Gotta love a good use of a great song.
This was a great episode.
this is an absolute masterpiece!!!! and breathing is not allowed in the last five minutes
This whole season has been fucking amazing but this episode stands out as one of the best imo.
Yup! That's the power of Kate Bush
PHENOMENAL THE LAST 5 MINUTES HAD ME FUCKING DYING
What is this creature. Where did it come from? What does it want? What’s it after? So many questions. It’s like they picked a random creature & throw it into the story line. This season has some weak story writing.
Best episode of this season so far. It was so emotional, so thrilling. Loved it!
Same thing happens to me every time I listen to Kate Bush
The buildup in this episode is incredible. The use of music on the show in general and for the plot is just pure genius.
Yes, some parts are slower and maybe a bit boring at time like the Russian/Hopper storyline but that comeback is going to be awesome… I feel it. Also, it can’t be too easy and it needs building.
The Victor Creel flashback scene was better than the entirety of the third Conjuring film.
Totally got caught off guard by how EMOTIONAL this episode has made me. Expected it to be a filler, didn't think I'd be WIPING TEARS AWAY FROM MY FACE. So far what's happening to Max is the only highlight of the season. Sadie was absolutely phenomenal here. I mean that scene of her reading the letter to Billy's grave? COME ON! I was gutted. ALSO, BILLYYYYYY!!! :cry:
that was so fucking beautiful and precious y’all i can’t
Wow, what an emotional episode. From Ep03 it just gets better and better!
insanely good episode and the final sequence was a masterpiece. this season has absolutely shattered me so far
that final sequence was just marvelous. absolutely one of the best scenes in all of stranger things.
max running away from vecna as she gets flashbacks of her memories while running up the hill is playing ─ phenomenal. and sadie sink portrayed her character so well, she delivered an insanely good performance. she's definitely going to be winning some awards.
this is so fucking sad and emotional
Best of the season yet, though I've yet to be wowed by anything so far. The ending sequence was pretty great here, but pretty much everything else has just been alright imo.
The anxiety while watching this episode is real
bruh holy fucking shit those last five mins. ALSO FUCKING ROBERT ENGLUND??? SOMEBODY SEDATE ME
I was eating a peanut butter sandwich when Hopper found his peanut butter and I've never felt more connected to somebody like that in my life. 10 out of 10. Would eat peanut butter with Hopper any day. Also...lets go KATE FREAKING BUSH. And don't even get me started on Robert Englund. This episode was banana pants awesome.
The imagery in the final scene was literally unreal
The side stories just seem like a waste of time.
The ending sequence got me all emotional along with the credits music
The last shot was just beautiful.
easily best episode and the last 5 minutes oh my god... with the build up as well, I mostly never worry for characters surviving because I know they won't die but this one was different.... I genuinely didnt know if she would make it which is partly why it's done so well. the last scene is an actual masterpiece, with running up that hill- the flashbacks- everything was perfect. One of my fav scenes of all timel
That. Was. Amazing.
I had serious reservations when I found out the episode lengths to the episodes in this season. I really didn't think it was going to work at all but, weirdly, the time just flies. Somehow, the Duffer Bros. have created something new here, they've created almost a series of movies. How this works I don't get, but works it does.
4 episodes in and this is the best season since the first IMO and I think this episode is probably the best across the entire series.
Outstanding.
OMG THE FLASHBACKS MADE ME THINK SHE WAS GOING TO DIE!! BUT SHE'S OKAY :hearts::hearts::hearts: Also, I'm kinda nervous to imagine that the one back is not fully Max (like Will was, when he was possessed). But I hope it's not the case. Amazing episode. Best one so far.
max's flashback scenes and the ending to this episode were BEAUTIFUL.
wow what an excellent episode, had me on the edge of my seat in distress. sadie sink we will get you your emmy
Wow, they still got it. Great episode and a powerful final scene. So far this season proves it was worth the long wait.
Just when I thought we could quickly get away from the dumb Russian subplot, they pull us back in for some reason.
Look I get it's a lighthearted show, but there are far too many stupid things that you need to overlook to keep the suspension of disbelief going.
- army dudes (?) seizing a house with automatic rifles shoot worse than stormtroopers and are kept at bay by a fat guy with a pistol
- your average American-house-wooden-wall offers bullet cover
- one of the bad guys casually walks out and never attempts to shoot our heroes (as they are trying to escape in a van coming up the road) for like a good minute
- Kate Bush and Ella Fitzgerald can bring you back from the upside down, but having people shout in your face doesn't. Why hasn't anyone tried punching her in the face?
