Spoilers Stranger Things - Season 4

[Jayson1]

If they wanted to do a time jump you could just have all of Hawkins abandoned and in 3 years has become like the upside down on the surface of this ghost town. The government keeps people from entering. That means all the characters have moved out of town but in the final season they got to return to fight the bad guy.

 

[Starkers]

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That's very good (I mean they always are)

Stranger Things is obviously a very dark show at times, but it's also predicated on hope and love and decency conquering all so the notion that the series will end with the world being turned into a post apocalyptic wasteland really doesn't sit right with the tone of the show. Never say never but I think if they go down that route they'd be looking at a backlash akin to the final season of GoT.

I'm guessing Hawkins will effectively become Centralia going forwards.

 

[Reverend]

Stranger Things is obviously a very dark show at times, but it's also predicated on hope and love and decency conquering all so the notion that the series will end with the world being turned into a post apocalyptic wasteland really doesn't sit right with the tone of the show. Never say never but I think if they go down that route they'd be looking at a backlash akin to the final season of GoT.

These are not mutually exclusive concepts; you can have an apocalyptic wasteland setting AND end the story on an up-beat, even joyous note. I mean it's a given that in the end Vecna-slash-One-slash-Henry will be defeated, no? It'll just be a hell of a fight, one that'll likely require more than just waving hands and the glowly tentacle hole and screaming a lot.

I don't get why there's so much resistance to this idea; each season has ramped up the scale, scope, and stakes; evey victory has contained within it a failure who's consequences has both driven and amplified the crisis in the next; Will being infected with the slug thing > part of the banished Mind Flayer surviving in our world > El's powers are lost > the mega-portal is opened > . . . ?
So why would the final season be any different? This seems the logical next step both thematically and dramatically.

Also I don't see any relevant parallel here to GoT's wet fart of a finale. That was a rushed, flaccid train wreck of a season that stripped characters of all agency in the name of plot and cheap shock value. It was also preceded by several seasons of diminishing returns in terms of story quality that led to such a poor execution. Which is kinda the whole point here; the failure of GoT wasn't the concept of an apocalyptic battle, it was the execution. I see no such warning signs with this show. They know what they're doing, they actually give a crap, and they'll pull off whatever they're planning just fine.

 

[Awesome Possum]

Look at Aiden Gallagher in the Umbrella Academy. He started the series as a 16 year old playing a 13 year old, now he's almost 20 playing a 13 year old. Audiences get it.

It actually helps the show with him. He’s only experienced three weeks since the start of the series, but he’s spent all of it trying to prevent three separate apocalypses. So he just looks like the most stressed out teenager in history.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I don't see the world getting destroyed but I see a possible Buffy-esque ending where Hawkins gets destroyed to destroy the gate.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I don't see the world getting destroyed but I see a possible Buffy-esque ending where Hawkins gets destroyed to destroy the gate.

That would be sufficient, if only to hammer the final nail in the Stranger Things coffin, meaning if Hawkins was always ground zero, its destruction brings not only an end to the threat, but tells the audience that its time for the characters--and audience to move on.

 

[Reverend]

I don't see the world getting destroyed but I see a possible Buffy-esque ending where Hawkins gets destroyed to destroy the gate.

The scale can be ramped up or down depending on how they want to go with it, of course.
Personally I feel like the bigger the better since Hawkins is already toast, essentially, and having it be somewhere in the middle would be a little too real and grounded for the tone they probably want to ending. Sounds odd, but I think an over the top demon infested hellscape is less of a downer than if they were to depict the aftermath of what is basically a natural disaster; with the triage, the refugee experience, and people in uniforms pointing meaningfully at maps all over the place.
On top of that it brings the show full circle, right back to a rag-tag party playing D&D, and this time for real. Actual dragons and/or dungeons and all!

Though I think I should reiterate since I think some seem to be misunderstanding my meaning; I'm not saying the show should *end* on the world being destroyed, I'm saying IF there's a time jump, THEN the setting could change to a quasi-Stand/Mist wasteland, and that's the setting for the last leg of the story, not he conclusion in and of itself (It'll end with 'yub-nub', obviously!)

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Collider interview with the Duffer Brothers:

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Of interest, they reiterated that split occurred only because they wanted to get some episodes out by June and they weren't done with the final two. They also talked about not splitting the final episode because there was so much action for so long before going into the coda that it didn't feel satisfying to split it up.

They didn't say much about season five other than to say that the focus will indeed be more narrow and mostly confined to Hawkins with the original party plus Eleven back together properly. The action will start off right away and they think because of that, the run time "should" be shorter this time around because they won't be spending so much time catching up with the characters. They also said that as of that interview, there's isn't anymore Russia but that could conceivably change. They're taking a break this month before opening up the writer's room to break the season in August. The only thing they're definitive on is about the final 20 minutes of the show.

As picked up on by several people in this thread, the ending moments of season four is a deliberate homage to The Empire Strikes Back but also to The Fellowship of the Ring, both ending on that very dark note and heading into the stormy unknown.

