Ahead of Stranger Things season 4, volume 2, Sadie Sink opens up about what she thinks Max wrote in her letter to Lucas. Success for the Duffer Brothers' record-breaking Netflix series has been astronomical, earning high critical acclaim and fan support since its debut in 2016. The most recent Stranger Things season is divided into two parts, set several months after the Battle of Starcourt with the characters spread out across the world. As adolescent friendships are tested by the pressures of high school, as well as distance, the kids face a new supernatural giant as Vecna begins to terrorize Hawkins, a problem it seems only Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) can solve.
Vecna makes things very personal when he goes after Max in the middle of Stranger Things season 4. While preying on the most traumatized young adults in town, Vecna makes Max a target, sending her on a fearful spiral that causes her to write a collection of private letters to her friends and family, just in case her life is taken by the demonic figure. Only the contents of Max's letter to her late brother Billy are read in Stranger Things season 4, volume 1. However, since the kids have been able to keep Max alive, the remainder of her heartfelt letters have stayed a mystery, thus piquing much intrigue among audiences.
While speaking with THR, Sink opens up about what may lie within the letter to Max's friend and ex-boyfriend Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). Though Sink isn't entirely sure, she has her own ideas about what her Stranger Things character would have said to Lucas while feeling like the end was near. She says:
With Max and Lucas, it’s so tricky because they both just really care about each other, but the love and care that Lucas has for Max terrifies her, and the love and care that she has for Lucas terrifies her, so she would never say anything to that extent in person. So, I think throughout this letter, hypothetically, she would probably express some of that care and love that she has for him in a really genuine and vulnerable way. Or maybe she’s not letting go of her values even when she’s dead, and it’s just writing on paper.
Max has captivated audiences more and more as Stranger Things has progressed, starting as a sarcastic and edgy young girl and evolving into a unique, deep character with flaws that make her all the more interesting. Stranger Things season 4 is a major milestone for the character as she steps into the spotlight and becomes the emotional core of the story. Her dynamic with Lucas has proven to be key here because it gives Max the chance to reach her most vulnerable state as she reaches out to the people she loves. Even if viewers never hear what she wrote in her letter to Lucas, the fact that she wrote it at all showed a sincere care that is often buried in Max's angst and emotional stress.
Sink's assessment that Max would likely get vulnerable in her letter to Lucas rings true for a character who doesn't often show her true feelings outwardly. When pushed to the breaking point, Max can be persuaded to open up, and she must've gotten very tender with Lucas in her letter. Stranger Things season 4 still has two more episodes that could reveal what Max wrote, but that is far from a guarantee. One could even say that Sink's theory proves that audiences won't learn the truth; after all, if the actor herself doesn't know, then it might not have been filmed. Nevertheless, as the Stranger Things season 4 finale runtime is an intense 2 hours and 19 minutes, there could be plenty of room to touch upon this emotional topic.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 releases Friday, July 1 on Netflix.
Source: THR