Stranger Things Season 4

An explanation of the psychological effects of what Max and Eleven are going through on "Stranger Things"

The study of moral injury asks us to remember that those who endure its unique flavor of anguish are not monsters. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of Episode 1 distressing. Owens is trying to convince El to return to Hawkins once more to join the fight against Vecna. But she looks him straight in the eye and demurs, saying, "What if I'm not good? Psychologists argue that one of the main characteristics of moral injury is a relatively normal guilt response that gets stuck in overdrive (just as PTSD is essentially the hyperfunctioning of an otherwise natural fear response). Many people feel guilty after committing a wrong for a few days or even weeks. Surely she, a victim of domestic abuse forced to witness the death of her brother at the end of Season 3, is traumatized — not morally injured. The image of the fiery cradle returns in his nightmares and is the fuel on which Vecna feeds. He has scars on his face, the result of a car accident he barely escaped. Or more simply, this season of "Stranger Things" is an extended meditation on moral injury, and one of the most psychologically fascinating pieces of recent television. Though the details of the accident are a little murky, Fred feels responsible for his classmate's death, and Vecna exploits that pain, calling Fred a "murderer" shortly before lifting him up in the air and breaking all his bones. Exploring the bomb site in the wake of the explosion, Creel sees a baby's cradle on fire and learns the horrible truth. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve (Joe Keery) and Max (Sadie Sink) have broken into Hawkins High and are rifling through the files of the school psychologist trying to figure out if there is any connection among the victims of Vecna, the season's snake-veined big bad whose favorite pasttimes include antiquing (that grandfather clock is a real find) and gruesomely mangling the bodies of children as he sucks out their souls. This startling revelation led a group of VA psychologists to argue that many were not traumatized; they were morally injured.

The world of “Stranger Things” left things on a cliffhanger. Steve is infected by the demobats from the Upside Down, and evil Vecna is alive and well.

With much still left to be solved, the second installment of Season 4 premieres in less than 24 hours. Where can I watch ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Volume 2? A guide to catching the ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Volume 2 premiere

Wondering who dies in 'Stranger Thing's season 4 on Netflix? Here's everyone who has died during the show's fourth season, including Chrissy.

By now we know the truth about what happened in Hawkins Lab all those years ago. Unfortunately, they didn't survive the battle. Hopper's escape came at the expense of a few fallen soldiers. The season kicks off with a flashback scene at the Hawkins Lab when El was there. Even the Duffers regret killing Chrissy off. Initially, Brenner notices El is still alive while the show implies she was the one who killed everyone.

That's right, season 5 will be the last season of Netflix's beloved supernatural drama as the Duffer Brothers look to tie up loose ends with a planned final ...

Ahead of the season 4 premiere, Netflix announced that Stranger Things had been renewed for a fifth season meaning that season 5 is indeed happening. If you’re watching season 4 of Stranger Things and wondering whether this is the final season, we have some good news! Wondering if this is the final season of Stranger things while binging season 4?

The Netflix powerhouse created by the Duffer Brothers is arguably the most popular show the streaming service has to offer. The nostalgia hits, intriguing ...

Netflix and the Duffers announced in Feb. 2022 that Stranger Things season 5 is in the works. Stranger Things season 5 has not yet started filming, but that isn’t any reason for concern. That said, this is just our theory, and we won’t know anything concrete until Netflix confirms the release date. Stranger Things season 4 is not the last season. Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 debuted on May 27 and fans absolutely loved the seven episodes. Volume 2 is now on the horizon, coming to Netflix this Friday, July 1.

Everyone's favorite babysitter from Hawkins could become the next sacrifice in 'Stranger Things', whether it's Season 4 Volume 2 or later.

If anything, this billboard is a reminder that although seeing the characters of Hawkins is a comfort for fans, nothing is guaranteed. However, there’s a possibility in order to raise the stakes for the series, there would have to be a shocking turn of events like this. Now, Steve could very well survive the final two episodes (and whopping 235-minute runtime), but his fate may be in doubt for the series’ last season. But if Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Zuko has taught us anything, it’s that a compelling redemption story is one of the most satisfying narrative arcs in any piece of speculative fiction. The fact that Steve has evolved into a de facto babysitter with excellent hair just makes him even more charming. In particular, there’s a literal big sign in the form of a real-life billboard.

The final two episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 are upon us, and fans are circling their wagons around Steve Harrington.

Season 1 Steve Harrington was kind of a dick, but now, even though he jokes about always having to be the babysitter, he’s done a damn good job of keeping all those kids alive! We're ready to fight for the life and hair that is Steve Harrington’s! We ride at midnight (or whatever time new Netflix content drops in your time zone)! There may not be a whole lot that the Stranger Things fanbase can do, but if Joe Keery’s character doesn’t make it out of Season 4, it won’t be for lack of effort.

