SPOLIERS AHEAD!!! 

After a long wait for the new season of the hit Netflix TV show, Stranger Things, it was released in two parts for season 4. The first part was available to watch on May 27, 2022, while the second part was released on July 1, 2022. The new season, consisting of 9 episodes, was full of twists and turns that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats the whole time.  

  A difference between season 4 and the ones previous to it are that this one was much more graphic and gorier than the earlier seasons. Especially with technology these days, the special effects look very realistic and can easily scare people who are fearful during movies or TV shows. Early in the season, the new character, Chrissy, got possessed by Vecna (the main villain). Chrissy was a popular cheerleader with a troubled childhood who Vecna killed within the show’s first episode. Furthermore, his way of killing the teens is cracking the bones in their bodies and gouging out their eyes. 

Vecna is the villain the main characters (Will, Eleven, Mike, Nancy, Steve, Robin, Lucas, and Dustin) are fighting this season. Vecna was one of the test subjects in the Hawkins Lab, similar to Eleven, although he was number 001. While fighting Eleven, Vecna was sent through a gate and into the Upside Down where he transformed over time into the powerful villain he is now. In season 3, Eleven loses her powers, so throughout this season, she works with the doctors who gave her powers when she was a child to hopefully bring them back again. 

While fighting for life or death, many romances distract the show’s characters. Since Eleven moved away, her and Mike’s relationship has been a little rocky, and they have kept secrets from each other. Also impacted by the distance, Nancy and Johnathan let the decision about where to go to college come in the way of their happiness. Later in the season, we see Steve fall back in love with Nancy, but she is confused if she should stay with Johnathan or give Steve another shot. 

 All while the kids are fighting the bad guys in Hawkins, Joyce (Will and Johnathan’s mom) and Murray travel to Russia in pursuit of a rescue mission to bring Hopper back home. Joyce received a mysterious message that he was still alive, and it turned out that it was right, and he was being held in a Russian prison camp. After a dangerous escape that led to many deaths of monsters and Russian soldiers, they all escaped and reunited with their family and friends back in Hawkins. 

Junior Luka Vai said,” I thought the season was great and my favorite by far. The soundtrack was awesome, and the character development kept me on the edge of my seat!” 

In the earlier seasons, Max Mayfield was a side character and did not receive much attention. However, Max becomes one of Vecna’s victims due to her troubled past. Vecna preys on teens with a haunting past and takes them into the Upside Down, where he later puts their dead bodies on display. In the last episode, Max got put into a coma with her eyes blinded from barely escaping Vecna. Max died for a full minute, but Eleven used her powers to bring her back to life; however she was still in a coma.  

Season 4 of Stranger Things ends with Vecna not fully dying and coming back to fight one more battle with the kids from Hawkins, which we will see next season. Fan favorite characters die, an earthquake destroys Hawkins, relationships are brought together, Hopper returns home, and another battle seems to be coming.  

This season was one of the best so far because the plot twists, character development, and many mysteries keep viewers in suspense to see what happens next. Although the following season, Season 5, will be the last one, fans know the show will wrap up the Upside Down and the real world in an unforgettable way.