A Stranger List

Stranger Things Season 4 has come and gone. Despite not being quite as fresh as when it started in 2016, it has a lot of content, both literally and figuratively. It also has many great moments. And being my dastardly self, I’m going to rank them. So here they are!

Two disclaimers: firstly, it was difficult picking 15 entries. Ideally, I’d have done 30, but that’d be exhausting. And secondly, there’ll be plenty of spoilers. If you haven’t seen this season yet…please do. Its 9 episodes are all movie-length, but they’re worth your time.

Anyway, let’s begin!

15. Hopper VS the Demogorgon:

The Russia subplot with Joyce, Murray and Hopper was no one’s favourite part of this season. It felt like padding and “damage control” for how the previous season had ruined Hopper. Still, I liked it for what it was: a chance to show the far-reaching implications of The Upside Down. It also has one of Hopper’s best moments. I’m not referring to Episode 9’s climax, but rather an earlier battle in Episode 7. Why? Because it’s suspenseful and scary simultaneously.

The premise is simple: The Soviet guards have pitted prisoners against a hungry Demogorgon. Everyone except Hopper is scared, as he’s faced these creatures before. He’s even come prepared with a stick wrapped in paper and doused with alcohol, which he plans on lighting to scare the Demogorgon. Unfortunately, the stick won’t light. And while the other prisoners, save one, are clobbered by the Demogorgon, we’re left with a lingering question: is Hopper toast like everyone else?

Despite fighting Demogorgons being cliché at this point, this confrontation feels intense by keeping the stakes intimate and personal. Knowing how to defeat an enemy, but not being able to, is a common source of good tension, after all. Add in everyone being picked off, and you have the perfect recipe for fear. Still, a Demogorgon battle isn’t all that exciting anymore. Sorry.

14. Eddie’s introduction:

Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson is the surprise ace in the hole we didn’t know we needed. It’s not hard to see why: right from his first line in Episode 1, he’s clearly mastered the art of ham and cheese. He’s so good that he could’ve compiled the bottom-half of this list alone! But I had to say “no” a few times to some of his greatest moments. (For example, I didn’t include the concert in the finale. Sorry again!)

Eddie’s first big moment is, of course, his introduction. Later episodes would soften him up, but he’s initially an impulsive beast with a showy personality. He’s even, dare I say, a little creepy? Seriously, he makes jumping onto the cafeteria table, dancing around and pretending to be a demon look intimidating! I’m not kidding when I say that I was waiting for him to start a fight with the jocks.

But that didn’t happen. And while Eddie would later become a cute teddy bear, this is easily my favourite character introduction in the entire series. It’s funny and off-putting, yet mostly really charming. And Quinn sells every second of it. The best part? It’s not even his most-memorable moment.

13. “Try before you deny!”:

Right from his introduction, it was clear that Argyle, like Eddie, would be a highlight. A chill stoner who doubles as a pizza master? And he talks like a Californian surfer? Whether it’s complimenting Joyce’s risotto, his reaction to the shootout at the Byers’ residence, or simply getting high with Eden, the show couldn’t go wrong with Argyle. It was inevitable that he’d make this list somewhere, but for what? Well, his conversation with Mike and Eleven before the fight with Vecna is a good place to start. Especially since it involves food, specifically whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza.

I’ve always found this debate tiring. Pineapple on pizza’s a personal choice and is different for everyone. But what makes this moment memorable is how Mike and Eleven react differently here: Mike, the more socially-experienced one, thinks it’s blasphemous, so he won’t even try it. Eleven, on the other hand, has no frame of reference, so she digs in without second-guessing herself. And she enjoys it. All the while, Argyle’s taunting Mike for not giving it a chance.

There’s little going on otherwise, but it earns a spot for how normal it feels. Season 4 has been nonstop tension, even during its quieter moments, and the finale will be even more so. But for this one moment, the characters act like actual teenagers. It helps that Eleven’s never had a “normal” moment like this before, so it’s a welcomed change. It’s…nice.

12. Patrick’s death:

Of Vecna’s four victims, Patrick’s death is the quickest. Chrissy was the inciting incident and Fred was depressing, while Max, being a central character, had two confrontations with Vecna. But Patrick? We had early foreshadowing with his nosebleed, but other than that? It happened, had little fanfare, and was done like that. And that’s why it’s so freaky.

Patrick’s death also coincides with the main cast discovering the Creel mansion, as it initially crosscuts between Jason and Patrick trying to swim to Eddie in his rowboat and the kids holding their flashlights in the epicentre of everything, right before jumping between Patrick dying in the lake and the kids’ flashlights exploding. In a way, each light bursting is another step in Patrick’s mutilation. That it’s done and over with so quickly is pretty terrifying. We don’t even see what’s going on inside Patrick’s mind as he’s dying.

