Article by Ella Mariano
June 18, 2022
The most awaited season has finally arrived. After almost three years, we finally get to have Stranger Things Season 4, which was released on Netflix last May 27, 2022. For Volume 1 of this season, we’re gifted with seven hair-raising episodes to binge overnight.
With the Mind Flayer killed and the Gate closed for the second time in Season 3, we thought that for this season, they’re just going to fight a stronger version of the Mind Flayer. Turns out, we have an indescribable being on the loose and not everyone might get out alive this time. We have more obstacles to go through than Vecna this season. Stranger Things has not only given us the most dangerous monster from the Upside Down, but they have shown us different takes on dealing with anxiety, depression, and trauma. So, here are this season’s notable scenes depicting mental health.
Eleven Lies
At the beginning of the season, we see Eleven’s new life as a high school student at Lenora Hills. She wrote Mike about how she’s enjoying her new life in California, when in fact, she’s never been more miserable. Being in a new environment made her feel more isolated, considering that she was in high school when she barely had enough social interactions growing up in the Hawkins Lab. She was too busy escaping the people from the lab and fighting the unknown, so she was way behind in school. On top of that, she’s considered as the weird kid when she embarrassed herself in front of everyone as she attempted to throw Angela with her powers. Being bullied in school made her remember her horrific time in Hawkins Lab. She felt like she never fit in anywhere. She’s an outcast, and she knows it.
Maximum Damage
We also see how Max is doing a year after the death of her brother, Billy. By the looks of it, she’s having an awful time. Not only was she dealing with the grief over her brother’s death, but her parents also got a divorce, and her mom is dealing with alcoholism. She wasn’t hanging out with Lucas and the other kids as much because she shut them out of her life. She’d rather not talk about her problems and escape her thoughts. Talking to the guidance counselor wasn’t much of a help either because it just made her more anxious. She just doesn’t want to relive the pain.
Hopper’s Trip to Hell
While Eleven and Max are dealing with past traumas, Hopper is living his trauma in real time. We see him as a prisoner of Russia as he survived the explosion in Starcourt Mall. Unfortunately, he was caught by the Russian military. He dealt with different kinds of torture as they repeatedly ask him about what he knew about their project and who else knew about it. It was cold, gloomy, and depressing. The once fearless sheriff is now hopeless. He doesn’t know if there’s any way out of this hell.
Justice for Victor Creel
Nancy and Robin took the steep road to get answers from the infamous Victor Creel about what happened in the Creel House Massacre. He was convicted for the death of her wife and children. A crime he never did or thought of doing. His once peaceful life turned into a living nightmare. And it’s all thanks to the demonic spirit that he thought was corrupting their home. The trauma brought by that horrific night made him think about joining his family in the afterlife.
Vecna the Psycho Killer
A nod to the classics of Stephen King’s “IT” and Wes Craven’s “Nightmare on Elm Street”, Vecna is this season’s demon who used trauma and fear as a tool to inflict pain on his victims. The murderous monster preys on the most vulnerable people, especially those living with emotional trauma and excruciating guilt. It could be anyone. What’s more terrifying is that he has his own Cerebro where he can navigate everyone’s mind to hunt for his next target. Most of his victims weren’t fortunate to live another day, like Chrissy and Fred. Their deaths were blamed on Eddie, an innocent guy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Sadly, it’s hard to prove him innocent since there’s not enough evidence to show otherwise.
All of the characters are dealing with their trauma differently - which mirrors real life. Some of us run away from it and hide as much as we can. Some face head on it and deal with it like a champ. Some are fortunate enough to seek help from people they trust, while others use it to make them stronger, and some just let it consume them. Not everyone can ask for help. Not everyone is strong enough to face these traumas alone. That doesn’t mean we should let people suffer from it just because we haven’t experienced it. Characters like Robin, Steve, Joyce, and Murray got out of their way to help their friends get through these hardships. What I loved about this season is that they took care of telling mental health, and how each character dealt with it in their way and found their peace with it. They haven’t found clarity yet, but it’s important to see their progress in getting by each day. This season is, by far, the most impressive. We got comedy, romance, drama, action, and horror all in one season. Some scenes give references to previous seasons. I love it because it meant that the writers and producers made sure that everything that we were confused about finally made sense.
As we wait for Vol. 2 to come out next month, many questions remain unanswered. Will Vecna prey on more people? Will Max be targeted by Vecna again? Will Eleven be the one to put an end to this mess?
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