life. I’m not sure how she will be able to fully recover from that.

Plus, she was dead for about a minute. How has that affected her brain capacity? Eleven wasn’t able to see her when she reentered her mind later, so I’m guessing quite a bit.

I fear Eleven has saved Max from death, but burdened her with a life of misery, suffering, and depression. (Aka: think Victor Creel).

Okay, wrapping up. The episode ends with Joyce, Murray, and Hopper returning from Russia, Will, Jonathan, Argyle, Mike, and Elven returning from Nevada, and them all converging and reuniting at Hawkins. The final shot of the episode is of Vecna’s gate spreading further into Hawkins, turning the real world into the Upside Down.

Like I said, this season was unbelievable. It had the action, tension, and horror from the classic Stranger Things seasons, while also having the friendship, romance, redemption, passion, and heart of a fantastic story. My sole criticism would be that Hopper, Joyce, and Murray’s journey felt a little bit like filler.

Don’t get me wrong, it was still awesome to watch (especially Hopper’s sword fight versus the Demogorgon). But, going to Russia and back always felt like a “bridge to far” for the show to pull off successfully, and it ended up turning out that way. It’s still nice to see Hopper for the next season, though.

So, what would I give Season 4 of Strangers Things? A 10/10. Yes, a 10/10. It definitely has to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series for its eligible Emmy year, along with Sadie Sink for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

I’m super excited for Season 5, and a little sad that it will be the show’s final one.

Images Source:  Featured Image: (Netflix) (Stranger Things Season 4: The Piggyback)

In Text Image 1: (Netflix) (Stranger Things Season 4: The Piggyback)

In Text Image 2: (Netflix) (Stranger Things Season 4: The Piggyback)