The newest season of Stranger Things looks to be the strangest and darkest yet.
Have you been California Dreamin' of when it will drop?
Curious if David Harbour will be returning as Hopper?
Watch this before you see Stranger Things season 4 part 1.
The release
Unlike previous seasons of "Stranger Things," Season 4 of the show's release pattern will
work a little differently.
Instead of releasing it all at once, Season 4 will be released in two separate parts.
Part 1 will release on May 27, while Part 2 will release just five weeks later on July
1.
That release strategy seems poised to ensure that "Stranger Things" will once again be
an event viewing of the summer, similar to how Season 3 was when it came out in 2019.
According to the Duffer Brothers, the main reason behind this method of release is that
Season 4 will be much, much longer than previous seasons of the show.
The cast
Unsurprisingly, most of the cast that appeared in the first three seasons of "Stranger Things"
will once again be making their return for Season 4.
Intriguingly, some of the returning actors include characters that seemed to meet their
ends in previous seasons.
David Harbour is returning as Jim Hopper after seemingly dying in the Season 3 finale and
he won't be the only character returning after an uncertain fate, either.
After his apparent demise in Season 1, Matthew Modine's Martin Brenner is also making his
return to "Stranger Things," though it's unclear in what capacity.
The new characters
As with every new season, "Stranger Things" Season 4 will feature some fresh faces.
Myles Truitt is joining the cast as Patrick, a Hawkins basketball player.
Amybeth McNulty will appear as Vickie.
Regina Ting Chen will play the role of guidance counselor Ms. Kelly.
Grace Van Dien also joins the dynamite cast as Hawkins High cheerleader Chrissy.
And, as announced in November 2020 on Instagram, Robert Englund, who infamously played Freddy
Krueger, will join the cast as Victor Creel.
Needless to say, a lot of new talent is joining the latest season of "Stranger Things," and
we can't wait to see them all shine on the screen.
What's happening?
Until the first batch of Season 4 episodes arrive, events and storylines remain up for
debate.
That said, the official synopsis has been unveiled by Netflix, and audiences are in
for a real treat.
According to Netflix,
"It's been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction
to Hawkins.
Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time — and
navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier.
In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a
gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down."
As more seasoned audience members can probably recall, high school comes with its own batch
of trials and tribulations, so it'll be interesting to see how the characters handle life in the
big leagues while dealing with the madness of the Upside Down.
Season 3 ended with what looked like Hopper and Billy's deaths.
These events led to Joyce, Will, Jonathan, and Eleven packing their bags and leaving
behind the tainted memories of Hawkins.
Eleven also seems to have lost her powers, to boot.
What will unfold remains anyone's guess, but if the synopsis is any indication, fans will
be in store for a wild ride in another horror-like setting.
What's not to love about that?
"Look like a million bucks."
"Yeah."
"And you're gonna slay em dead."
"Like a lion."
A darker vibe
In an interview on the podcast "Present Company With Krista Smith," the Duffer brothers hinted
at a darker "horror movie" vibe for Season 4 -– if that were even possible given the
events of Season 3.
Ross Duffer explained how the series had evolved over the previous seasons, stating,
"When we pitched it to Netflix all those years ago, we pitched it as the kids are ... 'The
Goonies' in 'E.T.'
That's their storyline."
That depiction was initially in contrast to the atmosphere that older characters encountered.
Ross continued,
"The adults are in 'Jaws' and 'Close Encounters' and then the teens are in 'Nightmare on Elm
Street' or 'Halloween.'
But, this year, we don't have the kids.
We can't do 'The Goonies' anymore.
And so, suddenly, we're leaning much harder into that horror movie territory that we love."
Now that the kids are grown up — at least in real life, that is — gravitating towards
the horror elements of the series sounds like a delightfully sinister idea.
Not kids anymore
Creating a TV series, especially one revolving around child actors, isn't easy.
That really rings true when the show isn't only intended for younger audiences.
Not only did this factor make it difficult to get "Stranger Things" greenlit, but it
also meant that the child actors at the center of their story would inevitably age out of
their roles.
This aspect can, at times, be painfully obvious.
Suffice it to say, the children actors on "Stranger Things" are no longer kids.
In a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creators Matt and Ross Duffer were asked if
the kids' aging put pressure on them to work at a certain pace.
Ross said,
"It's better to adjust the narrative to fit the ages than to try to rush the process."
Matt added that,
"Even if I had the choice to freeze them in time, I wouldn't.
We don't want to be repeating ourselves.
This show is going to naturally evolve and feel different year to year, and that to me
is a good thing."
Hopper's alive?
Jim Hopper is a complicated character who quickly became a fan favorite in Season 1.
He's the hero of the town and, in a way, a father figure to not just the children of
the series but the townspeople as well.
However, if the Season 3 finale is any indication, the fictional town won't have its rock for
the foreseeable future as he appeared to have met his demise.
Luckily, appearances can be deceiving, as Hopper has already been shown in a trailer
for the upcoming season -– alive, with a shaved head, and in Russia.
If Hopper has a pulse, he's likely going to cause some damage to the bad guys at some
point, despite being imprisoned in Russia.
What about Billy?
Billy was in pretty bad shape at the end of Season 3.