- Max falls 5m off the ground but is absolutely fine
- Kamchatka has worse security than a summer work camp
- Hopper can "bend" his ankle to his will now, but he can still run barefoot on it in the snow just fine no problem
- did I mention Hopper got even more swole and is still super strong on a diet of bread and water?
As far as acting goes:
It was kind of sad seeing old frames of previous seasons with those happy little kids.
All in all kind of lame.
holy shirt!!! this is a masterpiece, especially that max running from vecna. that was the most intense scene this season so far holy mother of cow
never thought i'd cry watching a stranger things episode... this was an incredible episode, in all senses.
ROBERT FREAKING ENGLUND!!! On a side note I totally bought that Max was a goner.
The finale of this episode will stand as one of the best moments in all of Stranger Things.
The visuals, the stakes, the music. What a brilliant composition.
Truly great work. That's before the shootout, the meeting with Victor and the Hopper subplot taking a nasty turn.
I need a break after this one :sweat_smile:
Dang wtf I haven't cried for a tv series in a while tbh..... Only ones I can think of are Breaking Bad when Jesse was making his wooden box
WOW best of the season yet! Hopper was such a badass during that fight scene with the russian. That shootout scene at the house was so good that police officer was something else taking down a whole military squad on his own. The ending scene was perfection the music, the emotions and the action was top tier. Also this is the best villain we've had yet I want to know why he's doing all this and what's his endgame.
American cops are really super powered. Was Hopper always this strong ? After a year of torture and mistreatment and he still manages to overpower and kill two guards. And then he runs like a champ despite his broken bare foot.
Same with the kids' bodyguard, taking on several militaries with assault rifle with only a simple gun. Wow.
Hopper's escape was great, (and the betrayal too) but it looks like this storyline will be completely independent for a long while which is not really a good thing. Hawkins's storyline is what we're here for.
Didn't really get into Max's emotional bit... after all she said it herself, they hated each other.
Both the asylum and the final Max x Vecna parts were great. With Victor's story and the view into Vecna's world it's really looking more like American Horror Story than Stranger Things, but it works perfectly. Guess we learned that Vecna's curse works on guilt-ridden/suicidal people ?
I'm gonna take the fact that Victor is scratching into the table with his nails as a nod to Freddy Krueger :)
No Eleven though...
Oh my word ! I am totally out of my words ! Hands down. Best epi of the series so far
This is masterpiece. The emotions, the references to my favourite movies, the emotional ending.
It’s incredible how this season is able to keep being fresh and exiting.
This episode is a clear example of that evolution. No screen time for Eleven and you get an amazing episode
I was kinda hoping Billy would come to Max's rescue, but that probably would've been cliche or something.
if anyone reads the comments here before watching, trigger warning for icky eye stuff in one scene. (but tbh i have no idea if it was actually shown, i turned the volume down and covered my eyes lmao)
And, just like that (awful show, I know, ahah!), Stranger Things corrected two of my complaints from the previous episode. Well done, show!
I wish they'd use Eddie more, though, as he's been this season's best addition, yet they're just keeping him in hiding. He reminds me a lot of RDJ, for some reason.
This was the first genuinely good episode of the season, so I hope it sets the new standard for the episodes to come.
The best episode so far.
Well done Max and the rest of the team :thumbsup_tone1::thumbsup_tone1::thumbsup_tone1:
Cheese Louise.
For a moment there I thought, maybe the letters will save her. As she’s in a way absolving herself off of her guilt, and Vecna so clearly ensnares people with their feelings of guilt. So if she can make up with herself, maybe he’d lose power over her.
The musical touch is nice too though. Music is important.
And I do love how smart the characters are, and able to put two and two together just as in the other seasons - one of the reasons I adore this show. In fact, the kids always seem to be much quicker than the adults :upside_down:
Can't stop watching, This so freaking great
yeah this is pretty good ! Some backstory, and you gotta love Robin in this one
Not a fan of the boring Russian subplot.
Kate Bush is literally the best thing to ever exist
If Robert Englund doesn’t win an Emmy for this istfg
Ok people weren’t joking when they say this is one of the best episodes the show. Those last few minutes are mwah
definitely crying T__T I fucking love Max' storyline
Oh my god, that final scene and those flashbacks made me so emotional:sob: Max is such a troubled character, who always bottles all of her feelings inside, but she truly deserves peace and happiness so much:pensive:
P.S. I actually really love Enzo, and I hope they will save him too!!
