A Complete Recap of Everything You Need to Remember Before Stranger Things Season 5

THE FINAL SEASON of Stranger Things is almost here. It’s been more than three years since season 4 concluded, and if you really want to feel old, the first season was almost ten years ago. And if you’ve forgotten where the show left off with the Hawkins crew, you’re not the only one. In case you need a refresher, the show’s first season was set all the way back in 1983, when a research lab in Hawkins, Indiana opened a rift to the Upside Down. Simultaneously, a group of kids played Dungeons & Dragons, and one of them, Will, ended up abducted by a creature who escaped the Upside Down. We also met Eleven, a mysterious young girl with powers to defeat the creature. In seasons 1 through 3, the kids faced the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, made new friends, and even found time for some pre-teen romance. But all the while, the Upside Down’s threats never really went away. It’s more like the creatures there bided their time until the perfect moment for a major offensive. Season 4 marked the introduction of the show’s real antagonist, and with that, a set up for the characters’ biggest, deadliest fight for their lives yet. The fate of Hawkins and the rest of the world lies in the balance. So before you hit play on Season 5-the ending of which will may very well be talked about for years to come-here are the key plot points you need to know and remember. Much like previous seasons, the show splits off its characters into different groups and factions before one big finale brings everything (and everyone) together. We’ll do the same in our recap, so it’s easy to keep track of everyone’s movements. Click Here For a Recap of Seasons 1-3 of Stranger Things Stranger Things Season 4 Recap The Hawkins Group (Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, Steve, Nancy, and Robin) School is back in session, but it’s anything but a normal school year. Max and Lucas are no longer together, and she’s still grieving the death of her brother, Billy. Meanwhile, Mike and Dustin have joined the high school’s Dungeons & Dragons “Hellfire Club,” which is run by Eddie Munson. When one of the school’s cheerleaders, Chrissy Cunningham, is possessed by a creature and murdered in Eddie’s trailer, the kids set out to clear their friend’s name. The group (now with the addition of Eddie) name the creature “Vecna” and discover Chrissy’s death could be connected to a local resident named Victor Creel, who allegedly killed his family in the 1950s (Victor is, fittingly, played by horror legend Robert Englund) As the group investigates Creel and Chrissy, Max realizes she’s experiencing the same symptoms Chrissy did before she died (visions of a grandfather clock, for one), meaning she’s being targeted as Vecna’s next victim. The California Group (Will, Mike, Jonathan, Eleven) Mike travels to California to visit Eleven, who’s struggling with bullies and the loss of her powers. Eleven attacks her bully, gets arrested and is eventually taken into custody by Dr. Sam Owens, who believes he can help Eleven regain her powers to save Hawkins. She’s also reunited with Dr. Brenner, who originally oversaw her and the other test subjects. At the same time, the U. S. military is searching for Eleven to capture her before she regains her powers. Eleven goes with Dr. Owens to Nevada, while the boys are stuck in California, guarded by U. S. agents watching their every move. However, the boys manage to escape the agents and track down the NINA project, where Eleven is being held, with help from Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie. They then set out to find her. Meanwhile, Eleven, guided by Dr. Owens and Brenner, uses an isolation tank to revisit her past memories from the Hawkins research lab. Over time, she begins to recall bits and pieces of what transpired when she came there, and how she was the one of the only ones to survive the lab’s massacre. The Russia Group (Joyce, Murray, and Hopper) Joyce receives a porcelain doll with a note claiming Hopper is alive (after being presumed dead at the end of season 3). Despite his assumed death at Starcourt Mall, it turns out he survived, was captured by the Russians and sent to a prison camp. Along with Murray, Joyce travels to Alaska to pay a ransom for Hopper’s release, but it’s then revealed that their contact, Yuri, plans to turn them in to the Russian authorities. Hopper attempts to break out of prison, but he and the guard he bribed to contact Joyce, Antonov, are captured and brought back. The inmates are then given a large feast, and Hopper suspects they’re all going to be fed to the Demogorgon. He recalls the creature’s weakness to fire, and steals a lighter from a