What To Know And Expect Ahead Of Stranger Things Season Four!
In 2016, Netflix took streaming by storm when they released the Duffer Brothers production, Stranger Things. Supernatural being Eleven, or as her friends know her "El," played by Millie Bobby Brown, was a breath of fresh air. Mix in a cast of diverse characters who showcase a range of character development, all while attempting to save their small town of Hawkins, and you get possibly one of the most chilling and fun series that keeps you on the edge of your seat. After the release of the season four trailer, what should fans expect from the show next?
Is "The American" Eleven's Father?!
Season three left fans with multiple cliff hangers, but one stood out in particular because it gave hope that Hopper was still alive. When the Russian guards outside the jail cell mention "the American," many believed it was Hopper, after the season four trailer release, that's a little too obvious.
One alternative is Dr. Martin Brenner, Eleven's father who experimented on her. A theory is that he will make a return because the Russians wanted to keep him for his scientific knowledge.
An Uphill Battle For Eleven
When we last saw Eleven, she and Mike shared goodbyes and planned how they would spend their time in the future since she had to leave town. Sadly, she couldn't use any of her powers anymore.
In season four, fans can expect to see El struggle a bit before regaining her cool abilities again. The Duffer Brothers like to recycle memorable moments in pop culture history for their material, and one thing the superhero always goes through is the loss of their strength. Of course, they eventually get it back, but it won't be in episode one or two for Eleven.
Hopper's Return!
It would've been incredibly sad to see such a vital character leave the series so soon. David Harbour's character, Hopper, is someone fan's love mostly due to how much he cares about Eleven.
After what looked like his death in the last episode of season three, the first trailer for the new season revealed he's very much alive. "We're excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things four is now underway — and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper," brothers Matt and Ross Duffer revealed.
Prepare For A Scarier Season
If you ask anyone who watches the show which season was the scariest, you will get many different answers. Some believe the first season was the most frightening, but the latest was way more chilling.
According to the Duffer Brothers, the fourth might get viewers quivering the most. "Season four is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime — pray for the American."
Set Around The Chernobyl Disaster
If you follow the trends of this show, then you're well aware that each season takes place the following year and revolves around some significant juncture in history. Since season three took place in the summer of 1985, it's pretty much a given that we're going to 1986 this next time.
More importantly, after watching the season four trailer, we see Hopper in Russia. That's pivotal because the Chernobyl disaster went down in '86, so we could see some tie in there with the famous nuclear catastrophe.
More Of The Dustin And Steve Bromance
Season two had plenty of surprises, but probably the most unexpected was the bromance that blossomed between Steve and Dustin. It's not as surprising when you put the clues together.
In season one, we find out that Dustin kind of had a crush on Nancy, whom Steve dated. That means at the very least, they have the same taste in women, which can help any guys bond. Fans can expect to see these two nurture their friendship even further when the series returns.
Eleven's Supernatural Family
In season two, fans learned that there was another girl named Kali with supernatural powers. Eleven quickly befriended her, and they taught each other something new and helped each other along the way.
While she wasn't on the show long, season four could be her big return. With El's powers not functioning correctly at the moment, she could get in touch with Kali to help her regain her abilities since Kali was more mature and had things better figured out than Eleven concerning their strengths.
More Erica Is On The Horizon
"Erica is the MVP of Stranger Things Season 3," read a headline from EW. After getting a little attention in the second season, Erica stole the show the third time around, and fans loved her.
Lucas' sister is a fiery little one who outed herself as a nerd at the end of season three. Viewers can prepare to see way more of her for the new installment. The combination of her sass and smarts make her an excellent addition.
The Return Of The Deadly
We thought Eleven killed off the demogorgons in the past, but we found out that wasn't the case. The demogorgons are ultra-scary because they're fast and have mouths for heads, so they're going to eat you.
The final clip of season three showed the Russians feed a prisoner to one, but that was the first we've seen of any in a while. Season four should have a healthy helping of this monster, and we can't wait.
What's The Episode Count?
Out of the three seasons released thus far, only the first and third received eight episodes. Season two aired one more at nine, but how many should fans expect to see for the fourth?
