In Stranger Things S04V02, sadness and horror frequently collide but finally come together. A little over a month after the release of the season’s first seven episodes, the final two episodes of the penultimate season of the show were released on Friday. This sparked enough interest among fans of Stranger Things to prompt frame-by-frame analysis, the discovery of Easter eggs in even the most mundane scenes, the development of countless theories, and the reemergence of Running Up That Hill.
One of the defining moments of the closing episode and, in a manner, the throbbing, high-on-emotion intensity of this season is this Kate Bush classic, which Max’s Walkman brings out of cold storage. The Stranger Things theme song perfectly transitions into a techno rendition of the ’80s classic as Eleven, bloodied noise and shattered heart, battles Vecna in a last-ditch effort to save Max. It doesn’t hurt me. Do you want to know that it doesn’t hurt me? Do you want to experience how it feels? This season has been brave and emotional, and these comments touched home in a powerful way.
The final two episodes bring them together in an epic finale, which, as has always been the DNA of Stranger Things, delivers more than what is anticipated. If the first seven episodes of this season expanded the narrative into four separate storylines, each of which showed its players battling the fallout from the incidents at Starcourt Mall in the previous season and preparing to face their most powerful adversary yet, with a length of two hours and 22 minutes, the last episode requires an unparalleled level of commitment and focus. However, it’s also epic in terms of how it unfolds.
While many questioned the choice to broadcast the fourth season in stages, it only served to heighten interest in a program that has always drawn large audiences. In fact, over 14,000 customers complained after Netflix failed when they tried to watch the last episode on Friday, according to reports from the global uptime-monitoring website Down detector.
In fact, Will, who has been frequently undervalued throughout the series, is given the moments that have the largest emotional punch. From his endearing conversation with his brother Jonathan in the pizza parlor kitchen to the heartbreaking moment when he sobs after speaking with Mike in the back of the van. In many respects, the tale of Stranger Things has been Will’s. Stranger Things at last admits that the show’s popularity throughout its four seasons has been driven by his encounter with the Upside Down.
