Hey! Hallie here!
I would have posted about this a few days ago but J-Hope’s birthday takes some precedent on this blog so, finally, I’m talking about all the ‘Stranger Things’ updates we got a few days ago! This series is one of my favorite television series of all time, which is surprising because I don’t like horror. But, despite my dislike of gore and being scared, ‘Stranger Things’ has always won me over with its excellent character development and carefully crafted twists. And after a few years of waiting, we now have confirmation that season 4 will be coming in just a few months! May 27th is the date we’ll receive the first part of the season, yes, first part, while the second part will come only a month later on July 1st. I’ll explain that decision and all the other things we’ve been given about season 4 below, so let’s get started!
Posters:
First let’s talk about the four posters we received for this season and which characters are present on each. This has been one of the biggest debates amongst fans since the season 4 announcements, but it’s clear enough who’s who that we can discuss this without fear of being incorrect. First up is what appears to be a high security prison is Russia. The trio bundled up in this poster is one of my favorite trios from last season. That would be Hopper, Joyce, and Murray. I really don’t know how Joyce and Murray got to Russia, but given the fact that each poster has in common the gaping holes from the Upside Down that have acted as portals in other situations, that might be a good bet. Next is the most obvious poster, which features Eleven facing away from us while standing in a hallway of the lab she grew up in. Considering the fact that she moved to California last we saw her, she’s clearly displaced as well. Our third poster has the most characters in it, and it also shows off a new location that we received a teaser trailer for a little while ago, the Creel House. I’ll get into that one more in the next section. Exploring this house is Nancy, Robin, Steve, Dustin, Erica, Max, and Lucas. As I recall none of these characters went to California, so my guess is that this is in Hawkins, but who knows. All I know is the Scoop Troop is reassembled, and given that they were my favorite part of season 3, I’m unbelievably excited. Finally, our last poster is in California, where Will and Mike have reunited while Jonathan and his new friend Argyle, played by Eduardo Franco, lead the charge. There are multiple new characters we can expect from this season, but the fact that Argyle is the only one who made it into a poster feels significant.
Teasers:
The first teaser we got for season 4 of ‘Stranger Things’ was two years ago. This teaser was a short one, showcasing a snowy railroad where armed guards were watching over the workers on the tracks. The notable part of this teaser, as most of us remember, is the moment where one of the workers takes off his hat to wipe his brow. When his arm falls away we see Hopper, head shaved but definitely alive. Did I cry? Maybe. A little. Moving on from this we got a cryptic trailer that took place in the lab, where Martin Brenner, or “Papa” as Eleven knows him by, instructs the other children he raised there. Meanwhile, Eleven sits behind her door, seemingly uneasy. The next teaser was mostly made up of clips from previous seasons, but in the few clips we did receive from season 4 footage, we saw the group in the poster above investigating the Creel House, some men holding a distressed Eleven back, and Hopper exploring an unknown location. The next teaser gave us more on the Creel House. For one, every time the Creel House is brought up we get a clearly important shot of a grandfather clock within the house. The poster above was even given to us with the words “tick tock” attached. What exactly this means, I don’t know. But I do know that the Creel House dates back to somewhere around the 30s. At that time a family of four owned the house, but given the dead animals on the lawn, the fluctuating power, and the creepy shot of the two kids lying motionlessly on the floor, I don’t think the group exploring the now dilapidated house is going to have the easiest time. Although, it is fun to see Dustin quote Sherlock Holmes to a very confused Steve.
The biggest teaser we recieved was given to us three months ago. This teaser set up the entire storyline through a note Eleven’s writing to Mike. In the letter she describes how amazing her life is in California, but it’s clear she’s being ostracized at school despite her words. Through various scenes we see that she still misses Hopper a lot, Will is now working on his art more seriously, and the both of them get rides to school from Argyle in his pizza van. Regardless of her struggles, Eleven says she’s looking forward to spending spring break with Mike. Is that how he ends up in California? Maybe! More importantly, we get a few shots in rapid succession that hints to more of the season. Eleven seems to be using her abilities to project herself into a roller rink, Joyce finds a creepy doll, Jonathan gets shot at by an unknown group of people, Murray hears something shocking in his headphones, a procession of cars with a helicopter approaches, a mysterious door appears, the pizza van spins out of control with Mike and Will inside, there’s a diner, the shot of Eleven being held back is shown again, and it all ends with even more gunshots and explosions. From all of these teasers it looks like we’ll be getting a very action-heavy season complete with a haunted house. All of that sounds amazing to me.
Why It’s Been So Long and the End of the Series:
I’ve seen a lot of fan complaints since we received all of the recent news. With ‘Stranger Things’ season 3 airing in the summer of 2019, it will have been two years since the last season aired when season 4 drops. Because of this, I’ve seen fans say that everyone’s lost interest and that they should have released season 4 in the winter of 2020 when they had initially promised it. Given that ‘Stranger Things’ started the rush for streaming services to create their own exclusive shows because of its popularity, I’d say its impact is more than many are giving it credit for. Their loyal fan base is a massive one that sells out events every Halloween. And also, don’t forget the global pandemic that put most productions on hold for nearly a year and a half. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to postpone airing the season. With that rant out of the way, I’m not at all surprised that they decided to separate the season given how long the Duffer brothers say it is. Apparently, they wanted to cover so many things in season 4 that it ended up being much longer than all their other seasons. If it’s as long as they say, it makes sense to release it in two chunks. I’m just glad that we only have a month to wait between them. We don’t know when season 5 will release at this point, but that isn’t abnormal. All we know is it’s the last season, which is what the Duffer brothers have planned for a while. And if you’re confused because some people have been spreading the rumor that it’s going to be a movie, know that the Duffer brothers have never said that. It seems like it’s going to be a season like the others. But it won’t be the last we see from this universe. Apparently the Duffer brothers think there is much more to explore with different characters. I’d be interested to see what they come up with next.
That’s all the information we have so far! I threw in some of my speculations for this series, but I honestly don’t know what to expect from this season. Some fans have been discussing character deaths, but considering that ‘Stranger Things’ has walked back every major “death” so far (I’m talking characters like Hopper and Eleven rather than one-season characters like Bob Newby and Barb), I’m not expecting any deaths among the established main cast. That could partially be wishful thinking though, because I love all of these characters and I don’t want to see them come to any harm. It’s amazing how ‘Stranger Things’ can have such a large cast and make you care so deeply about each of them. I can’t wait to return to their stories and fall in love with all of them all over again.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 