The answer to that is eight. The Twitter account Stranger Writers posted this image you see on this slide, revealing the title of the first episode and those who wrote it. The Duffer Brothers will probably make the first one of the best.
Mrs. Wheeler The Real Estate Agent
Caro Buono, who plays Karen Wheeler, seems to think she knows where the direction of her character might lead. In season three, we see her in a new element as she tries to court younger men, but we probably shouldn't expect much of that in the fourth.
Buono told Glamour in an interview, "Or I thought what would be funny is after everything that happens in Hawkins, because people are moving and real estate has really gone down, she becomes a real estate agent! Like, 'I know things seem a little unstable here, but now's a great time to buy!'"
Expect Less Of Hawkins
Since Eleven and Byers drove off into the distance at the end of the season with plans of living elsewhere, fans should expect there to be less of Hawkins. The safe bet is that Russia will get lots of screen time, but don't bet the house on it.
To further solidify this argument, the new Twitter teaser for the show reads, "We're not in Hawkins anymore." If that doesn't convince you we won't see much of Hawkins, then what will?
Could Season Four Be The Last?
In 2017, Ross Duffer crushed the hopes and dreams of many fans wishing Stranger Things would last for a lot more seasons. Sadly, there's a possibility that the fourth could be the last.
"We're thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out," one of the show's creators, Duffer, told Vulture. He might've said that then, but executive producer Shawn Levy spoke about the possibility of going beyond that. "There's very much the possibility of a season beyond that one, that's currently undecided," said Levy.
The Mindflayer Lives
Thanks to the meddling kids, the horrifying Mindflayer continues to get defeated. The gross creature you saw in season three was only a conduit for the bigger monster, so when the conduit body died, the Mindflayer merely lost its connection to the real world.
The Mindflayer is safe and sound in the Upside Down but trapped at the moment. Surely, it'll find another way to infiltrate reality and attempt to cause total mayhem after losing to humans multiple times.
Will Long Distance Work With This Couple?
With the Byers' moving away, that leaves a lot of questions for those in relationships. Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers will have to figure out how to make long-distance work.
"We've been with these characters for three seasons, and we care about them, so I do think whatever happens between them, I hope it's given time and space and integrity and reality to what they're going through," Natalia Dyer (Nancy) revealed to Glamour. They've battled monsters together, so we're sure they can handle time away from each other.
Eleven And Mike Will Figure It Out
Since Eleven leaves with the Byers family, she too will be without her lover boy, Mike. They try and make plans to see each other on holidays in their last moments together, so that's a good sign.
We could see Eleven need to save the day yet again, which will force Joyce Byers to move back where everyone else is, but that isn't a guarantee. More than likely, Mike will attempt everything possible, like taking public transportation on the weekends to Eleven.
An Emerging Couple?
Joyce Byers believes that Hopper is dead. She saw him "sacrifice his life" so that he could save her and the others, but the first trailer showed us that wasn't the case.
Hopper and Joyce always had chemistry with each other, and it was evident. We don't know when it will happen, but Joyce will find out that Hopper is alive and things could finally escalate to an intimate situation. That would bring much joy to the fans.
Will They Rise Or Will They Fall?
In season three, we get to see the relationship between Max and Lucas, something that ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger in the second season. Since then, fans didn't get to see much of their dynamic, leaving room for plenty of speculation.
We're either going to see them grow stronger as a couple, or see the demise of the pair. With Lucas' sister slated to get more attention, we could see more of Lucas as collateral and find out what happens with Max.
A Character Will Perish
We hate to see it, but it happens every season. Most times, its a newly introduced character that faces the music, but who knows who it will be this time around.
It more than likely won't be anyone from the main crew dating back to season one, but you never know. This could be a great way to end the Max and Lucas relationship without any hard feelings if you catch our drift, but we'll just wait and see.
Will Byers Will Be Crucial
As displayed in previous seasons, Will's connection with The Upside Down's been pivotal. After the Mindflayer infiltrated him early on in the series, he's never been the same, but can help when the team needs it most.
Once things start to get fishy again, the Byers kid will somehow relay something meaningful to the rest of the crew. That is if he and his family aren't miles away from Hawkins already, but thank goodness for telephones.