Sadie really acted the hell out of this season. Insane.
speaking with the insane in-prisoned guy who's been through it before is so super cliché and overdone at this point. YAWN. A bit sad the show had to do that as it's so well written otherwise. playing the woke victimized woman's card is also annoying. could the writers really not have had more imagination? however, the episode does redeem itself towards the end. damn was it a nail biter.
Poor episode, too long. The ending was very bad with poor cgi thrown in. The only interesting part of this series has been in Russia. 3/10.
yea, there's the Upside Down, demons, Russians, superpowered kids, but how on earth can they afford to move from a teardown wooden shack in the woods to a huge split level house in the LA suburbs??
This may be one of the best episode on TV to date, full stop.
we got another classic emotional stranger things flashback montage. I have been critical of the cheapness of these callbacks before and while my point still stands sometimes cheap tricks can be effective cause the finale of this episode was amazing. I will say this was in large part due to Sadie Sink's excellent performance and the brilliant use of Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. It was a fantastic moment and a great example of Stranger Things at its best.
As much as this ep had its soaring moments I will say some of its emotional impacts were undercut by the absence of some characterization in previous seasons. The big one for me was Billy. While I believe Max's guilt about Billy's death there was something incredibly off for me about the longing she had for a relationship with him. I mentioned this in my comment on season 3 but I do think the writers genuinely forgot that pre-infection we literally only ever see him being incredibly vile to Max and her friends. They needed to add more layers to his character if they wanted to build him out some more. But given that they're locked in that past continuity even including some flashbacks for Billy and Max could have done something to prove to me Billy is a character worth mourning.
I kinda feel the same about Lucas and Max. While I do believe and love their relationship I mourn the fact that we never really got to see them together and happy. Every other couple in the show El and Mike Nnacy and Jonathan Joyce and Hopper all got so many moments together while Lucas and Max feel inferred more than anything. But again I don't want to punish season 4 or the crimes of season 3 especially when they have been giving us great Max Lucas moments here.
I continue to be completely disengaged in the Russian plot. Honestly idk why the writers keep trying to make Russia happen cause I swear it's not that interesting imo. The US military trying to take down El plot is shaky as hell to tbh. Honestly, I miss the days of the simple menace of Hawkins lab as our human/corporate antagonists. Cause every attempt to recreate that dynamic has really flopped.
one of the most epic episodes of the entire series
so you're telling me Vecna, who can travel between dimensions with relative ease and controls some hellscape dimension also has the worst fuckin' aim known to demonkind. Dude had ~20 opportunities to squash Max with stalactites and went 0-for-20
I'm glad she survived but
With all the hype I heard about that last scene, and the successful reemergence of “Running Up That Hill,” I expected all of it to be a liiiiiiittle more epic. Good scene for sure, but my expectations were very high.
Aside from Eleven, MUST PROTECC MAX AT ALL COSTS!!!
So Vecna is a demon that preys on on a victim’s past trauma/inner demons? That’s pretty hardcore.
Also I knew something was off about Yuri the minute he started speaking. Never trust a commie who cracks jokes.
I wasn't interested in the Crusher Creel, er Victor Creed, er Victor Creel subplot for some reason, but since everything else was great, I have to rate appropriately.
The episode was very emotional, especially the scene when Max reads her letter to her late brother Billy was quite moving. The ending was quite suspenseful, I was not sure whether Max would make it to the escape way in time, I thought that maybe the monster would catch her in the last moment or the escape window would close because the song ends or something to this effect. Luckily, the power of friendships wins over evil and I am really glad as Max is one of my favourite characters and it would be sad to see her go, especially in such a way. I wonder whether the monster can target her again or is it more of a hit-and-go thing for the big baddie?
The story of Victor Creel was creepy but sad and tragic too. Though there were funny moments in the episode as well, Robin convincing the professor to let them talk to Victor looked hilarious, and she did much better job than Nancy as she finally get them the meeting with Victor.
wow pretty great season so far :) best show in 2022
Best episode of the season but mostly because something finally happens instead of constant set up. I'm glad Max didn't die and this is the highlight moment for this character and I think she deserved it. The last 5 minutes are awesome and they are finally getting the group back together. The show really doesn't work with them all separated and funny but Eleven wasn't in the show and I didn't miss her for a moment. It was good to see the other characters start to shine. Mike actually being nice to Will was nice but did it really have to be that way? Maybe I am just too old to remember being a jerk teenager. I enjoyed Robert Englund as Creel.
Friggin' Freddie Krueger! How is it possible that not more people mention this? First Dustin mentions him and then later, there he is!!
Great episode too!
