The Stranger Things Podcast

The penultimate episode of Stranger Things season 4 has arrived and it did exactly what a penultimate episode should do! "Papa" insists that everything he has done for Eleven, and Henry too for that matter, has been in their best interests. Like, El, we strongly disagree with his point of view. Although we can see how he could come to those conclusions, his methods are hard to justify. Is Papa truly dead? Only time will tell. In Hawkins, Max is willing to put her life on the line to save the town and all her friends. We think the kids have no idea what they are truly up against, but also agree with them that they have no better choice. Will Eleven be able to make it to Hawkins in time? The ending of this episode was perfect with the kids going separate ways and preparing to execute their two-pronged attack on Vecna. We can't wait for next week's finale!

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With the major reveals and twists of "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab," many of us are updating our theories and coming up with new ones. Is Peter Eleven's father? Was Brenner using El to search the void in an effort to find Peter? Was El a pawn used by Peter, or was he being truthful with her? Did Peter/Vecna create the upside down, or did it exist before he was sent there by El? What's up with the earthquakes, and why is the upside down frozen at November 6, 1983? These are only a few of the discussion points and theories brought up by listeners this week. Two of you even bring back a theory Darrell threw out after watching the very first episode of season one!

We do our best to make sense of these questions, put together a list of who you all think will die this season, update Darrell's predictions from this season, and make a few more predictions on how the rest of the season will play out.

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Has there ever been a more amazing or mind blowing reveal than what the Duffer brothers gave us in "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab?" Peter the friendly/creepy orderly is actually Henry Creel. I mean, he's actually 001. What I mean to say is that he is Vecna. And to top it all off, El created Vecna!?!?! Wow, what a crazy twist. Then you add in the most amazing demogorgon fight scene we've ever seen with the most exploration of the upside down that we've ever seen, and you have one amazing episode of Stranger Things.

We do our best to break down all of these incredible plot developments, and Darrell talks about any spoilers he encountered about the first part of the season as well as all the things that surprised him in this episode.

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We're quickly approaching the end of Stranger Things 4 Part 1, and you all continue to come up with intriguiging theories! The debate continues on whether or not Peter is friendly or creepy, and some of you are even tossing out ideas on Peter's possible true identity. As the community of Hawkins is lathered up into a frenzy by Jason, some of you saw parallels between Eddie's story of this season and the West Memphis 3 real-life events from the early 1990's. In fact, your insight shared about the West Memphis 3 cause Darrell to reevaluate his theory on Miss Kelley.

We love all the insightful feedback you send in each week, and look forward to hearing all of your amazing thoughts as the season continues!

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Steve jumps at the opportunity to leave the kids behind and step out of his babysitter role, but we were not prepared for him to do so! The Dive, episode 6 of Stranger Things' 4th season, left us wanting more! With the citizens of Hawkins in a frenzy thanks to Jason's accusations against The Hellfire Club, it's not only Eddie that now finds himself in their crosshairs. Eleven continues to dive deeper into her memories, exploring her previous life as Brenner's lab rat, and becoming increasing influenced by the creepy/friendly orderly, Peter. 002 is not too happy about her rising strength, and it looks like she's now convinced she is the one responsible for the massacre at Hawkins Lab.

Hopper is preparing to fight a demogorgon, and it looks like his story is nearly ready to combine with that of Joyce and Murray! Suzie provides a valuable asset to the California crew, and we wonder if Eden will join them in the weed wagon as they leave Utah in search of El.

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Brenner is back! While his return is not really a surprise, the events that unfold in "The Nina Project" with Brenner, Dr. Owens, and Eleven do bring quite a few surprises. We see the appearance of Peter Ballard the Friendly Orderly, and we can not agree on whether or not he is truly friendly, or truly creepy. In Hawkins, the exploration of the Creel house has us asking new questions about how many dimensions are at play in this story, and how the gang will find their way to Vecna's lair on their own.

Darrell throws out a few new theories involving 002, Henry Creel, and Peter Ballard, listeners share in some really insightful comments and theories, and we share an opportunity for a special bonus episode we're hoping to pull off at the end of this season.