Despite this, it’s a major moment in Jason’s character arc. Up until then, Jason was a Gaston-like character with limits. Yes, Chrissy’s death impacted him, and he definitely blamed Eddie for it, but he hadn’t witnessed anything firsthand. Patrick’s death, however, was the point of no return. It’s here that he accepts Eddie’s “Satanic powers” as being real, and it’s here that his turn to villainy’s complete. So while Patrick’s death is the least-glamourized, it’s still a pivotal moment. And it’s enough to earn it a spot.

11. Two is tortured:

Eleven seems to have it bad with bullying. Initially she has Angela, a classmate who, despite idolizing Hellen Keller, is an ableist jerk. But when Eleven relives her past trauma in order to regain her powers, we see that even as a child she was bullied by her fellow psychics. In particular, some of the older kids, Two particularly, ganged up on her following her victory in a battle of the minds. Which leads to Dr. Brenner confronting Two over his behaviour and “setting an example”.

To be clear, you never deserve to be tortured by an authority figure. And you especially don’t deserve it in front of other kids. But while this scene is really messed up, such that even Henry’s disturbed, it’s definitely satisfying, albeit in a twisted way, to see Two punished. It’s not like Two didn’t know what he was doing, and his cowardly attempts at justifying his behaviour only further warrant glee. I’m conflicted on my feelings, essentially.

But that’s not why I included it. No, it shows how twisted Brenner really is. This is a man who tortured and manipulated children for the sake of science. He also wasn’t afraid to invoke fear. Even in Season 4, as he’s helping Eleven, he’s still subtly manipulating her. So him torturing Two, all while never raising his voice or losing his cool, is scary.

10. Eleven hits Angela:

Speaking of bullying, Eleven deals with Angela in the most-primal way. Like I said before, Angela’s an ableist hypocrite. She may idolize Hellen Keller, but she lacks compassion for the vulnerable. This is seen when she mocks Eleven over her presentation, as well as when she wrecks her mural in the school courtyard. But this reaches a boil when she and some friends taunt Eleven at the roller rink in front of Mike, ultimately spilling some soda on her dress.

To say this is a mistake on Angela’s part is an understatement. Not only does Eleven give her one last chance at reconciliation, but when that fails Eleven grabs a roller skate and whacks Angela in the face, splitting her forehead open. As Angela screams in agony, we learn the lesson that bullies keep forgetting: never underestimate your victims. Especially when they retaliate. It’s a tense reversal of fates.

And yet, it’s also satisfying, maybe? I’m not condoning what Eleven did here. Giving someone a Grade 2 concussion is a form of assault. But as someone who once stormed out of a school assembly because a peer was mocking me, I can sympathize with Eleven’s frustrations. Because bullying’s bullying, and Angela, the self-professed fan of Hellen Keller, should’ve known better.

9. Petey McHugh:

One of the reasons Stranger Things 4 works in spite of itself is because it splits up its cast into small groups frequently and spends time on their development. Such is the case with Robin and Nancy when they infiltrate an insane asylum to learn more about Victor Creel. Initially, their cover story of being PhD students doesn’t pass the sniff test, and they’re nearly forced to leave. But while Nancy’s playing it safe, Robin, who has an impulsive tendency to not stop talking, decides to interject. What follows is easily the best monologue that Maya Hawke’s delivered on the show to-date.

Robin rambles on about a kid at summer camp named Petey McHugh, who was traumatized by the stories of Victor Creel. Petey couldn’t even sleep because of these stories, while she was fascinated by them. And between the sexism that female PhD students face in academia, as well as how Petey would’ve been granted an audience with Victor without question, Robin guilts the warden into letting them see Victor for 10 minutes. The warden, surprisingly, gives them 30 minutes. The best part of it all? Robin’s entire story was improvised.

I have to hand it to this moment. I’ve liked Robin since her introduction in the previous season, but I’ve always felt like her rambling wasn’t utilized well until now. It’s here that she turned her biggest flaw into her greatest asset, coercing someone with more power than her to relent. It’s moments like these that, as I said, justify the season’s lengthier episodes. Not bad for winging it, right?

8. Victor Creel’s backstory:

Speaking of which, Victor Creel’s both disturbing and awesome. Ignoring how The Duffer Brothers got the actor for Freddy Krueger for the part, which is cool on its own, the image of a scruffy old man with damaged eyes and an unkempt beard is classic horror. What’s even better is his backstory, revealing that he was framed for the murder by Vecna. Or, at least, by who he believes is Vecna. We’d later learn what really happened, but it’s clear that Victor’s innocent. Fancy that.

