Warning! SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4 volume 2.
Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 is finally out, and with that, there are a few new ways that the show has used the now-classic Kate Bush hit "Running Up That Hill." During the climactic final episode of Stranger Things season 4, the kids organize a plan that will end with them killing Vecna while he has a hold of Max. They use her as the bait to get Vecna into a trance so that they can burn him from the Upside Down. As part of their plan, the kids are separated into various camps. Lucas' little sister serves as a communication point, Lucas and Max go into the Upside Down version of the "murder house" to commune with Vecna, Dustin and Eddie are on bat duty, and the rest of them are armed to the gills so they're prepared to take Vecna down when he is at his most vulnerable.
As the kids are getting ready to man their battle stations, Max and Lucas share a very tender moment while waiting for her to become bait for Vecna. Since they can't talk in the Upside Down without attracting major attention from the monsters there, Max writes on a piece of paper to communicate with Lucas, "Hi." He then responds with an adorable and wholesome "hi :)." At which point, Max says, "I'm glad you're here," to which Lucas responds "Me too." This exchange is painted by the inclusion of the famous, and now-viral, Kate Bush song "Running Up That Hill," returning after playing a pivotal role in Stranger Things season 4 volume 1.
However, while Max and Lucas are talking, the song goes from the all-too-familiar chorus to a verse that goes "It's you and me / Won't be unhappy / Oh come on, baby / oh come on, darling / Let me steal this moment from you now..." This is juxtaposed with Max finally opening up to Lucas and with Lucas asking her out to a movie that Friday. It's a great moment, with a great soundtrack, as the lyrics spell out how Max is feeling toward Lucas at that moment. Since she may not make it out of the ordeal alive, she is "stealing a moment" with him before anything bad happens to either of them. The symbolism of the Kate Bush song, then, takes a deeper turn at this point, outlining not just how Max feels about losing her brother, but how she feels in that moment with Lucas.
What Book Is Lucas Reading Max At The End Of Stranger Things 4?
Max responds to Lucas' date request with a stick figure drawing of the both of them holding hands, which Lucas later tapes above her hospital bed after she is recovering from almost being killed by Vecna at the end. The scene at Max's hospital bed starts out with Lucas reading to her. It's The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The passage he shares goes, "He opened his eyes and further words died in his throat. He forgot about the need to sick up that horrible parody of wine. He forgot about his mother, and Uncle Morgan, and his father, and almost everything else. Speedy was gone. The graceful arcs of the roller coaster against the sky were gone...He could feel the hair stirring on the nape of his neck, could feel a goofed-up grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. 'Speedy! I'm here. My God! I'm here in the Territories!'"
This is a passage where the main character of the novel, Jack, finds his way into that book's version of the Upside Down for the first time, mirroring how Max and Lucas, too, traveled to the Upside Down together. He looks at her as if waiting for her to wake up after he reads the passage, which was likely selected by Lucas on purpose. It's a hopeful moment in a story that mirrors their own. Like the song, it also highlights their, and the show's, affinity for using pop culture as symbols for their love. Ultimately, both moments contribute to one of Stranger Things season 4 volume 2's strongest arcs.