On November 6, 1983, Will Byers vanished from his town in Hawkins, Indiana. It was the first of many strange occurrences in Hawkins, and in Netflix’s original series Stranger Things. Every November 6th, fans celebrate Stranger Things Day: a romp of Eggo waffles, 80s fashion, Scoops Ahoy ice cream, and Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. And of course, no Stranger Things Day would be complete without a few teases from Netflix.
This year, Netflix graced us with a new teaser trailer for the long awaited Stranger Things Season 4. Pushed back because of the pandemic, fans have been getting breadcrumbs for the last two and a half years. Finally, we’re getting some insight – and a new trailer.
Where Does Stranger Things Season 4 Take Place?
One of the things that Stranger Things does best is balancing its many subplots. The characters are usually broken into three or four groups, each on their own adventure which eventually collides at the end of the season. Stranger Things Season 4 will be no different. While most of our favorite characters are still living and working in Hawkins, there are a few important characters that have strayed from home…like, really important characters.
The new trailer features a voiceover from Eleven, writing to her boyfriend Mike back in Hawkins. Fans will remember that at the end of Season 3, El left town to live with the Byers family, who sold their home and decided to start fresh. Since then, they’ve been living together in sunny California. Will and Eleven both go to school together, hitching a ride in a pizza delivery van. Jonathan appears to be turning into a California stoner. Most importantly, Eleven’s speech patterns have reached a nearly normal cadence, allowing her to speak in full sentences as she explains that she’s finally “adjusted.”
My initial thought was – no! California is too far from home! How could they do this to us?! But since my first viewing of the trailer, I’ve calmed down. It’s clear that Mike makes it to Cali to visit his friends, as there’s several shots of him in the new Byers’ home. I’m also hoping that this move can strengthen the friendship between Eleven and Max. After all, Max moved to Hawkins from California in the first place, so this gives the girls more common ground.
In addition to Indiana and California, you can expect that some of Stranger Things Season 4 will take place in Russia. The final shots of Season 3 took us to a fort where Russian scientists were continuing their experiments on the Upside Down, capturing their very own Demogorgon. Our first teaser trailer also confirmed that Chief Hopper is still alive, and likely a Russian prisoner. It’ll be a long journey home, but hopefully we’ll see him reunited with his new daughter.
When Does Stranger Things Season 4 Take Place?
With the actors growing up faster than fans can believe, one concern is always the show’s timeline. There’s been a time-jump between every season, though it’s been different each time. Season 1 and Season 2 were set almost a perfect year apart. Between Seasons 2 and 3, it was only a matter of six or seven months. For Stranger Things Season 4, they’ve split the difference somewhere between. Eleven’s voiceover tells us that she’s waiting anxiously for spring break so that she can see Mike. Since Season 3 took place on Fourth of July weekend in 1985, this would place Stranger Things Season 4 in roughly March of 1986.
But don’t get too comfortable in the present! You can expect the new season to be chock full of flashbacks. One of the early teaser trailers featured Hawkins Laboratory back in its prime. Eleven and several other children are shown in the infamous Rainbow Room, undergoing tests and playing under observation. We can’t be sure if Eleven’s sister Kali will be making a return, but it’s safe to say we’ll be learning more about Eleven’s gifted predecessors.
An additional teaser surrounds a rundown house that the other children are investigating. Steve, Robin, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Nancy are shown exploring a Victorian-style house, complete with cobwebs, creaky floorboards, and a mysterious grandfather clock. Whatever happened in that house, you can bet the crew will have to crack that case too.
What’s Going to Happen in Stranger Things Season 4?
Really, who’s to say? But! This new trailer gave fans a lot to think about.
We know that Eleven fled Indiana not just because her guardian disappeared, but because Starcourt Mall was getting a lot of media attention after the Fourth of July incident. Eleven was still supposed to be living in secret, forbidden from going to crowded places like malls where she might draw attention to herself. In California, she can go to school and be a normal kid without the government looking for her. Unless, of course, something were to happen…which it will, because this is a television show.
Clips confirm that at some point, the “bad men” are going to catch up to Eleven. Based on this new teaser trailer, fans have a solid theory why. While El’s letter to Mike says that she’s adjusted and made friends, the clips show her being bullied by her classmates. There’s also a few intense clips that seem to take place in a roller-rink. We already know that Eleven’s powers act up when she’s overwhelmed, angry, or scared. All it would take is one incident of public humiliation, and El might blow her cover whether she intends to or not. Think Carrie, but with a lot more patterned shirts and inter-dimensional monsters.
If you’re looking for more clues, make sure to check out the list of episode titles, which Netflix released here.
When Are We Getting Stranger Things Season 4?
Ah, the eternal question. The one fans have been asking for twenty-eight long, long months. Well, we still don’t have a release date, but Netflix has put us in the ballpark.
Stranger Things Season 4 will be released sometime next summer, in 2022. Fans are a little bitter to say the least. For the last two seasons, Netflix has been great about dropping seasons relative to the plot. Season 2 was all about Halloween, and so it was released in the fall. Season 3 was all about Fourth of July weekend, so it was released on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, it looks like our perfect spring break is going to come in summer.
What are you most excited for in Stranger Things Season 4? Do you have any of your own theories? Drop by our Discord to discuss, and check out our blog on the previous teaser trailer here.