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Are we the only ones who think "Dear Billy" might just be the best episode of Stranger Things yet? With Sadie Sink's impeccable performance, this episode has us heaping praise upon praise. Robert Englund's performance as Victor Creel also stood out and his story gave us chills. Is his story to be believed? We have our doubts.

The shootout at the Byers home was one of the most impressive scenes of the series with the one-shot steady cam action, and left us on the edge of our seats. While Yuri's double cross is one we saw coming, the depth of his double cross is NOT something we foresaw!

Every story element of "Dear Billy" was excellent! Nancy and Robin faking their way into Pennhurst was hilarious, and the nods to "The Silence of the Lambs" were excellent. Capping the episode with Max's flashback memories of the kids and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" were absolute perfection!

We have much to discuss, listeners once again flooded our inbox with incredible insights, and Darrell has put together such a long theory that at least one (hopefully) thing has to be correct!

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We saw major developments on every front in, "The Monster and the Superhero." El is arrested for assaulting Angela with the skate, but ends up rescued by Dr. Ownens and given the option to return to Hawkins, undergo training to restore her powers, and save everyone. Murray and Joyce make their way to Alaska. In Hawkins, Lucas finds himself in a delicate position as he tries to provide a layer of protection between Dustin's group and the basketball bullies. Robin and Nancy find themselves hunting for clues together, unsure how each of them feel about each other or Steve. Meanwhile, Steve, Dustin, and Max break into the school to examine student records in Ms. Kelly's office. While there, Max hears the voice of Vecna, wanders out to the hallway, and sees a grandfather clock embedded into the wall.

This episode gave us a lot to think about and we loved it. We feel like it not only moved each of the story lines forward in significant ways, but it set up the stories in ways that they can carry momentum throughout the rest of the season. We're very intrigued and concerned about what will happen with Max, excited that it looks like Lucas has abandoned the basketball boys to rejoin his geeky friends, and intrigued by the thought of Nancy and Steve rekindling their relationship. We're also quite concerned for El as we wonder whether Dr. Owens trip to California has tipped off the government to her whereabouts, or if her arrest record will tip off the government posse. Either way, we're quite sure El is in danger!

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"Vecna's Curse" is now haunting the residents of Hawkins, just as they beginning to heal from the events of season 3. With the news of Chrissy's death spreading around town, the Hawkins kids begin their own investigations as to what happened? What the culprit Eddie, the leader of The Hellfire Club, or are their worst fears coming to life and something far more sinister is the cause? Fred becomes the second gruesome victim of Vecna, and his death gives us more clues to how Vecna chooses his prey.

Out in California, El continues spreading her lies in an effort to bamboozle Mike into thinking her life there is great. Her lies catch up with her though, and she's once again the focus of Angela's bullying. Mike watches on in horror as El is humiliated in front of the entire skating rink. El has had enough, and smashes a skate into Angela's face, bringing back memories of the massacre in the Hawkins Lab we saw in "The Hellfire Club."

Season 4 continues to be thrilling and more horrorific than ever before. We have lots of thoughts, some new theories, and a great time discussing, "Vecna's Curse" in this week's episode.

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"The Hellfire Club" starts season 4 of Stranger Things off with a bang (or should we say, crack)? With a significantly darker and more horror tone than previous seasons, the group of Hawkins kids are more splintered and dysfunctional than ever before. Max is facing significant challenges with her family and personal feelings after the death of Billy and breakup of her parent's marriage, El, Will, and Jonathan are trying to adjust to a new town in California, while Lucas, Mike, and Dustin adjust to life in high school which has them pursuing interests that are testing the limits of their friendship. We also meet new characters, Jason, Chrissy, and Eddie, which even after one episode, have each given us reasons to form strong opinions about them.

This episode looks like it could be the best season yet, and in this episode we break down each of the events from "The Hellfire Club," make new predictions based on what we saw in this episode, and try to work through some of the confusion we have about the various character ages.

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