The only episode i care to remember the title. Powerfull stuff.
[Rating: 9.5]
“Say, if I only could
Be running up that hill
With no problems”
SO POWERFUL. Sadie sink was great. What a performance!
Jif peanut butter!?! We haven't seen Jif in quite awhile now so at least we know where all the Jif went to! LOL
This chapter is a reminder that music is one of the most powerful things in Universe
Masterpiece!!! This episode was everything
A masterpiece. Nothing more to add.
The It vibes have morphed into carbon copies. There’s till something about this group of actors and storytellers that makes it feel loving instead of a ripoff.
I fricking love that song. That finale got me at the edge of my seat and I really thought that it’s the end for Max which I would’ve hated. Speaking of Hate; hate that little girls death, no need to show her eyes, and hate these burning cradle scenes. Always a pleasure to see Robert Englund. That could’ve been an easy 4/5 but the things I hated plus the totally out of synch subplot russian sequences dragged it down to 2/5. That finale though raised it one star again.
So she wrote all those letters for nothing? What a waste of paper.
Besides, all that reminiscing of happy moments with friends saves you and dandy bandy music is so cliché.
Another solid episode. Good visuals and an impressive performance by the young actress who plays Max. THIS is the sort of outing that hooked me in season one.
Wow this latest series is determined to make me cry
Best episode so far. I thought Max wouldn't have survived cause I had the feeling that this episode was structured as a shocking moment of the season.
(And, maybe, it would've been better for getting us sentimentally involved with the show in such a strong way)
One of the greatest episodes in TV history. An absolute Stranger Things classic.
Best episode of this season so far!!!:raised_hands:
what an episode ! it's so good ! excellent performance by Sadie Sink !
Best episode of the entire show. Sadie Sink absolutely killed it.
maybe this is knit-picky but
TLDR: in an effort to appeal to the American viewer who's looking for some nostalgia they overly Americanised the Russians and USSR.
USSR people probably wasn't going crazy over Jiff to illegally import it. i, living in a former-USSR country had never heard of Jiff until like a few years ago. my sister said "[why would they import Jiff when] they could import smth so much tastier". especially in a small town in Kamtchatka. These people don't need huge boxes of Jiff, they need good winter boots.
Also to have your name written on a poster on your wall is such an American thing (so is being comfortable talking to a camera / phone but it's besides the point). Yuri having one (above the couch) just seems unlikely and americanised.
Also also, Enzo is making way too many pop culture jokes. it's not really in the ex-ussr culture to make pop culture references/jokes. (well, now we do bc we're so heavily influenced by american culture that we unconsciously adopt some)
Kate Bush - Running up that hill
It doesn't hurt me.
Do you want to feel how it feels?
Do you want to know that it doesn't hurt me?
Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making?
You, it's you and me.
If I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building.
If I only could, oh
You don't want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware I'm tearing you asunder.
Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.
Is there so much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?
You, you and me.
It's you and me won't be unhappy.
If I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building,
If I only could, oh
C'mon, baby, c'mon darling,
Let me steal this moment from you now.
C'mon, angel, c'mon, c'mon, darling,
Let's exchange the experience, oh
And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems.
If I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems.
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
If I only could,
Be running up that hill
HOW DARE THEY DO THIS TO ME
It’s warming up :boom:
OMG WHAT A CHAPTER, I CRIED
That was fun! I’m hooked
THE STAKES ARE RISING AND THE HYPE CONTINUES!!!
My heart came to my mouth. The desperation was very real. :sob: Not my Max!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-06-04T03:35:24Z
[8.3/10] Easily the best episode of the season. Holy hell Sadie Sink. “Dear Billy” puts a lot on her shoulders. She has to convey the quiet resignation of believing in your own death and writing letters to loved ones. She has to communicate the harrowing emotion of spilling out her feelings to her dead stepbrother and the guilt and trauma she's experienced from his death. She has to sell the abject terror whe stuck in the Upside Dwon and caught up in Vecna’s trap. And most of alal, she has to give off the air of determination and buoying affirmation that comes from the friends who care about her. It is an extraordinary performance, and Sink is up to the considerable challenge.
This is also a great outing for the editors and director Shawn Levy. There’s two outstanding set pieces in this one. The first is, of course, Max’s. The creative staging of Max’s experiences while under Vecna’s spell brings home the emotional hardship and desperation of what she’s going through. The CGI work remains a little unconvincing, but having Sink’s performance helps. The imagery itself is skin-crawling. And splicing together scenes where Vecna tries to convince her that there's no hope, while she is brought back from the brink by her good memories with her friends, is powerful and even moving.