guard. The Hawkins Group (Dustin, Lucas, Erica, Max, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and now Eddie) Max, believing Vecna is about to kill her due to the visions, writes letters to her friends and heads to the cemetery. She guesses correctly, as Vecna then possesses her. Thankfully, the gang learns playing a victim’s favorite song can keep them from Vecna’s grasp, so they play “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, and manage to save her. They then go to Victor Creel’s house and realize Vecna’s movements in the Upside Down can be tracked by the flickering lights in the house. Meanwhile, Eddie is on the run from the school’s athletes, who are still convinced he’s Chrissy’s killer. He sees Vecna murder another teen at the lake while he’s trying to escape. When the kids finally find Eddie, Dustin discovers there’s a new Upside Down gate in town, right by the lake. They go to investigate it, and tendrils reach out and grab Steve. Nancy, Robin, and Eddie jump in after him. The team left behind (Dustin, Erica, Lucas) realize the Upside Down gates have spawned wherever Vecna commits a murder, and help Steve and others return to Hawkins by reuniting at the trailer where Chrissy died. However, before everyone can return, Vecna possesses Nancy, and she learns he’s Victor Creel’s son, Henry. Henry killed his mother and sister, then fell into a coma and entered Dr. Brenner’s care. He then became an orderly at the lab, and befriended Eleven. He killed everyone else in the lab, and attempted to recruit Eleven to join his quest for power, but she rejected him and ended up sending him to the Upside Down. It was there that he became the scarred, powerful monster that they now call Vecna. The group theorizes Vecna needs four gates to bring the Upside Down to Hawkins, and Max offers to be bait. The hope is that while Vecna possesses her, everyone else can attack him. The California Group (Will, Mike, Jonathan, Eleven, and Argyle) Eleven learns of the Hawkins group’s plan and convinces Owens to head back to the town. Brenner wants to use Eleven to acquire Henry for his own means, however, and attempts to trap her. At the same time, the U. S. military finds their location and kills the staff there, including Brenner. Eleven escapes and reunites with Will, Mike, Jonathan, and their friend Argyle. The Russia Group (Joyce, Murray, and Hopper) On a helicopter on the way to Russia, Joyce and Murray subdue Yuri, but crash in the wilderness. Joyce and Murray decide to have Murray pose as Yuri so they can break into the prison. They find Hopper along with the rest of the prisoners, where he’s holding off the Demogorgon with a flaming spear and a giant sword (which was actually the same sword used in the Conan the Barbarian movies). Joyce and Murray hold off the guards, and open the prison doors, allowing Hopper to escape. On the way out, the group sees other creatures from the Upside Down, including fragments of a Mind Flayer. The Finale (Everyone) The Russian crew manages to break out of the prison, but then decides to turn right back around to defeat all the creatures the guards brought in from the Upside Down. In Hawkins, the group splits up into teams. Max, Lucas, and Erica head to the Creel house to lure Vecna. Steve, Nancy, and Robin go to the Upside Down to attack Vecna while he’s distracted. And Dustin and Eddie go to the Upside Down too, to distract all the other creepy creatures flying around with an epic Metallica metal concert. Sadly, Eddie sacrifices himself in the process when he’s attacked by bat creatures (though we suspect he’ll find a way into the final season one way or another). Over in California, Eleven, Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle make a DIY sensory deprivation tank so she can help fight Vecna and keep Max safe. Unfortunately, the group’s efforts aren’t enough. Max nearly dies from Vecna’s possession and ends up in a coma. And although she’s not dead, her near-fatal state is still enough to open a fourth portal to the Upside Down, which is all Vecna needs to bring his realm to Hawkins. The last shot we see in the season finds everyone reunited back in Hawkins, but the Upside Down is there too. So now, you’re officially caught up on the major plot points of season 4. Eleven is stronger than ever before, but will still need a lot of help to defeat the Upside Down. Max’s life hangs in the balance, and Vecna is close to claiming victory over Hawkins and potentially the world. With all these stakes lined up, Ssason 5-and the series finale-will (hopefully) be an unforgettable conclusion.
https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a69557464/what-to-remember-stranger-things-season-4/

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