'Stranger Things 4': Series finale aftermath; what all went wrong?
What's the story
Vecna surely wasn't joking when he said Hawkins will fall. Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 dropped on Netflix on Friday. Despite the sense of defeat that loomed over Volume 1, fans were hopeful that their beloved group of friends will make it. However, the optimism lasted only until Volume 2 aired. Here's the aftermath of the heartbreaking Volume 2. Spoilers ahead.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Season 4 of Netflix's highly popular series Stranger Things was touted to be the darkest one yet. Rightly so, the gang was brought face to face with the biggest, most powerful demon of the Upside Down: Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Makers also delved deeper into the backstories of the characters and gave them their own heroic moments. Alas, this wasn't enough to stop Vecna.
#1
The fall of Dr. Brenner
Dr. Brenner aka Papa was helping Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) regain her powers but soon resorted to his cruel methods. After the government infiltrated the laboratory, Papa tries to flee with a barely-conscious Eleven but is shot dead by armed officials in the process followed by a cold goodbye from his "daughter." Does this mean the notorious laboratory will finally shut down for good?
#2
Max Mayfield acts as bait, almost gets killed
The gang had a strong plan in place to eliminate Vecna before his fourth kill, which would open the gates of the Upside Down into Hawkins. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) tries to stall Vecna in the Mind Lair so that the others can kill him in the Upside Down. Unfortunately, an uninvited Jason soils the plan, and Vecna ends up killing Mayfield, well, almost.
#3
Eleven realizes that her powers aren't enough against Vecna
During her time at the laboratory with Papa, Eleven was warned that she was "not ready" to fight Vecna. On the contrary, we saw Eleven using her powers to turn around a helicopter, and more impressively, she could also tap into Mayfield's mind to fight Vecna! However, toward the end of Volume 2, Eleven starts to think that maybe she's not ready after all.
#4
Eddie Munson dies a hero
As per the plan, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) try to distract the army of flesh-eating bats with an epic metal concert in the Upside Down. While this worked, Munson realizes he needs to buy more time for the others and cycles away with the bats following him. He tries to fight them off but sadly, he doesn't make it.
#5
Upside Down bursts open into Hawkins
Just when the gang was trying to turn things around, the four gates burst open into Hawkins and create gigantic cracks in the ground that once concealed the Upside Down. This means that Vecna can wage a war and unleash the creatures of the other dimension into the real world whenever he pleases. The question is: will the gang emerge victorious this time?