Victor’s story’s heartbreaking. He and his family were gifted a mansion that was almost too good to be true. And it was, as everything started turning into a living nightmare. It all culminated at the dinner table one evening, when Victor’s wife was lifted into the air, brutally mutilated and killed. Victor then relived his war trauma, returning to his son and daughter-supposedly-dead. He was arrested for murdering them, then thrown into an asylum. The only way out of reliving his guilt was piercing his eyes with razors.

Despite later being given more context, it shows how easy it is to frame someone when the supernatural’s involved. It also reveals a key detail about Vecna: his “weakness”, so to speak, is music. Specifically, pop music. This not only proves vital to Max, who’s stuck in a trance, it also provides a small glimmer of hope. Because trust me, the show needs it!

7. Eleven destroys the helicopter:

One of the double-edged swords of this season was Eleven’s powers. She’d lost them after an encounter with The Mind Spider in Season 3, putting her in neutral territory. Fortunately, while regaining her powers was a bummer, it was also one of the season’s best subplots. It also made regaining her powers that much more satisfying, like a stroke victim learning how to walk again. Most-importantly, it culminates in the best action sequence in Episode 8, where she takes down a military helicopter. Because what’s more awesome than that?

Beginning when the military infiltrates NINA, it reaches a fever peak when Dr. Brenner’s shot while escorting Eleven outside. She has a tracking collar on, is exhausted and looks to be done for. And she would’ve been, had the gang not shown up in a van at that moment. But the quick distraction proves useful, as no sooner does the helicopter turn back to Brenner when Eleven’s on her feet and toying with it. She then, in an applause-worthy moment, lets it drop and explode, killing everyone inside it.

It's a powerful moment on its own, but it’s given additional weight by Brenner releasing Eleven’s collar. He clearly has regrets in his dying breaths, but rather than Eleven forgiving him, she lets him go and says goodbye. Because she’s moved on, and she’s ready to be her own individual. It’s a great moment that shows a unique way for victims to leave their abusers, even if it’s also personal. But it works.

6. Eleven VS Henry/One:

Backtracking a bit, Episode 7 was when everything started making sense. In particular, this was when the various storylines started converging. It also, essentially, has four plot-twists. Considering how difficult it is to do even one plot-twist, that’s impressive. But it works, even adding to Victor Creel’s backstory.

After revealing himself, One tells Eleven to wait until he returns. Eleven ends up following him, witnessing a trail of dead bodies. She ends up in The Rainbow Room, where she sees One finishing off Two. Realizing there’s no way around it, One reveals that he’s Henry Creel, and that he was responsible for framing his father. The two then get into a fight that Eleven wins, banishing him to The Upside Down and creating the monster that is Vecna.

This is excellent on its own, but especially for two reasons. One, it shows how Victor had failed his family by not realizing he’d raised a sociopath. And two, it contradicts the opening in Episode 1 where it was shown that Eleven had killed everyone. That second point’s especially striking because that never sat right with me. I knew Eleven was capable of killing people, but she was never an outright murderer. This only further cemented that.

5. Vecna taunts Nancy:

If Stranger Things has taught me anything, it’s that you never mess with Nancy. You especially don’t threaten those close to her, as she’ll shoot you with a sawed-off shotgun in revenge. Still, Vecna learned that lesson the hard way. And it began with Episodes 7 and 8, when Vecna revealed himself, his motives and why he chose her for them. If it weren’t for Vecna being creepy, I’d almost feel bad for him.

After getting caught in Vecna’s trance, Nancy’s gets a front-row seat to his backstory. As her friends try helping her, leading to one of Eddie’s greatest lines, Vecna shows her glimpses of the future. These include four chimes, signifying his four victims, the crumbling of Hawkins and the numerous impending deaths. The only response Nancy can give is her repeated screams of “NO!”. It’s hard not to see why, as since she still carries guilt over Barb’s death. But she survives, instead being left with a “message” for Eleven.

This is easily the scariest moment in the entire season. Yes, Vecna’s prior kills were creepy, but we either didn’t have enough information about Vecna, or didn’t have enough of an attachment to his victims. But this is Nancy. She’s been there since Episode 1 of Season 1. Potentially losing her, therefore, is upsetting. It ends up being a fake-out, but for that brief period you believe that this is the end. In some ways, her life being spared is more frightening!

