'Stranger Things' Season 4 Episode 4: Max's encounter with Vecna ends with a SHOCKING incident
Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’ is pushing the boundaries with Season 4. The horror element in this edition is much more than the previous ones and it has taken the show to a whole new level. We know that a new villain, Lord Vecna, has been introduced in the series and has been wreaking havoc in Hawkins. Everyone knows that they need Eleven to defeat this evil because he’s too strong to be killed by ordinary humans.
That’s why we saw Dr Samuel Owens meeting Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and telling her that they need her to win the war. Also, he has a program that will give Eleven her powers back. The protagonist has finally made up the decision to go with Owens and that might turn out to be really helpful for her friends because Vecna’s next target is none other than Max (Sadie Sink).
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The ending of Episode 3 was ominous with Vecna calling Max’s name and confirming that he’s coming for her. The fourth episode is all about Max dealing with the idea that she’s next and she can’t do anything about it. Well, to be honest, it’s really hard for a mortal human to beat a devil. But, her friends will never leave her side and will protect her.
Max writes letters to everyone in the group and tells them to open after it’s all over. On the other hand, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) are trying hard to know from Victor Creel (Robert Englund) as to how they can defeat the evil. Elsewhere, Max tells Steve (Joe Keery) to drive her somewhere and when Steve says no to her, she blackmails him that she’ll tell police that he kidnapped her. Reluctantly, he says yes and takes Max, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) in the car.
It turns out that she wants to visit Billy’s grave and wants to say something to him. She sat close to Billy’s gave and read a letter which said that his father left her mother soon after his death. He didn’t leave Max’s mother much, so they had to switch places. Max revealed that the worst part of this entire situation is how he saved El’s life and her life as well. Even though he hated Max, but if he was alive now, they could have become real friends, like real brother and sister.
However, as soon as she ends the letter, the entire environment changes for her and she hears her name being called by Vecna. Steve believes that it’s too late now and they have to go back. When he reaches close to Max, he realizes that she has gone into a trance and calls Lucas and Dustin as well. They try to bring her back and Steve tells Dustin to call Nancy and Robin to know if they found something.
In the asylum, the dean has got to know about the real identity of Nancy and Robin and they are being escorted out. But Robin realizes that music saved Victor’s life because, according to Victor’s story, he started hearing music when his family was being terrorized by Vecna and that’s how he survived.
Dustin tries to contact them and finally after some moments, he gets in touch with them. She tells Dustin about the music thing and he quickly brings Max’s headphones and all the cassettes she possesses. Meanwhile, Max is trying to escape Vecna’s world. At one point, it became impossible for Max to get out from there, but as soon as she starts hearing music, she sees how her friends are trying to save her. A gateway opens and she has to go through that to come back in the real world.
The song she listens often is ‘Running Up the Hill’ by Kate Bush, which perfectly suits the situation. Vecna tells Max that they can’t save her and she belongs to Upside Down with him. As he tries killing her with his supernatural powers, she starts levitating in air in the real world and it seemed that Max’s story has reached its conclusion.
That’s when Max starts having flashbacks about all the perfect moments she had with her friends, including Lucas, Dustin, Mike, Will, and Eleven. She manages to hurt Vecna and get away, but Vecna uses his power to stop her from escaping. In one of the most epic moments from Season 4, Max escapes Upside Down and becomes the second person to ever survive Vecna’s lethal attack.
The episode ends with Max holding Lucas close to her and everyone taking a sigh of relief that she’s still here.