Stranger Things Season 4 Finale: Thanks, I Hate It

The Stranger Things season 4 finale is here and we are not entirely sure how we feel about it. We loved it but we’re also extremely depressed.

I am going to say this now and say this only once. THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD. THERE ARE ALL OF THE SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE SPOILERS AND YOU KEEP READING, THEN THAT’S A BAD DECISION ON YOUR PART. The Stranger Things season 4 finale happened and I need to talk about it for my own peace of mind. I haven’t had this many feelings toward a show since the Supernatural finale. There was good, bad and ugly and I need to get these feelings out. So, let’s talk about it.

For the last two episodes of Stranger Things season 4, we find ourselves head-to-head with Vecna/001/Henry. The A-team in Hawkins have decided the only thing they can do it to take down the monster, so they make a plan to use Max as bait, much to Lucas’s dismay, to lure him to his hidey hole in the Upside Down. Once Vecna is in his trance state in Max’s mind, Steve, Robin and Nancy will attack Vecna’s body while Dustin and Eddie will lure the demobats away from the house. Lucas and Erica will watch Max’s body to keep her from getting twisted like a pretzel. Sounds like a great plan, right?

Meanwhile, El is in that bunker with Dr. Owens and Dr. Brenner. El is able to see her friends are in trouble in Hawkins and Dr. Owens supports her choice to go back to Hawkins to help. Dr. Brenner is shady as always and betrays Dr. Owens by locking him in a room and sedating El. Unfortunately, the military finds the bunker and attacks. Dr. Owens is found and Dr. Brenner is killed while trying to get Eleven out. Just in time, our pizza boys arrive to snag our girl and carry her off to safety, but not before she takes out a whole helicopter.

In Russia, Yuri is being a pain as always. They find an active bundle of particles in the prison which means there’s a gate open in Hawkins. They know the kids are in trouble so they break BACK into the prison they just broke out of. It turns out it’s a lot easier since the Demogorgon and some demodogs have taken everyone out. Our soviet stuck crew wants to take out the shadow particles to help the kids back in Hawkins.

The plan goes off mostly without a hitch, at first. Until Chrissy’s redneck boyfriend shows up and tries to beat Lucas to a pulp and breaks Max’s Walkman and her only way back to her body on her own (don’t worry, he got cut in half, so it’s fine). Eleven hijacks a pizza kitchen freezer and tries to get Max long distance. Eddie and Dustin are successful in distracting the demobats with one of the greatest rock solos of all time. However, the demobats are more persistent than they anticipated and Eddie goes out like a hero, saving Dustin and the rest of the gang. It’s DEVASTATING. I cried SO much.

Max starts getting her bits broken by Vecna until El yeets him off the floating rock. At the same time, the crew starts throwing Molotovs at his body in the house and Nancy goes Tank Girl and shoots Vecna with a sawed-off shotgun. Then Max dies, the fourth gate is opened and a literal gate to hell opens up in Hawkins. El “saves” Max but Vecna is still alive. Hopper makes it home just in time to hug El before Vecna rears his ugly head again. AND SCENE.

I’m out of breath just from typing that. Holy crap, what a finale. The first thing I need to talk about is Eddie. There were only 3 characters in this entire show that I NEEDED to live: Hopper (he’s such a daddy), Steve (he’s a mommy) and Eddie Munson. Eddie is the bard and the character with so much development shoved into one season. I was devastated by his death. When he stood on top of the RV and ripped “Master of Puppets” on his guitar, I literally cheered. It was an incredible scene. The fact that Eddie died saving a town that STILL thinks he’s a murderer is infuriating. I know that Eddie was based on Damian Echols and his character is very well done. I reject this ending for Eddie and demand that it be redone. I will await the new episode.

Another thing that shocked me was Max. Even though Eleven brought Max back to life, when El went into her mind, there was nothing there, just darkness. Max’s body may be alive, but I don’t know if she will actually be back. Maybe they will find her in the Upside Down, but in my head, Max is gone. Her death scene was so intense and Sadie Sink did an incredible job. All of those kids can act their butts off.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a Game of Thrones finale situation. The last episode of Stranger Things season 4 was incredible. I cried and gasped and bit at my nails. It was the length of a feature film and I was shocked and amazed at every turn. Eddie went out a hero (although I still await the remade episode where he graduates, thank you) and it shows that no one is safe.

I cannot wait for the final season of Stranger Things. The final showdown with Vecna is going to be brutal and I truly don’t know what to expect. We can hope for a happy ending for the gang in Hawkins, but maybe don’t get your hopes up too high.

What did you think of the Stranger Things season 4 finale? Let us know in the comments!