4. Max “dies”/Hawkins crumbles:

Max is The MVP of Season 4. It’s weird saying that, as she began as a side-character in Season 2, but she’s grown into a fan-favourite. Of Vecna’s victims she’s the most-proactive, surviving her first encounter and coming prepared the second time. So that she still “dies”, even if it’s not permanent, in the finale is pretty tragic. It doesn’t help that Lucas and Eleven both cry over it, with their actors easily doing some of their finest work so far.

Of course, we’re barely able to take it in when Vecna’s chimes start ringing, beginning the destruction of Hawkins. Many people die in this convergence with The Upside Down-Jason goes out in a really gruesome way-while many others are scared. Perhaps the worst part is when Holly and Karen are huddling closely as everything shatters around them. Conventional wisdom states that effective horror’s when characters you like are in danger, and this is true here. It doesn’t even matter that they’re side-characters.

This tonal whiplash earns this moment a place on this list all on its own. It goes from heartbreaking to terrifying on a dime, leaving you drained. It’s also a sign that despite Vecna’s “defeat”, he still won. Like Thanos in The Avengers: Infinity War, he did exactly what he’d planned. We’d quickly get a sense of what that was later, however...

3. “Dear Billy…”/“I’m still here!”:

Rewinding a little bit, we get another example of why Max is The MVP. Up until now, Max, while clearly marked by Vecna, has been taking as many proactive steps as possible: she’s been seeking guidance, she’s been figuring out why she’s targeted, and she’s hand-written lengthy goodbye letters to friends and family. She’s even gone to visit her brother’s grave to apologize. It might seem strange to do that, as Billy was abusive, but even abusive relationships are complicated. (See Eleven’s relationship with Dr. Brenner.)

Vecna then uses this moment to prey on Max. He initially takes on the form of Billy, guilting her while she’s at her most vulnerable. As her friends shout her name, Max looks to be a goner. But then Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” starts playing, and the show, in its best use of a clip montage, gives us hope as Max’s happy memories flood back. It provides a window of opportunity to escape Vecna’s grasp, which she takes.

The line from Max, “I’m still here!”, turns into a triumph against all odds. Whether it’s a struggle with depression, a recovery from a suicide attempt, or even making it through a near-death experience, anyone can relate to that. We’ve all been Max at some point, even if we won’t to admit it. It also shows that Vecna can be defeated, giving us hope. Perhaps it’s short-lived, but it’s hope nonetheless.

2. “Chrissy wake up!”:

I’m sure everyone knows this moment because of that song on YouTube. While it’s funny and catchy, stopping there does it a disservice. It was initially quite disturbing, introducing Vecna while killing off a character we’d only known a short while, yet had grown attached to. Because Chrissy didn’t deserve this. Neither did Eddy, even if he doubled as a drug dealer.

Chrissy, having been struggling with nightmares, heads to Eddie’s trailer for some…meth? Cocaine? Weed? It’s not important, but she’s caught in Vecna’s grasp and freaks Eddie out. We see what’s going on in her head, but Eddie believes she’s having an episode. So he tries screaming at her to wake up, only to flee in terror after she’s maimed and dies.

Aside from being traumatic, this is an “I can’t believe they included this!” moment that the season would become notorious for. It also sucks because Chrissy and Eddie had great chemistry in their previous scene, such that The Duffer Brothers, apparently, regretted killing Chrissy off. Still, anything this memorable and scary deserves a #2 spot. It also makes you wonder what’d top it. Cue the memes!

1. “Mom, it’s snowing!”:

Many of you are probably wondering why this is at #1. While not the most shocking moment in Season 4, this is Stranger Things’s version of the Thanos snap from The Avengers: Infinity War. It was built up to, it’s depressing and it shows that, despite their efforts, the heroes of Hawkins still lost. It’s also the best use of the series’ main theme, such that I might even prefer it? Maybe.

After the emotional reunions in Hawkins, Will’s neck starts tingling. Long-time fans know that’s never a good sign, but here it’s made worse by the sky raining ash. As everyone across the town takes note, the orchestrations ramp up. I especially like the violin solo as Dustin slowly limps outside. It ends with a zoom-out of Hawkins engulfed by fire and smoke, signalling an impending battle with The Mind Flayer that I assume will happen in the next season.

What makes this moment jump straight to the top of this list, however, is that it’s mostly wordless. The only three that are uttered are from Holly, who’s completely oblivious to everything. For everyone else, this is a “Here we go again!” moment. It’s the perfect capper, ending with a fade to black right as the music becomes intense. I love it.

*****

There you have it: my 15 favourite moments in Season 4 of Stranger Things. Feel free to share yours, and I’ll see you next time!