First Look at 'Stranger Things 4', "Volume 2"
First images from Volume 2 of Stranger Things 4 have been released by Netflix. Seven episodes of Stranger Things 4 (categorized as Volume 1) were already released on May 27th and left audiences with a cliffhanger about the origins of the Upside Down.
Both installments of Volume 2 will be premiering Friday July 1st on Netflix. These upcoming episodes, like a few of the Volume 1 episodes, will be stretching the lengths of what is considered a normal runtime for a television series. The first episode of Volume 2, “Papa,” spans 1 hour, 25 minutes and the finale of Stranger Things 4, “The Piggyback,” clocks in at 2 hours, 20 minutes. These two episodes combined have a runtime of almost four hours, making Volume 2 a super-sized ending to the season.
The characters and events of Volume 1 were split into three main storylines. Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) took it upon themselves to track Hopper (David Harbour) down to a Russian gulag. In the midst of their prison break, the group finds themselves face-to-face with a Demogorgon again. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Will (Noah Schnapp) had moved to California at the end of season three as a means of having a new start outside of Hawkins. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) visits them as his Spring Break trip. While there, Mike learns that the picture-perfect new life Eleven has told him about in the letters they exchanged is a lie. Tensions between Eleven and her classmates cause her to be reunited with the man who trained her to use her powers as a child, Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine).
In Hawkins, where the story of Stranger Things began, are Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Max (Sadie Sink), and Nancy (Natalia Dyer). A few kids at school have been killed in inexplicable ways and the town blames the leader of the high school Dungeons & Dragons club, Eddie (Joseph Quinn). Townspeople believe he’s possessing people using satanic powers, but Dustin recognizes these killings’ ties to the Upside Down. Together with the rest of the Hawkins team, they work to exonerate Eddie and save the town once again.
Stranger Things premiered in 2016 and became a surprise success. The creators, The Duffer Brothers, were able to harness the public’s nostalgia for the 80s while creating a new, exciting story. The response to the series was immediately positive and the show went on to be nominated (and win) Emmy, SAG, AFI, Critics’ Choice, and People’s Choice awards. Fans have also been able to enjoy the world of Stranger Things in multiple forms. There are tabletop board games, video games, books, comics, clothes, and more. Stranger Things is often regarded as one of the essential series that launched Netflix’s platform.
Stranger Things 4, Volume 2 may be an epic conclusion to the season, but it will not be the last time fans will get to see these characters on their screen. Netflix revealed in February 2022 that Stranger Things has been renewed for a fifth and final season. No announcement has been made about when the final season will air on Netflix.
Check out the gallery below for a deeper look at Stranger Things 4, Volume 2.
