Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for all of Season 4 of Stranger ThingsTension and suspense have been building for the Stranger Things Season 4 finale since Volume 1 dropped at the end of May. For the first time in the series, our favorite characters find themselves in different areas of the country and world, as the fight against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) draws near. Leading up to the nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long finale, each group is preparing for the final stand to save Hawkins, and the world, from Vecna’s plan to merge our reality with the Upside Down. Here’s the short rundown of everything that happened with each group and what this episode means for the future of the series and for the future of Hawkins.

Russia

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Image via Netflix

Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) have finally reunited in Russia and are trying to make it home to help the kids after finding Demogorgons and a mysterious particle mist in the Russian Prison. After Yuri (Nikola Djuricko) fails to get the helicopter running in time, they reach out to Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) for help getting back to Hawkins. Seeing that Owens is currently indisposed with the military, an associate returns their call and tells them that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Byers brothers are making their way back to Hawkins to fight yet another evil from the Upside Down. Knowing they won’t make it back in time to help, Joyce suggests they go back to the prison to fight the Demogorgons and destroy the mist to keep the hive mind distracted and hopefully give the kids an advantage. When Hopper, Joyce, and Murray (Brett Gelman) arrive, the prison is in chaos. The Demodogs that were thought to be entombed in the glass tubes have been revived by the particles, and have taken out the Russian guards with ease. However, this doesn’t deter Hopper from using himself as bait to lure them into the pit where he and the other prisoners fought a Demogorgon. Just as it seems like Hopper is in way over his head and about to meet the same fate as Bob (Sean Astin), Joyce swoops in and pulls him away. Once they make it to the pit, Murray barbecues the creatures with a flamethrower, and Hopper slices off the Demogorgon’s head with a sword.

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California Crew

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In Episode 8 “Papa”, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Argyle (Eduardo Franco) find Eleven in the middle of the Nevada desert just in time to help her escape from the military and Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine). Eleven uses her powers to check in on their friends in Hawkins and discovers that they plan to take on Vecna alone. In the finale “The Piggyback”, El realizes that she can still help Max (Sadie Sink) from there if she can find a sensory deprivation tank. Argyle enthusiastically leads them to a local Surfer Bros. Pizza where they trade a joint for access to the kitchen. They convert the dough freezer into a saltwater tub and El prepares to help Max and take on Vecna. El is able to find Max and deal a nasty blow to Vecna, but her victory is short-lived. Vecna overpowers her and brings them from Max’s safe and happy memory into his own lair. Mike then reaches out to El, and she uses her love for him and her friends to overpower Vecna. Sadly, this comes too late for Max who dies briefly before El realizes that she can kind of bring her back.

Hawkins and The Upside Down

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After Vecna reveals his plan for world domination to Nancy (Natalia Dyer), the Hawkins crew decides that it’s time to bring the fight to Vecna instead of waiting for him to strike again. Their plan has three parts. Group one, Max, Erica (Priah Ferguson), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) go to the Creel House in Hawkins to lure Vecna to Max. Group two, Eddie (Joseph Quinn) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) go to the Upside Down and lure the Demobats away from Vecna. Group three, Robin (Maya Hawke), Steve (Joe Keery), and Nancy also go to the Upside Down and plan to kill Vecna while his mind is focused on Max. Things start off according to the plan but go awry soon after they begin. Nancy, Robin, and Steve make it to the Upside Down Creel House but are captured by Vecna’s vines as soon as they arrive.

Eddie and Dustin are a little too successful in distracting the Demobats. They start to flee, as per the plan, but Eddie decides to stay behind and give the others as much time as he can. Dustin goes back through the portal to try and save him, but he’s too late and Eddie dies in his arms. While Max is entranced by Vecna, Jason (Mason Dye) attacks Lucas while Erica is momentarily captured by one of his jock cronies. Jason destroys Max’s “Running Up That Hill” tape during the fight, leaving Lucas unable to bring her back that way once she starts floating. El is able to stop Vecna from absorbing all of Max’s mind, but once she returns to our world, her body isn’t able to handle what she went through. With Vecna distracted by El, Nancy, Robin, and Steve are able to escape the vines and wound him. Unfortunately, because Max does die briefly, Vecna’s plan still moves forward and the portals to the Upside Down expand. The force of these rifts literally shakes Hawkins and destroys a lot of the town.

Is This The End of Hawkins as We Know It?

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Two days after the fight with Vecna, almost everyone reunites in Hawkins. Their home is now almost unrecognizable with police and military directing people to the makeshift shelter at the high school. 22 people are confirmed dead, with others still missing, presumably consumed by the rift like Jason was. Robin, Nancy, Dustin, and Steve bring donations to the high school from the Wheelers and spend time helping as much as they can. Robin reconnects with Vicki (Amybeth McNulty) and they share a sweet moment making sandwiches together. Dustin tells Eddie’s uncle about his death, and they share a heartfelt moment connecting through the memory of who Eddie really was. El visits Max in the hospital, who is still in a coma after dying and coming back to life.

After that, everyone goes to Hopper’s cabin to fix and clean it up and give El a place to hide. Jonathan and Nancy finally have a chance to talk, but he still doesn’t tell her that he didn’t apply to college. They still seem disconnected despite Nancy’s reassurances that their relationship is fine. Will tells Mike that he can still feel Vecna, and is worried about him returning with a vengeance. El tries to reach out to Max telepathically, but can’t find her. She’s worried that Brenner was right about her not being ready and that she won’t be able to bring Max back. Hopper and Joyce return and everyone rejoices for a brief moment before things get weird. Will feels a chill down his spine just as a menacing storm forms over Hawkins. The dust/gunk that touches everything in the Upside Down spreads over the town, killing the grass and plants near the cabin. It’s clear that the barrier between our world and the Upside Down has broken, allowing more than just its creatures to begin seeping into our reality.

In an interview with TVLine, the Duffer Brothers mention that a time jump between Season 4 and 5 is a likely possibility given the ages of the core cast. However, given the implications of the Season 4 ending, it’s not clear how a time jump would work in this scenario. Based on this ending, it seems like everyone has to jump right into another fight, and in a different interview with Collider, the Duffers confirm that Season 5 is going to jump right into the action. Even though we won’t know for sure how things play out until Season 5 graces our screens in its entirety, it’s clear that the Hawkins we once knew and loved is likely changed forever.

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