Stranger Things season 4 is officially happening, and the announcement video might be offering some plot clues. The Duffer Brothers’ sci-fi series Stranger Things will continue exploring the Upside Down and everything that comes with it in a fourth season, which might not be what viewers were expecting.
Stranger Things season 1 focused on the disappearance of Will Byers in the town of Hawkins, Indiana, Eleven’s escape from Hawkins Lab, and the discovery of an obscure dimension called the “Upside Down”. Season 2 dealt with the aftermath of Will’s time in the other dimension, and season 3 revealed that the Russians had been conducting experiments right underneath the new Starcourt Mall. Surely, the characters have been through a lot, and Stranger Things season 4 is not going to give them a break.
Netflix officially announced Stranger Things season 4 with a short video that, in Duffer Brothers fashion, didn’t reveal anything about the plot (at least not explicitly) except for the fact that danger is not exclusive to Hawkins. But after further examination, there might be more to that announcement than what they want fans to believe.
The Clock Tower Suggests Time Travel In Season 4
One of the biggest rumors about Stranger Things season 4 is time travel. The technology in Stranger Things is far more advanced than it truly was in the 1980s, with big machines/weapons opening portals to other dimensions. The Duffer Brothers themselves have said that time traveling is not out of the question for the series, and with a bunch of questions to be answered in season 4 (mostly about Hopper’s fate), time traveling seems possible. This theory can be supported by the announcement video, in which a clock tower can be seen on the left side of the screen, when it changes to the Upside Down. The Duffer Brothers tend to hide clues everywhere, and this could be a big one.
The "We’re Not In Hawkins Anymore" Tagline
The most obvious clue comes at the end of the video, where it literally tells viewers that “we’re not in Hawkins anymore”. This could go many different ways, the most obvious ones being that danger will continue to follow Eleven and Will even though they have moved out of Hawkins, and the other one that season 4 will travel to Russia, as they are still experimenting on the Upside Down – and they owe some explanation on that mysterious American prisoner. Of course, if Stranger Things really goes on the time travel route, then “not being in Hawkins anymore” could also mean other places in other times or simply that “we’re not in Hawkins” in 1985/1986.
Is Stranger Things Season 4 Set in 1985?
Stranger Things season 1 was set in 1983, season 2 a year later, and season 3 in the summer of 1985. Following this pattern, Stranger Things season 4 should be set in 1986 - in theory, that is. The Stranger Things season 4 announcement doesn’t offer an answer on this, but if the first plot clue is correct, then this season could be set in different years. Aside from the yearly setting that the series has had, 1986 is the best option as the cast keeps growing (quite fast), so having it set just months after Stranger Things season 3 wouldn’t make much sense. But the Duffer Brothers are full of surprises, so truly anything can happen in the upcoming season of Stranger Things.