Not only did the Mind Flayer control him all season, but he went head to head with the
Upside Down creature and lost.
In a tragic scene, his sister Max witnesses his demise.
However, in a genuinely heroic turn of events, Billy, who had been a villain ever since his
introduction to the series, switches teams and saves Eleven.
Many viewers rightfully hope he's still alive as he brings bravado, not to mention a truly
amazing mullet, to the screen -– but getting stabbed multiple times by a creature as lethal
as the Mind Flayer is likely fatal.
It wouldn't be out of the question for the Russians to have taken him, but that's based
purely on speculation.
Fan theories and leaps of faith aside, viewers will have to wait for the fourth season to
arrive to find out if Billy really is dead — although we're not holding our breath.
"You are so dead, Sinclair!
You're dead."
"No, you are."
Scattered in different locations
As audience members have come to know and love, "Stranger Things" tends to split its
cast up, with each group trying to solve its own mystery — although they often eventually
meet up in an epic finale.
As for Season 4, the characters will be scattered across four different locations.
Netflix has already announced the characters will have to face the events of Season 4 apart
from each other as our heroes will find themselves in Russia, the Creel house, the lab, and California.
It remains to be seen what each group of characters will face, but fans can be sure that each
location will have its share of dark and deadly challenges.
Given that the characters are spread out all across the globe, it'll be interesting to
see how exactly they all meet up in the end.
Teasers and trailers
For "Stranger Things" fans who are having a tough time waiting for May 27 to arrive,
there are a few glimpses at what the next season of the show will hold.
One teaser trailer focuses mainly on Eleven and her adjustment to a new life in California.
It is narrated by Eleven in the form of a letter to Mike Wheeler, though the text of
the letter is far more hopeful and positive than what the audience is shown.
Meanwhile, In a teaser trailer titled "Eleven, are you listening?"
a man who appears to be Dr. Martin Brenner, aka Papa, walks through a hallway and speaks
to a group of children who presumably have powers similar to Eleven.
"Good morning children."
"Good morning papa."
"How are you today?"
"Good, papa."
"Good."
The camera eventually makes its way to a door with "11" on it and Papa asks, "Eleven, are
you listening?"
A spooked Eleven opens her eyes.
It remains to be seen if this is a flashback featuring previously unreleased information
or if the doctor is up to his old tricks in the present day.
Another sneak peek trailer released in the summer of 2021 shows a series of seemingly
random events from previous seasons of "Stranger Things" intercut with clips from Season 4.
There's also a trailer titled "Creel House," which features a happy family moving into
a house before unexplainable supernatural events begin to terrorize the family.
Flash forward to the present, where we see some of the mainstay characters of "Stranger
Things" enter a beaten up and abandoned house looking for mysterious clues which may lead
them to the Upside Down.
Episode names
Though Season 4 will be split into two parts, Netflix was kind enough to reveal all nine
episode titles for the upcoming season in the "Title Tease" trailer.
They are "The Hellfire Club," "Vecna's Curse," The Monster and the Superhero," "Dear Billy,"
"The Nina Project," "The Dive," "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab," "Papa," and "The Piggyback."
Despite all the titles being intriguing, it's interesting that episode 4 is titled "Dear
Billy" since he's presumed dead.
That said, it's not out of the question for some flashback scenes of Billy to occur, though
that's based on speculation.
Of course, "Papa" is the name of the doctor who raised Eleven, and viewers were already
gifted with a teaser trailer featuring the mad scientist.
As for what the rest of the episode titles might refer to, fans are already combing through
the show for clues.
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
The final season?
There's good and bad news here.
First and foremost, no — this isn't the last season of "Stranger Things."
However, Season 5 is scheduled to conclude the Upside Down saga.
In a 2022 interview with Screen Rant, Shawn Levy gave his reasons for the show's inevitable
ending.
"We wanted to only tell as much story as the brothers saw and feel with clarity.
It's been clear for a while that they know exactly where we're headed and this is the
arc.
We wouldn't want to stick around for one moment beyond that vision and the clarity of that
voice."
It's not easy saying bye to this uber-popular series, but characters like Eleven, Hopper,
and the rest of the "Stranger Things" family deserve a happy ending.
They have, by all standards, been through an awful lot.
With that said, the Duffer brothers teased other stories to tell in the "Stranger Things"
universe in an open letter to fans shared by Netflix.
Perhaps spin-offs or films will be on the horizon?
The Duffer brothers speak
As mentioned in the Duffer brothers' letter shared by Netflix, they might be ending this
series after five seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean the franchise is coming to
an end.
If anything, it sounds like this is just the beginning, although repeating the success,
creativity, and intrigue of the inaugural series will take some magic.
The letter said in part:
"There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of 'Stranger Things;'
new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes, but first we hope you stay with us
as we finish this tale of a powerful girl named Eleven and her brave friends, of a broken
police chief and a ferocious mom, of a small town called Hawkins and an alternate dimension
known only as the Upside Down.
As always, we are grateful for your patience and support."
Season 4 isn't the end, and if this letter is an indicator, perhaps other stories in
this universe will eventually make their way to the masses.
Volume One will hit Netflix on May 27, and Volume Two will be released shortly after
on July 1.
Season 4 is almost upon us, and we can't wait to see what's in store.
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