Published: Jun. 30, 2022, 10:03 p.m.. Season 4 Vol. 2. From left: Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe ...

The episodes come five weeks after Volume 1 was released on May 27. The final two episodes of Season 4 are set to drop at 2 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) on Friday, July 1. The final two episodes of the season have some explaining to do.

Stranger Things season 4 part 2 debuts on Friday. Here's how you can watch the long-awaited fourth installment online and all you need to know about it.

Are you excited for Stranger Things season 4, part 2? That fanbase has since grown exponentially, resulting in it becoming one of the most popular shows of this generation. Arguably the biggest show on Netflix of all time, it premiered back in 2016 to rave reviews and it quickly established a passionate base of fans.

Both episodes are visually stunning, with truly cinematic sequences that will have you wishing Netflix released the almost two-and-a-half-hour finale in cinemas ...

Volume 2 has all the elements that made this show a phenomenon: witty dialogue, heartfelt characters dealing with growing pains, and a whole lot of '80s nostalgia. A TV show doesn't have the same narrative structure as a big-screen film, and there are many loose ends to get to. A lot has been made of the inflated episode lengths this season, though I would argue they have been justified so far, allowing for deeper and more emotional stories without the shackles of the hour-long deadline. We were told before the episodes arrived that we should be "very concerned" for these characters, and that warning is indeed founded. Nancy is being held hostage in the Upside Down, the reporter trapped in a nightmare of traumatic memories, the others trying desperately to free her. As the final two episodes progress, the Duffer brothers elegantly weave these plots together – and soon enough, everyone is heading in the same direction.

The below is a spoiler-free review of Stranger Things Season 4, Part 2, which is now streaming on Netflix. It may have initially seemed like a ...

From the deserts of California to the slime of the Upside Down, everything simply looks incredible, and sleeker than Stranger Things has ever looked – not that it was ever a slouch in the visuals department. Still, in the middle of that tension, it’ll occasionally halt its own momentum for a detour to the Russian storyline (which takes the California subplot’s place as feeling the least necessary in this installment). It might’ve felt a little more manageable if Episode 9 were split up into two episodes, instead of giving us such a packed-to-the-brim behemoth of a finale. It’s hard to talk about too much without getting into spoilers (and even though this review is running on the day the episodes debut, we’re still going to play it safe here in case you don’t have four hours to immediately jump back into the Upside Down), but we can say that it’s nice to finally see the branching-narrative style of storytelling that was established in the first part finally converge in a way that feels incredibly satisfying. While the runtimes may seem overwhelming for some (1.5 hours for Episode 8 and 2.5 hours for Episode 9, for those curious about the math), the result is that not one bit of it feels rushed. It may have initially seemed like a head-scratcher when Netflix revealed that Part 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 would consist of only two episodes, as opposed to Part 1’s seven, but that doesn’t mean the hit’s big finale is a quick watch. This is Stranger Things as its most emotional, thrilling, and yes, ambitious, a word I used a lot in my review of Part 1, but it holds true even more so for the last two episodes.

The season's final two very long episodes contain an immense melancholy in addition to the blockbuster experience.

Plucky Max (Sadie Sink) continues dealing with the trauma that’s been haunting her all season (cue “Running Up That Hill”), while Will gets the long-awaited reveal of his sexual longings— sort of. “Right out of the gate I’m superconfident but I’m also like an idiot. It doesn’t help that the show’s central characters are all spread out across America and Russia, so that we are constantly jumping between the clusters of Vecna-fighters, each engaged in their own existential battle. Would the increasingly charming Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) bite the dust, or perhaps Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), who seemed to fade into the background with every passing episode this season? This overarching darkness, combined with the endlessly frenetic pace of the season, can make the long episodes exhausting to watch. Stranger Things has always worn its love for the movies on its sleeve, with its blizzard of 80s cinematic references.

Episode 8 opens right back where season 4 episode 1 began, with a bloodied Eleven standing over the massacred children while Dr Brenner asks "What have you done ...

A powerful psychic teen known as Eleven escapes and joins forces with a crew of local nerds, Mike, Dustin and Lucas, to fight monsters like the demogorgons, the Mind Flayer, and season 4's big bad, a demon named Vecna. Episode 8 opens right back where season 4 episode 1 began, with a bloodied Eleven standing over the massacred children while Dr Brenner asks "What have you done?!" Stranger Things is back for the final showdown.

Vecna shows Nancy a glimpse aboiut what he's going to do in Hawkins and how he'll entering the city.

The entire group gets really nervous about it and is now working to stop Vecna. He tells her to tell her everything that she saw to Eleven so that she could know that Vecna is coming to wreak havoc. Steve was trying hard to bring her back and the entire group was looking for one musical hit that would save Nancy from the evil monster.