With only a few hours left until Stranger Things season five drops on Netflix, there's no better time than now to catch up on all the chaos of season four.
Last season, fans were taken on a darker, more emotional ride, with old friendships tested, new monsters emerging, and secrets from the past threatening to unravel everything.
From California to Hawkins, our heroes faced challenges. Before the next chapter begins, let’s rewind and see where things left off, how Eleven’s past came back to haunt her, and why the Upside Down still isn’t done with the gang.
Where does Stranger Things season 4 start?
Season four kicks off in 1986, during a time when the so-called "satanic panic" gripped America. Enter: our favourite Hellfire Club leader, Eddie (played by Joseph Quinn), along with new club recruits Mike and Dustin. The remaining Hawkins crew sees Eleven and Will now in California - with Joyce moving the family there after Hopper disappeared at the end of season three - and Lucas struggling to support Max, who is grieving the death of her brother, Billy.
With high school pressures mounting and Eleven struggling with the loss of her powers at the end of season three, the Upside Down, as per usual, has other plans with the introduction of a terrifying new enemy.
A terrifying new monster: Vecna
The Upside Down sends a new threat - Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower). Unlike previous monsters, Vecna targets his victims by attacking them psychologically via their traumas before striking physically. His first victim of the season is a cheerleader named Chrissy Cunningham, who is secretly dating Eddie.
Vecna's evil stretches back decades. Originally born Henry Creel, as a little boy, he gained powers similar to Eleven's that resulted in him murdering his mother and sister in 1959. With his father blamed for their deaths, Henry is taken into Dr Brenner's custody, where he goes on to become ‘One’. At Hawkins National Lab, he propositions Eleven into joining forces with him, but she refuses, resulting in a face-off. Eleven is strong enough to banish him to the Upside Down and complete his transformation into Vecna.
Fast forward to season four and Vecna is now systematically targeting the Hawkins teens, primarily Max Mayfield.
Where is Hopper in all of this?
While the group are scattered across multiple locations, with Eleven and the Byers in California and the others in Hawkins, Hopper is alive, but far from safe in a Russian labour camp. He befriends and bribes a guard, who contacts Joyce on his behalf.
Joyce, with Murray in tow, arrive in Russia at the knick of time to aid in Hopper's escape as he and other prisoners battle a Demogorgon. Discovering the prison has other creatures from the Upside Down under study, the trio kill the other creatures to weaken the Upside Down's "hive mind" and give the kids an advantage back home.
Does Eleven get her powers back?
Season four delves deeper into Eleven’s past at Hawkins Lab with a series of flashbacks revealing her connections to Dr Brenner, the experiments that shaped her powers, and how these events connect to Vecna’s rise. Determined to regain her powers, she reconnects with Dr Brenner and enters a sensory deprivation tank (codenamed Nina) designed to force her to relive and re-experience suppressed memories from her past at Hawkins Lab.
Through the Nina Project, we learn of Vecna's origins, and Eleven realises she is not a monster but a victim in all of this. She gets her powers back and enters Max's mind to confront Vecna directly in a high-stakes psychic battle.
What happens to Max at the end of Stranger Things season 4?
Max is deeply affected by her brother Billy's death, leaving her isolated and emotionally vulnerable - AKA the perfect target for Vecna. She is able to escape Vecna's mental attack by listening to the iconic Kate Bush track 'Running Up That Hill.' Needing to permanently rid Hawkins of Vecna, Max volunteers herself as bait to help defeat him, relying on the song to save her as it did the first time.
Unfortunately, the musical prowess of Kate Bush alone isn't enough. This is when Eleven enters Max's mind, reaching her in the Upside Down and saving her from Vecna's final, fatal attack. However, Max's fate is left uncertain as the close of season 4 sees her left in a coma in a hospital bed.
Stranger Things season 4ending explained
Season four ends on a chilling note. The red sky above Hawkins isn’t symbolic - it’s a physical breach. Spores, tremors, and crimson haze show the Upside Down is seeping into town. Vecna may be wounded, but he’s still calculating.
Hawkins is no longer a battleground... It’s already occupied. Season five will test whether Eleven and the Hawkins friends can save the town or become its undoing.
Stranger Things season 5 starts on Netflix on Thursday 27th November.
