We Can (All) Be Heroes in the World of ‘Stranger Things’: Season 4 Part 2 Review

Season 4 part 2 is satisfying, surprising and inspires the inner hero in us all while still creating more questions than answers about what comes next. 

First things first, Steve Harrington is still alive and well. However, the reunion of Nancy and Jonathan had us all wanting to bear hug Steve, especially after he poured his heart out to Nancy — so maybe he’s not that well. In other romantic news, a very fit Hopper and sweet mama Joyce have a passionate rekindling, while lovebirds Mike and Elle are back together and stronger than ever. The power of love is certainly a central theme in the series, but especially in the final episodes of season 4, which the characters demonstrate through self-sacrifice for others unto a greater cause.

One of my favorite character arcs in season 4 is Eddie Munson’s transformation from loner stoner to anti-hero with a heart, played with flair by Joseph Quinn. In his introductory scene, he’s quick to remind Mike and Dustin that he plans to “finally graduate this year” which immediately gave me the sense he’d be tragically killed off, and sadly I was right. Although it’s certainly a heart-wrenching death, Munson’s heroic last act of choosing to fight instead of run was a powerful reminder that bravery comes in many colors. Stranger Things has always celebrated unlikely heroes, but the season 4 finale explores how the most unlikely heroes can play an essential role in victory.

Season 4 ends with a bittersweet kiss. Max is alive but stuck in a coma after her brush with death by Vecna. The gang’s all back in Hawkins but the city is essentially a doorway to hell. Nancy and Jonathan are back together but with a mountain of unresolved tension between them. Vecna is hidden but still alive. The only purely sweet moment is seeing Eleven run into Hopper’s arms, the beautiful reconciliation of a father and a daughter. Even though I knew this moment was coming, it still completely took me by surprise and reminded me that at its core, Stranger Things is not a sci-fi-thriller about a lab experiment gone wrong; it’s a story about the family we choose.

It’s clear from the season 4 finale that our beloved Hawkins teenage heroes are maturing and prepared for the battle that’s sure to change everything. Not only are they basically adults in a physical sense, but the language and content of Stranger Things has fully embraced young adulthood. While this season seems to end on an urgent note, suggesting the following season will begin right where it left off, let’s hope for continuity’s sake that the writers age up the characters. I just simply can’t see Millie Bobby Brown as anything less than seventeen at this point. I have a few guesses at what the fifth and final season may unleash, but I definitely see Max’s coma being connected to the livelihood of Vecna, the eventual break up of Nancy and Jonathan, and the return of Paul Reiser to finish what the Hawkins Lab started. 

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