As volume 1 of season 4 of Netflix’s original series Stranger Things reaches a close, things are escalating minute by minute before the series enters hiatus until July. While episode 6 is absolutely filled with action and plot development, overall the episode is setting the table for much bigger things to come.
Spoilers ahead for season 4, episode 6 of Stranger Things.
American Small Town Horror
Callahan continues to prove he should not be allowed to interrogate anyone, especially children and teenagers as the police question the group following the death of Patrick. Jason tells the police that this wasn’t exactly Eddie — instead, Eddie is a vessel for the devil. I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of someone trying to tell the police that the devil has done something, but it generally doesn’t go well, and Stranger Things is no exception. Jason and his friends show up at a town meeting claiming that The Hellfire Club is a satanic cult who is performing ritual sacrifice, handing out a picture of the club including Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Eddie, and others. Not a single one of our protagonists’ parents stands up for their children, but Lucas’ girlboss younger sister Erica does.
Erica’s objection doesn’t matter, though — this introduction is a magnifying glass of the horrors in small-town America and most of the town opts to believe the charismatic white teenage jock rather, set on finding and prosecuting a group of innocent people.
When In Russia
After crashing the plane and gaining their freedom, Joyce and Murray plan for the latter to impersonate Yuri to gain them entrance into the Russian prison where Hopper something sinister is in the works for Hopper and Dmitri’s future — they’re currently being provided with a large feast to be fattened up for the Demogorgon. Hopper starts a fight so he can steal a lighter from one of the guards, having already stashed a bottle of Vodka in his coat. He tells Dmitri the only thing the Demogorgons are afraid of is fire, and the two share a laugh. If they both make it out of here alive, at least Hopper has a new friend.
The Answer To Our Never-Ending Story
The four protagonists in Lenora reach Suzie’s house and we finally get a little more insight into Dustin’s girlfriend. Suzie has seven brothers and sisters — one of them, Eden, quickly forms an emotional bond with Argyle and the two are later seen cuddling up and smoking in the back of his van. Suzie is found on the roof making adjustments to her antenna, which probably comes in handy when she sets out to complete the task presented to her: to trace the IP address and locate Eleven.
Eleven Remembers
Peter, the lab orderly, continues to show himself in El’s memories — this time, he tells the younger girl that Brenner doesn’t always tell the truth. To support his case, he brings up another memory for El — when a strange woman visited and said bizarre things. As Peter informs El, this woman was her mother, and the story she was told was all a lie to cover up the fact her mother missed her. Not only is El being lied to constantly in the lab, she is also put into impossible situations — such as a mind wrestling game of sorts where two of the children have to attempt to move one another with their minds. 002 beats 006 first, and then continues to pick off every child presented to him, pushing them into the wall. Until he meets El, who sends him into a double-sided mirror hard enough to crack it. Brenner acknowledges Peter for the first time here, looking his way in a moment of silent communication.
El later runs back to the rainbow room where she is bullied by four of her lab mates, led by 002. Much like she will go through again later with Angela, El is physically, mentally, and verbally attacked to the point of being sent flying into a wall and to the ground. The four leave El alone, pleased with their actions. El stands to look at herself in the two-way mirror, but rather than seeing the older version of herself she faces herself as a young child — hands and face bloody. When she wakes up, she tells Owens and Brenner that she remembers what she did.
In Steve Harrington We Trust
The five protagonists in Hawkins get ahold of Eddie who is hiding at Skull Rock. Thankfully, Steve knows where the rock is and the group heads out immediately to reach Eddie. When they reach the wanted man, Dustin discovers a small amount of electrical interference — an indication that there is a gateway to Vecna open. The group deduces that the gateway is in the lake, and they split up to address the many issues they’re facing. Nancy, Robin, Eddie, and Steve head to the lake, where Steve volunteers to dive down and find the gateway. Steve reaches out to touch the gateway, which is glowing red, to find it is solid — though there are vines knocking at the other side. Steve resurfaces to tell the other three what he found, only to be pulled down again by the vine and through the gateway into the Upside Down.
The episode ends with Steve being attacked by terrifying bat-like creatures. We would say things aren’t looking good for him here, but honestly, Stranger Things seems to have a problem killing off major characters.
The first volume of Stranger Things season 4 episodes is available to stream right now on Netflix. Follow our episodic recaps here.