Edit: Forgot to include the full transcript if you don't want to watch the video.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Troll ending:

A mysterious woman who seems to have supernatural abilities appears in Hawkins. "We have to seal this hellmouth before it consumes the world." She dramatically sacrifices herself to destroy it.

Cut to LA where a popularity chasing teenager wakes up and suddenly realizes she's stronger than before.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

^ Sort of like the infamous episode of the Dallas TV series, where the Bobby Ewing character was supposed to be dead (as part of numerous episodes), only for the death and the events around it ending up being an extended dream. Honestly, if the Duffers took that route, and Eleven woke up, realizing the events of the series were just a dream, I would not have a problem with that. The series could just end as an ambitious teenager's collection of ideas from a novel she was trying to write.

 

[The Knappos]

^ Sort of like the infamous episode of the Dallas TV series, where the Bobby Ewing character was supposed to be dead (as part of numerous episodes), only for the death and the events around it ending up being an extended dream. Honestly, if the Duffers took that route, and Eleven woke up, realizing the events of the series were just a dream, I would not have a problem with that. The series could just end as an ambitious teenager's collection of ideas from a novel she was trying to write.

Perhaps they could be a dream implanted by 8. Conspicuous by her absence for two seasons now.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Metallica loved Eddie Munson cover of "Master of Puppets" so much that they released a video of them playing alongside, while wearing Hellfire Club t-shirts:

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According to Rolling Stone, the band said in a previous statement about the song's inclusion:

“The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include ‘Master of Puppets’ in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it,” Metallica previously said in a statement.

“We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away… it’s so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn’s hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?”

They continued, “It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show.”​

 

[Mr. Adventure]

It's kind of funny seeing them in their casual dad gear. I guess the bassist's son and Kirk Hammett were involved in the actual playing on the show. I just got to see my niece wearing my 36 year old Metallica T-shirt (which goes for like $200 on Ebay) which makes me happy.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Perhaps they could be a dream implanted by 8. Conspicuous by her absence for two seasons now.

Interesting point, and I too have wondered why the Kali Prasad character--aka Eight--has been absent (other than the Duffers possibly responding to the cries of viewers who hated the entire plot featuring 8 and her companions). With her powers, imagine what kind of damage she could inflict on Vecna...

 

[The Knappos]

Interesting point, and I too have wondered why the Kali Prasad character--aka Eight--has been absent (other than the Duffers possibly responding to the cries of viewers who hated the entire plot featuring 8 and her companions). With her powers, imagine what kind of damage she could inflict on Vecna...

Absolutely. And you’ve got to think, 11 is going to have to acknowledge that she needs help going up against Vecna in the final season. Which would justify looking for 8 and opens up the possibility of a reprise which redeems that perception (I didn’t mind the 8 thread in S2)

 

[ashleytinger]

Metallica loved Eddie Munson cover of "Master of Puppets" so much that they released a video of them playing alongside, while wearing Hellfire Club t-shirts:

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According to Rolling Stone, the band said in a previous statement about the song's inclusion:

“The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include ‘Master of Puppets’ in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it,” Metallica previously said in a statement.

“We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away… it’s so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn’s hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?”

They continued, “It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show.”​

I admit I lost it when he fired up Master of Puppets.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Meant to post this yesterday when it was released but here's the Aftershow for Volume 2:

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A few tidbits that stood out:

Max's coma will play an important role in season five and there's a direct reason for her to be in it.

I hadn't thought of this before but while talking about plotting Vecna's back history, we see the clip of Billy/Mind Flayer's line "We build it...for you", which makes much more sense now.

During that same discussion was the question of whether there is any humanity still in Henry?

I love the offscreen chemistry between Millie Bobbie Brown and Matthew Modine, who clearly have a real-life father/daughter relationship, between Millie telling Matthew to keep it together emotionally and Matthew getting jealous about Hopper. It's very sweet.

Shawn Levy highlighted one thing in particular I love about Stranger Things. The show often goes big with the action but still manages to make the time to have small moments about character and heart. That's the show at its best.

The Duffer Brothers emphasized yet again that the action will start off right away and there won't be any ramping up the story like previous seasons, but also said that there will be some kind of time jump, a small one. I'm guessing no more than one or two months at best.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The show has been nominated for Best Drama once again!

...sadly, no love for Sadie Sink.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

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[Commander Troi]

I LOL'd at that- I was saying: "Okay, where did Conan's sword suddenly appear from... awww, ta hell with it. Kill that bastard!!!"

The Atlantean's design would never work as a real sword. Blade geometry, weigth distribution.... It would weigh in at over 8 pounds and swing like a crowbar. People have the wrong idea about swords. On average, an Oakeshott Type XIIa for example would weigh in at just under or just above 3 pounds. The Atlantean is a fantasy thing, not a historical sword.

After seeing it in the ep, my hubby suddenly wanted it again (after years of getting other Sharp Objects).

IRL, it is 8 pounds (https://www.museumreplicas.com/the-atlantean-sword).

facing the bleak crushing reality of adulthood?

Have you been reading my journal again?

El algoritmo blessed me with this gem:

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THAT is just AWESOME!