The Stranger Things season 4 finale secretly resolved an issue with the Byers family leaving Hawkins. The end of season 3 saw Joyce, Will, Jonathan, and Eleven pack up their house in Hawkins as they left the trauma and supernatural oddities of their home. It was soon revealed that the Byers family moved all the way out of California to keep Eleven safe, but the only positive change in their new home seemed to be Jonathan’s friendship with the new Stranger Things character Argyle.
Despite the Byers’ new home in California being a big change in the first few episodes of Stranger Things season 4, the location was completely left behind once Eleven was taken to the Nina Project Lab in Nevada. The “California gang” spent the majority of their time in Stranger Things season 4 on the road, with the characters finally reaching Hawkins in the last few moments of the season finale. Of course, the Hawkins that the Byers family returns to is not the Hawkins that they left, as the town has been devastated by Vecna’s Upside Down takeover.
While it’s not confirmed in the episode, the Stranger Things season 4 finale implies that the Byers family has officially moved back to Hawkins for season 5. Alongside the entire family reuniting there at Hopper’s cabin, the Stranger Things creators have teased that almost all of season 5 will take place in Hawkins, with the character groups largely repeating those from the first season. Rather than making the mistake of continuing to separate them from the larger supernatural story by keeping the Byers family in California, the Stranger Things season 4 ending made the right choice by quietly revealing that Joyce, Will, Jonathan, and Eleven will be back in Hawkins throughout the final season.
Why The Byers Family Needed To Return To Hawkins
The California storyline in Stranger Things season 4 introduced a few interesting personal conflicts and obstacles for the Byers family, but their story throughout the show proves that they belong in Hawkins. In particular, moving to California caused a strain in the romantic relationships between Jonathan and Nancy and Eleven and Mike, while also further pushing apart Will and Mike. To solve these issues, it was clear that the Byers family would need to return to Hawkins full time. Since they had already sold their house in Hawkins, it’s unclear where they’ll live during Stranger Things season 5, but it seems that the most obvious choice is for Joyce, Will, and Jonathan to move into Hopper and Eleven’s cabin.
The Byers moving back to Hawkins in Stranger Things season 4 is also a crucial fix to their story considering Eleven and Will are major focal points of season 5. With the final battle against Vecna creeping up, Will and the Byers needed to return to Hawkins to complete the “full circle” ending. Stranger Things started with Will being abducted from Hawkins, and it’s teased to end with Will’s connection to the Upside Down’s version of Hawkins. As all of the personal and supernatural stories come to a close, the Byers family moving back to Hawkins for Stranger Things season 5 solves plenty of issues with their physical separation from the other characters and conflicts.
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