Episode 1 of Season 4 of Stranger Things opens with a haunting flashback to September 8th, 1979. Inside the Hawkins National Laboratories, El stands amidst a crowd of children, all engrossed in testing their psychic abilities. Tables are strewn with puzzles and games, serving as vehicles for their supernatural exploration.
Dr. Brenner enters the scene and selects 10, another test subject, for a series of rigorous tests. After a few warm-up exercises, he challenges 10 to harness his powers and establish a psychic connection with the individuals in the vicinity. However, things quickly spiral out of control when 11, an outsider, escapes her confinement, wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of lifeless bodies in her wake.
The other subjects are slain, with El standing alone amidst the carnage. But is she truly the culprit? Or is there a deeper mystery lurking beneath the surface?
The narrative shifts smoothly to the present, where El pens a heartfelt letter to Mike, offering a glimpse into their lives. It's March 21st, 1986, and Spring Break is upon them. Eleven finds herself at Lenora Hills High School in California, accompanied by Will, while the rest of the gang remains in Hawkins.
Joyce is engrossed in her work at home until an enigmatic package arrives from Russia. The parcel is adorned with a doll and adorned with Russian stamps, piquing her curiosity. Meanwhile, Will finds himself immersed in painting, and Jonathan indulges in smoking weed with his newfound friend Argyle. Mike has formed a new D&D party, dubbed The Hellfire Club, while Dustin continues his hacking exploits with Suzie, tampering with the school system and altering grades.
Steve and Robin, their bond as BFFs intact, continue to offer each other sage dating advice, while Lucas strives to shed his "nerd" label by becoming a pivotal member of the basketball team. Meanwhile, the tension surrounding Mad Max remains palpable, her heart heavy with the memory of Billy's demise. She finds solace in the powerful melodies of "Running up that Hill," a song that resonates deeply with her, though she secretly confesses that Placebo's rendition holds a slight edge.
Max's journey has been fraught with challenges. She finds comfort in sharing her troubles with a counselor, but the weight of her woes is heavy. Her mother, overwhelmed with the demands of two jobs, seeks solace in alcohol, leaving Max to navigate her own troubled sleep, haunted by nightmarish visions. In an attempt to numb the pain, she turns to pills, but the escape is fleeting.
In a chilling scene, Chrissy, a fragile girl, finds herself trapped in the bathroom, her screams echoing as an unseen force pounds on the door. Her fears are compounded when she spies a bizarre grandfather clock in the woods, its face cracking open to reveal a swarm of black spiders. The encounter leaves her shaken, but she finds an unlikely ally in the new Hellfire captain, Eddie. He introduces her to the world of drugs, offering her a temporary escape, but Chrissy yearns for something stronger. Eddie encourages her to visit him after school, promising a deeper dive into the underworld.
Meanwhile, in California, El endures the bullying taunts of Angela, the resident bully. Back home, Joyce's world is turned upside down when she smashes open the Russian doll to reveal a startling note: "Hop is alive!"
As the story returns to the kids, we witness a pivotal moment as Erica joins the Hellfire Club for the evening, filling in for Lucas as he leads his team to a championship victory. The night takes a sinister turn when Eddie invites Chrissy to his caravan. She seeks a respite from the nightmares that plague her, but the faint chimes of a clock taunt her, and she seems to glimpse snippets of the Upside Down.
Frozen in place, Chrissy becomes the target of the mysterious creature that has stalked her since school. "Don't cry, Chrissy. It's time for your suffering to end," it booms, reaching out a hand to touch her forehead. In that instant, she levitates in Eddie's room, her eyes imploding in a horrifying display of supernatural forces.