The episode creates real tension in the ticking clock that is Max’s seemingly impending doom. Rule of three -- so we’ve already seen Chrissy and Fred bite it. That let’s the audience know what’s in store, while also making it extra meaningful when Max goes right up tot he edge of succumbing like they did, only to be brought back from the edge by the love of her friends. I’ not as enthralled at the musical choice as others have been (sorry, not an 1980s music fan), but the imagery of her breaking free, running toward that glimpse of light, and then being embraced by her friends when they beat this thing is one of the most earned moments in the show.
They partly earn it because the solution doesn't come by fiat. As tired as I am of Nancy, the show makes hay out of her and Robin’s trip to the insane asylum to talk to Victor Creel (Robert Englund himself!). Robin gets a win as it’s her improvisation that convinces the warden and gets them an audience with Creel. But Creel himself steals the scene, with a flashback to the original haunting in the 1950s. It has a House on Haunted Hill vibe of an idyllic family torn apart by a supernatural evil. And again, the director and editors hit some familiar tropes but deliver them in style, to where you feel for Creel and recoil at the abject horrors he and his wife and children experienced through all of this.
The girls’ interaction with him isn’t just to deliver the episode’s scares. They get a crucial bit of information when he talks about the song on the radio and hums a tune of an “angel.” They put two and two together when the warden talks about music reaching them, and it’s that hint that helps Dustin and company play Max’ sfavorite song and give her a lifeline out of Vecna’s curse.
Not to get highfalutin, but it works at both a textual and thematic level. I appreciate that the show earns the solution to the problem du jour. It takes real investigation and guile from Nancy and Robin, and it takes them sharing the info with the rest of the junior detective squad and connecting it with knowledge about Max personally to make all this work. It also takes an emotional breakthrough. Music helps connect with us on an emotional level. It’s simplified, as this kind of pop genre show often is. But we see how, in a pit of trauma and guilt, what helps Max come up for air is knowing and remembering the people who care about ehr, the good times they had and can have again. It’s uplifting and cathartic, and something that builds on what the show’s built to this point.
I’ll also say this for the episode. It has focus in a way few other episodes this season have. There are four storylines, two of which feed into one another fairly directly, and it makes the story of the episode fele less scattered.
It also gives us the other big set piece and impressive sequence of this installment. Watching Mike, Will, and Jonathan escape from the Byers house while military commandos bear down on them was almost as terrifying as Max’s nightmare. Levy and company smartly do sot of it long takes which helps maintain the sense of panic and terror as bad dudes with big guns attack them at every turn. There’s even a hitn of comedy as we cut between that terror-inducing assault on a suburban home and Argyle jamming away to “Pass the Dutchie”. This part of a crew is mainly in a holding pattern at the moment, but they’re thrust into some of the best action f o the season so far.
I do appreciate the quiet moment between Mike and Will. It still seems like things are headed for disaster there, with Will likely acting on his crush and being rebuffed. But I do appreciate Mike acknowledging that it’s been a weird year and he’s neglected his friend. Will’s touched by that, even inspired by it, and grabs the painting he made for his onetime best bud. Seeing them reconcile, and hearing Mike admit what went wrong and resolve to work together, is really heartening.
That just leaves the Jyoce/Murray/Hopper stuff. It’s still not great, but it’s the best it’s been this season. The machinations of them getting to Alaska and Hopper reaching them isn’t particularly interesting. Plus Yuri is very annoying even if he’s supposed to be. But there’s a couple of things that put this one over the top.
First, I love the scene where Hopper makes it to the church. It’s a hope spot, and after all he's suffered, including an improbable fight where he takes down two guards despite malnutrition and injury, it’s also cathartic to see him get his win. Eating real peanut butter, wrapping up in real blankets, if only for a moment comes with a sense of relief after all the totrute we’ve witnessed.
Ironically though, I also appreciate that this all goes terribly wrong. It seemed like so much of this storyline was inevitable. Despite the ridiculous odds, everyone succeeds because they’re main characters. Instead, throwing us the curve ball that Yuri sells everyone out,, Joyce and murray get drugged so they can be turned over to the KGB, and Hopper gets recaught b y his captors after coming so close, shows some chutzpah and a willingness to challenge the good guys in a meaningful way that we haven’t seen from this corner of the season s o far.
Overall, this is far and away the best outing of season 4, and Sadie Sink leads the way with a very impressive eperformance that, frankly, had to be impressive to soar this high given how much the script places on her.