If anything, the two seem to only serve the purpose of helping to develop other characters. That's not even mentioning Nancy and Jonathan, whose long-distance relationship is only mentioned in passing, but mostly falls by the wayside. While Mike, Will, and Eleven are on the west coast, Dustin and Max are left to work with Steve and Robin to figure out what's going on. Many of the main characters spend too much time apart. The story builds out much more from there, revealing one of the only big weaknesses from this season.
Meanwhile, Joyce receives a mysterious package from Russia revealing that Hopper is alive, leaving her and Murray to figure out how to find him and bring him back home. However, the real culprit is a powerful entity from the upside down, who is given the moniker Vecna ( the name of a powerful D&D character mentioned in the premiere). The community is rocked by the death of a Hawkins High student, and the blame is quickly laid on the local outcast Eddie Munson. This being Stranger Things, it doesn't take long for supernatural events to take place. Her current troubles are also darkened by a vicious flashback to when she was still in the care of Dr. Luckily, Mike is headed out for a visit during the break, but he's unaware of the bullying Eleven has had to face at school. On the west coast, Will and Eleven (now going by her real name, Jane) are struggling with school, though Eleven is definitely having a harder time. Meanwhile, Max is still dealing with the grief of losing Billy, and it appears that she and Lucas have almost completely lost touch. Mike and Dustin are still partaking in their nerdy pastimes (specifically Dungeons and Dragons), while Lucas has found a new niche by joining the high school basketball team. The story picks up just before spring break of 1986. RELATED: Stranger Things: A Quick Recap On Season 3
Even still, Stranger Things remains as endearing as ever. It was already made clear that these latest episodes would be some of the longest the show has ever done (with the upcoming season finale clocking in at two and a half hours), and it's not always clear if this much time was actually needed. The first volume of Stranger Things season 4 may be the most ambitious, brutal, and overloaded the show has ever been.