The build-up to the Stranger Things season 4 finale was understandably intense. This is the result of Netflix splitting the season into two parts, ramping up the production budget, and extending the anticipation with teasers for the epic conclusion.
The two episodes that makeup Stranger Things season 4, volume 2, were expected to deliver a lot. Fortunately, for fans, these nearly four hours of television largely hit the mark. As expected from Stranger Things conclusion. What sets this one apart is that it leaves some loose ends to address.
The Piggyback wraps up season 4 but sets the stage for the showdown (Photo: Stranger Things Season 1/Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment)With one more season left, “The Piggyback” sets up the final act of the series while wrapping up this particular chapter. finales, season 4 episode 9, titled “The Piggyback,” offers a cathartic and action-packed conclusion. What sets this one apart is that it leaves some loose ends to address.
With one more season left, “The Piggyback” sets up the final act of the series while wrapping up this particular chapter.
What Was Will’s Painting?
Before discussing the main points of the Stranger Things season 4 finale, there’s an important moment in episode 8 involving Will’s painting that deserves attention. Will (Noah Schnapp) had been working on a painting that he intended to show Mike (Finn Wolfhard).
We know that Will has been grappling with his feelings for Mike and his own identity as a gay teenager. Naturally, fans assumed that the painting would reflect his feelings for his best friend. However, the painting’s meaning is more subtle than expected.
Will presents the painting to Mike early in episode 8, and it’s a beautiful piece. It depicts their D&D group as knights trying to slay a dragon. Beneath the surface, there’s a deeper message. Will points out that Mike’s character is the one with a heart symbol on his shield because Mike is the heart of their group.
He then reassures Mike that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) still cares about him, even though they struggle to express their emotions. At this moment, Will is hinting at his feelings, hoping Mike will catch on. However, Mike, being his usual oblivious self, doesn’t pick up on it.
While the painting is revealed, the conversation about Will’s crush will have to wait until season 5.
What Was Vecna’s Plan?
Vecna, the new villain of Stranger Things, had fans guessing his motives for weeks after the release of season 4’s first volume. Despite many theories floating around, no one could quite figure out his master plan.
Based on his monologue to Eleven at the end of episode 7, it seemed he was simply interested in causing widespread evil. However, another conversation between Vecna (Number One) and Eleven in episode 9 provides more clarity on his intentions.
Vecna’s goal remains the typical “spread evil across the world” idea, but his method is more calculated than it appeared at first. Some viewers, including myself, were confused about how Vecna planned to conquer the world at such a slow pace, given that he killed only three people over a decade. It turns out he only needs to kill four.
Each time Vecna kills, a gate opens between the Upside Down and Hawkins. Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) explains that the barrier between the two worlds is like a dam: a few cracks won’t do much harm, but if enough cracks form in the right spots, disaster is inevitable.
Vecna knows that four gates are the key. By killing four people, he can tear down the barrier separating the two realities. This is why his clock always chimes four times—a detail that may have escaped many of us.
What is The Piggyback?
In every Stranger Things finale, the heroes always come up with a plan to stop the villain. In Hawkins, Team Nancy devises a complex four-part plan to attack Vecna while he’s vulnerable. In Siberia, Team Hopper chooses to fight back against the Demogorgons in the Soviet prison.
Since the monsters from the Upside Down operate as hive minds, taking down the Demogorgons gives the team in Hawkins some breathing room. However, Team Eleven in the Nevada desert comes up with the most unique strategy.
Mike, Will, and the others realize that they won’t make it back to Hawkins in time to help their friends. But Eleven, with her psychic abilities, comes up with a solution. She can enter people’s minds, and when Vecna attacks Max (Sadie Sink), she will join him in Max’s mind.
There, Eleven and Vecna will have a final psychic showdown.
Is Vecna Defeated?
Unfortunately, Eleven doesn’t fare well in her psychic battle with Vecna. It could be because Vecna, as Number One, is simply stronger or more familiar with the Upside Down and how it goes through people’s minds. Either way, Vecna almost defeats Eleven.
What saves her is Mike’s desperate cry for her to wake up and his declaration of love for her. This gives Eleven just enough strength to free Max from Vecna’s influence before he can complete his ritual.
Meanwhile, in the Upside Down, Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) throw Molotov cocktails at Vecna, pushing him out of Max’s mind. While the fire weakens Vecna, it doesn’t destroy him.
We don’t see exactly what happens, but it’s implied that he retreats to the farthest reaches of the Upside Down to heal. At the end of the episode, Will, who has a unique connection to Vecna through his past experiences with the Mind Flayer, senses that Vecna is still alive.
What Happened to Max?
The fate of Max Mayfield is one of the most haunting aspects of Stranger Things season 4. Max dies in the finale, and her death is brutal. She’s subjected to the same fate as other victims of Vecna—her limbs are broken, her eyes whiten, and blood pours from her face.
The only thing that stops Vecna from completing the ritual is the destruction of Max’s skull and the full loss of her eyes. Despite this, Max’s biological death is confirmed by doctors in Hawkins, who state that her heart stopped for a full minute.
However, Max’s body is still alive, though in a coma. Eleven attempts to reach her in the hospital, using her psychic powers to encourage her to stay alive. Though Max’s body is alive, her consciousness seems to be lost somewhere else.
When Eleven connects to Max’s mind, she finds that Max’s usefulness is gone—her mind is empty, though her body remains alive. It’s unclear where Max’s consciousness has gone, but it seems likely that she’s in some part of the Upside Down or another realm, trying to find a way to defeat Vecna for good.
Who Dies in the Stranger Things Season 4 Finale?
Besides Max’s near-death experience, several other key characters die in the season 4 finale. First, Dr. Brenner sacrifices himself to help Eleven escape from the military. Next, Eddie Munson makes the ultimate sacrifice, holding off a horde of demobats to buy time for his friends.
Loose ends make the Stranger Things season 4 finale even more compelling (Photo: Stranger Things Season 1/Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment)Finally, the death of Jason Carver, the basketball captain, is both tragic and darkly ironic. He is killed when the dam between the Upside Down and Hawkins breaks, and his body is torn apart in the process.
What Happens to Hawkins?
Earlier, we discussed the “cracks in the dam” analogy, and it turns out that this is crucial to understanding the finale. By killing Max, Vecna opens the fourth and final gate, causing the barrier between the Upside Down and Hawkins to fracture.
The immediate effect is catastrophic—at least 22 people in Hawkins die, and many others are displaced. The authorities claim that the town experienced a freak 7.6 magnitude earthquake, but how much longer can Hawkins residents accept this natural explanation for supernatural events?
By the final scene, even the most rational citizens of Hawkins may not be able to ignore the truth much longer. While the earthquake may have been the first sign, the swirling black clouds and red lightning that follow suggest something much darker. The Upside Down has fully arrived in Hawkins, and its influence is spreading fast.
What Will Happen in Season 5?
One thing is certain: Stranger Things will return for a fifth and final season. The events of the season 4 finale make it clear where the show is heading. It’s all about Vecna. He has been pulling the strings all along, and his goal was to merge the two worlds.
The Upside Down, though frightening, would have remained unknown to the Hawkins group if Vecna hadn’t attempted to bridge the two realities. Vecna has been using Eleven as a key to achieving his plans. He enlisted the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer to help him with this mission.
In season 5, Vecna must be stopped. Eleven will need to summon all her psychic power to defeat Henry Creel once and for all. Experience this unforgettable film from the comfort of your home now streaming on Netflix.
