Warning! SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1.
Stranger Things season 3’s finale epilogue made a mistake in its tone after the events of Starcourt Mall, which season 4’s teased tragic ending is cleverly avoiding. The endings to Stranger Things seasons 1-3 follow a similar formula in terms of the characters’ climactic battles with the Upside Down and a brief epilogue that depicts them moving forward with a more optimistic rebuilding. However, as the consequences and aftermath of the characters’ conflicts become more dire, Stranger Things season 4 can’t afford another happy ending after such tragic losses and developments.
After Eleven (seemingly) sacrificed herself in Stranger Things season 1, Hawkins’ teens celebrated Christmas and the kids played D&D again. Following season 2’s Mind Flayer attacks, the characters attended the Snow Ball with some optimistic romances blossoming. Afterwards, Billy sacrificed himself to the Mind Flayer and Hopper (seemingly) sacrificed himself to destroy the Key, with the characters packing up the Byers’ Hawkins house as they made jokes and said teary goodbyes. Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3 both picked up with the characters acting as normal after the events of the prior Upside Down conflicts, but season 4 changes this formula, with much more grief and trauma persisting amongst the figures.
The more optimistic epilogues of Stranger Things’ season finales provided a sense of closure and rebuilding for the characters, but certain aspects of these scenes didn’t make sense tonally. This was particularly true for Stranger Things season 3’s finale, which saw Max and Lucas mockingly singing “The NeverEnding Story” as Dustin flipped them the bird, suggesting the teens were back to normal after Starcourt Mall’s tragedies. However, Stranger Things season 4 won’t feature another happy ending, which follows the more serious and tragic tone that the series is taking as the stakes of the Upside Down’s battles become drastically higher.
The Duffers Confirm Stranger Things Season 4 Won’t Have A Happy Ending
Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger Things’ co-creators, have confirmed that season 4, volume 2 will not have a happy ending. A few teases of Stranger Things season 4’s ending by the Duffer Brothers have suggested that one or two major characters will die, with fans widely theorizing that Steve Harrington won’t survive the finale. Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 only features two more episodes, but the finale is set to have a runtime that nears two hours and 20 minutes. As Stranger Things’ characters are battling Vecna, the Upside Down, bullies, Russian guards, and the U.S. military, imminent tragedy surrounds Hawkins’ figures from every corner. The end of Stranger Things season 3 saw the only major character death from Billy Hargrove, Max Mayfield’s antagonistic stepbrother, but it’s hinted that season 4 will prove the beloved protagonists aren’t invincible either.
Realizing that Stranger Things’ finales typically end on a bittersweet or satisfying note, the Duffer brothers have warned audiences not to expect this when season 4 concludes. The creators revealed that Stranger Things season 4, volume 2’s ending won’t be “tied up with a nice little bow,” with the events of the finale being so climactic that there won’t be the opportunity for a “reset” when finished. Rather, Stranger Things season 5 is set to pick up on the same dire note as season 4 leaves off on, with the characters continuing the story in their darkest place yet. Stranger Things season 3’s ending perhaps should have concluded in a similar manner, as the beginning of season 4 partially contradicts the prior installment’s happy ending “reset.”
Why Stranger Things S3’s Max & Lucas Ending Scene Was A Mistake
The ending of Stranger Things season 3’s finale went directly from the brutal and emotional sacrifice of Billy Hargrove and the apparent death of Jim Hopper to an epilogue set three months later. After a newsreel explaining how Hawkins covered up the Starcourt Mall tragedies and Mind Flayer deaths, Stranger Things cut to the Byers' house, with the jump in tone being quite jarring. While Max had just been screaming because her stepbrother sacrificed his life to save her, the next scene depicted her cheerfully singing a goofy song with Lucas. This scene partially undermined the impact of Billy’s death on Max, and made grief seem much less dark in Stranger Things’ world. Although it was only three months later, Stranger Things season 4 reveals that Max’s life drastically changed after Billy’s death, which is why this scene with Max and Lucas didn’t fit with the tonal transition to spring 1986.
The actors themselves have admitted that the Stranger Things season 3 singing scene between Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) was odd, pointing out that her brother had just died but they were acting like nothing had happened. Stranger Things’ writers clearly realized that this ending scene wasn’t indicative of Max’s grief and the impact of Billy’s death, as Sink’s character is morose and withdrawn when season 4 begins – a significant contrast to season 3’s epilogue. Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 tried to explain this discrepancy in Max’s demeanor through her letter to Billy, where she remarks that everyone tried to pretend things were normal for a while. However, the series’ dark and more tragic tone of Stranger Things season 4 may have been stronger had Max’s vulnerability been set up in the epilogue.
Although Billy was abusive to Max, his death led to a profound sense of survivor’s guilt – ergo, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” as her favorite song – and regret that she’ll never be able to become real siblings with him – that she’ll never have the chance to see him throw into a genuinely better person. This reaction to Billy’s death was obvious right when he sacrificed himself in Stranger Things season 3’s finale, but Max and Lucas' epilogue scene made the mistake of undermining her grief rather than exploring the true extent of the ramifications his sacrifice had on Max’s life. Had Stranger Things season 3 allowed the story to finish with the characters on a more vulnerable note than the bittersweet conclusion it decided on, Stranger Things season 4 wouldn’t have had to explain why Max’s disposition conflicts with how viewers had last seen her.
Stranger Things Season 4’s Tragic Ending Is Exactly What The Series Needs
Stranger Things’ youngest characters aren’t kids anymore, and the more mature and devastating consequences of their conflicts reflect this as the series approaches its end. While Stranger Things season 5 is apt to have a happy or bittersweet ending that satisfies the arcs set up over the course of the series, season 4 must end in a manner that keeps the approaching doom for the series finale more worrisome than ever. If Steve, Max, or Hopper were to die at end of Stanger Things season 4, volume 2 as many have predicted, it would feel wrong to have an epilogue that shows the rest of the characters trying to go back to life as normal before season 5 begins. Stranger Things needs to take a risk with its season 4 finale, and a happy ending for the penultimate season doesn’t give the series the sense of fatal urgency and anguish that it requires for the climactic season 5 story conclusion.
The Duffers brothers are finally allowing Stranger Things’ characters to fully explore the ramifications of the suffering and despair that comes with the Upside Down’s attacks, which is exactly what is needed as the stakes for Hawkins’ beloved figures are at the highest they’ve ever been. Stranger Things season 5’s ending is apt to be a redemptive conclusion to the series’ larger arcs, and the impending doom must be a direct response to season 4’s events rather than a new setup in the final season’s premiere. Stranger Things’ dark tone and emotional maturity can’t afford another “reset” between installments, as season 5 needs to be set up with the ball already rolling before Eleven's final battle.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 arrives on Netflix on July 1.