‘Stranger Things 4’ Episode 3 Recap: The Monster and the Superhero

Previously on Stranger Things Season 4 Chapter 2: Satanic Panic, Fred’s dead, and REEFER RICK! Now, onto Chapter 3…

Handing You Your Own Brass

Eleven is a wanted woman — not for the braining-a-teen-with-a-skate thing, more for the her-brain thing. In Ruth, Nevada, Lt. Col. Solomon, the military guy who was checking out Chrissy’s body in Hawkins, touches down on the front lawn of none other than the Department of Energy’s own Sam Owens. Solomon wants kindly Sam to tell them where Eleven is. When Sam reminds him that he was fired, Solomon reminds him that El has been trained for remote assassinations, and he thinks she’s connected to Chrissy’s murder somehow. “He’ll lead us right to her,” he says, soldiers thrashing through Sam’s belongings.

Who Nose

But speaking of Eleven, she’s not in great standing or great spirits after the Great Roller Skate Attack of ’86. A bleeding Angela talks to the cops, while everyone, including Mike and Will, side-eyes a blood-covered El. Argyle and Jonathan provide some delightful stoned commentary on what they have dubbed the “schmacking,” with thoughts including “at least it wasn’t an ice skate,” and an impromptu acapella rendition of video game music. Also schmackin’: The risotto that Murray, who — surprise! — is at the house, has prepared for the family. Another thing he’s feeding them is a little “oh yes, the work trip in Alaskaaaaaaaaaaa” song and dance with Joyce. “That’s where the Britannicas are based.” The kids….don’t give an f.

The kids continue to not give an f in the morning, when Joyce and Murray are on the plane to Alaska, discussing how she did the right thing by lying to them, and Eleven is in her room, sulking, the Eggo that Mike made her getting cold at the table. She’s about as interested in Mike’s suggestion that they talk about “….yesterday? Everything?” as she is in the waffle, which is to say, not at all. Her fear that she’s a monster seems to be coming true, the images of the lab massacre and Angela’s bleeding face burned into her eyelids, and on top of that, somewhere along the way, Mike switched from telling her he loves her to “really caring,” signing off the letters that she’s flinging in his face “From, Mike.” His assertion that she’s great, she’s a superhero is met with the saddest “not anymore” from El. Then, like most heart-shattering teenage arguments, it ends with the cops coming to book Eleven for her roller skate crimes. Did she mean to hurt Angela? Did she want to kill her? She….doesn’t know. Then, before we know it, she’s in a van, on her way to juvie with Jonathan, Will and Mike unable to spring her because Joyce (you know, the adult. That one. Joyce.) isn’t there. El see you later, I guess!

That is, until the van is stopped in the desert and a federal agent tells the cops they’ll “take her off your hands.” Sam greets her with a wry, “Hey, kiddo.”

Ballin’

The basketbros spend the episode hunting Eddie and being, honestly, pretty useless. Lucas is tagging along but he’s a spy and tries to warn Dustin that some “bad shit is about to go down” as the bros discover Reefer Rick’s lake house. Honestly, not much to see here, except Patrick the basketball player getting an inauspicious nosebleed after a Vecna guest appearance, marking him as the next Vec-tim.

Eddie, Set, Go

Dustin, Max, Steve and Robin have good news, bad news, and a box of Honey Combs for Eddie. The bad news is that the cops are looking for him, the good news is that his name isn’t public, and Honey Combs are always a good thing, to be real. All they have to do, all they have to do to solve this teeny tiny problem of the town thinking Eddie is a murderer, is find Vecna and defeat him. That’s all! No big! Cop cars whizz past, but they’re not looking for Eddie, they’re finding Fred’s, you know. Mangled corpse. In an amazing hero shot, the crew reunites with Nancy on the crime scene. Sparks! They’re a-flying!

The team compares notes in the trailer park, trying to find common links between the Vec-tims. The dearth of licensed drivers in the group (Robin’s reason for not knowing how to drive: “I’m poor!”) leads them to split into Team Nancy and Team Steve to chase leads, much to Steve’s dismay (“always the goddamn babysitter!”). Nancy and Robin head to the library to read newspaper archives about Creel, trying to figure out how a 70-year-old prisoner, who allegedly committed his crimes 30 years before Eleven came into the picture, could be behind this. No revelations (or glow of friendship, tbh), until Robin finds the Weekly Watcher, a rag that covers UFOs (Robin: “absolutely real”) and Bigfoot (“still on the fence about” it). VICTOR CREEL CLAIMS ANCIENT DEMON MURDERED FAMILY, the headline screams. Is that Vecna’s music we hear?

Hop Springs Eternal

Hop is working on the railroad in snowy Russia, where he receives information and face-punches from Antonov the guard (aka Enzo) that Joyce, Murray and the ransom cash are on their way to Alaska, where they’re meant to meet up with a guy named Yuri, who imports things like peanut butter, Playboy magazine and American prisoners like Hopper at an extraordinary markup. All Hop has to do is make it to a plane at a specific time, a connecting flight to freedom. His plan: swap his rations of bread and soup for the privilege of having a fellow prisoner bash him in the ankle repeatedly. This really is a horror-influenced season, huh? Misery really left its mark. The test, both of my stomach’s fortitude and Hopper’s chance to escape, is when he later unwraps his feet to reveal his horribly injured ankles, now flexible enough to just barely slip the shackles over in the most painful way possible. Take that screaming emoji, but then make it an actual human who used to have hopes and desires and joy, and that’s me watching this scene.

Taking it to the Max

Part B of the Hawkins crew are having Hard Talks elsewhere in town. While Max visits the school counselor at home to pump her for information, Steve and Dustin wait in the car, where Dustin tells him that since he’s “missing collarbones, not eyes,” he can see how Steve’s lusting after Nancy. When Steve’s “I’ll punch you so hard your teeth will fall back out” is met with a “too far” from Dustin, they cutely fist bump and make up. Then, naturally, they drive like hell, because Max has stolen the counselor’s office keys and bolted. Doctor/patient confidentiality got nothing on her! Turns out, Fred and Chrissy were also seeing the counselor, and they were also suffering from headaches and nosebleeds, just like our friend Max. Who is also, BONG, having a vision of a grandfather clock embedded in the wall in the hallway, complete with a growly monster “MMMMAXXXXXX” voiceover. Welp!

Back in her El-ement

The only hope for Hawkins, if not, you know, the world, is El getting her powers back, Sam explains to her in a diner. He knows waffles are the key to her heart, that’s what the doctorate is for. He tells her he has a plan to get her powers back, but he wants her to come with him willingly. But really, like, if she doesn’t, he’s basically saying all her friends will die, which is what we call emotional blackmail wearing an aging man’s charming cable knit cardigan, Sam. It works: by the time her waffles arrive, the pair are gone.

Lucky for Max, and unlucky for Vecna, who we see lurking in Hell House, suspended in his chrysalis of viney things, breathing heavily. The forces of evil appear to be closing in: Vecna is getting stronger, and a fleet of mysterious cars is rolling up to Joyce’s house. BONG!

Body count: None this episode! Remarkable!
Most ’80s moment of the episode: Joyce gets an actual meal on the airplane. For free.

Kase Wickman is a writer, editor, Ravenclaw and certified fraidy-cat who lives in New Jersey. If she had powers, she’d never have to wash off mascara again. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram, if you dare.