Warning! SPOILERS ahead if you haven’t yet finished Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1. Come back when you’re completely caught up!
I’m going to just come right out and admit it. You guys? I can’t quite stop thinking about Stranger Things. Even though I binged the entire first part of Season 4 in one night right after it debuted as a part of the 2022 Netflix TV schedule, I still find myself filled with thoughts about the episodes and the wild events of the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 ending at least a few times a day.
Sure, a lot of this is me delighting in stand-out characters like Eddie and Max, formulating theories to answer my major Stranger Things questions, or just marveling at all of the action-packed scenes. But, I’ve also been thinking about how spread out everyone still was by the time Volume 1 came to a close. If you’ve been wondering the same thing, and are already fuzzy on where all of the Stranger Things Season 4 characters were when Episode 7 wrapped up, don’t worry. We’re here now to help you out!
Nancy Is Trapped By Vecna
Y’all? This poor child has (totally accidentally) gotten herself trapped by Vecna! If you don’t recall, Nancy bravely followed Steve into the Water-Gate when he didn’t return as expected, leading Robin and Eddie to come in right behind her. All of them managed to fight off the scary-sounding Demo-Bat horde that was guarding the gate, and traveled to the Upside Down version of the Wheeler home (where they figured out how to communicate with the crew back in Hawkins), and then headed to Eddie’s trailer.
There, they found the gate created by Chrissy’s death, with Dustin and the rest of the Hawkins crew waiting to help them get home. Unfortunately, when it was Nancy’s turn to head up, down… er, back to our world, Vecna had located her via her guilt over Barb’s death and snatched Nancy. Vecna eventually transported Nancy (who appears to everyone as being in a trance) to his eerily-lit home base, where he showed her exactly how he went from being misfit child Henry Creel to a killer who framed his dad for the murders of his mother and sister.
Eleven Is In The Underground Lab In Nevada
Our dear Eleven has not been having a good time in Season 4, and after striking out against her bully, Angela, in a physical attack, she’s arrested and about to be transported to God only knows where, until Dr. Owens finds her. Eleven, feeling lost without her powers and hearing that Hawkins is in trouble yet again, then agrees to go with Owens to take part in the Nina Project, which is conducted in an underground lab in a Nevada desert… by Owens and the miraculously alive Dr. Brenner.
At the end of Episode 7, Eleven is reliving the Hawkins Lab massacre, and remembers that the orderly who’d been helping her was not only Brenner’s first test subject, but the One (See what I did there?) who killed nearly everyone in the lab, with Eleven being the only kid strong enough to stop him by sending him into the Upside Down, where he turned into Vecna. The good news? This memory seems like it might have been strong enough to restore her powers so she can fight One/Vecna again.
Steve Is Still In The Upside Down
I gotta be honest; I do not have high hopes for Steve right now, as he’s currently still trapped in the Upside Down and trying to free Nancy from Vecna’s curse. She’s clearly in a trance after attempting to go back to Hawkins, and if we know anything about Steve, it’s that he’s very brave and almost certainly still into Nancy. I’ve been worried that all of his Demo-Bat bites would take him out, but another threat to his survival is him going after Vecna (ALONE!) to save Nancy.
Robin And Eddie Made It Back To Hawkins, Where Dustin, Lucas, Max, And Erica Were Waiting For Them
Well, here’s at least one lucky break! Robin and Eddie did (as mentioned) manage to get their whole selves back to Hawkins, after Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Erica set up a way for them to come through the gate in Eddie’s trailer as safely as possible. But, I fully expect Volume 2 to quickly show them realizing that Nancy has fallen prey to Vecna, meaning that some or all of the kids might be headed through the Trailer-Gate before long.
Joyce, Murray, And Hopper Are All Still Stuck In Russia
Joyce and Murray went through a lot of trouble (and expense) to reach Hopper, and even though they had to deal with a number of obstacles, they finally made it to the prison and were able to get to Hopper after subduing a number of Russian prison guards/officials. Hopper and disgraced guard Dmitri even managed to be the last men standing in their battle against the Demogorgon, but there’s still a big problem, as everyone is stuck in Russia with no reliable way out.
Lt. Colonel Sullivan Is In A Secret Location
The very determined Lt. Colonel Sullivan spent much of Volume 1 looking for Eleven, as he believes her to be the key to why the Upside Down is active here, and stopping its creatures for the last time, and he’s willing to kill anyone (including Eleven) to do it. After the incredibly thrilling and scary siege on the Byers’ California home, he captured the injured Agent Wallace and took him to a secret location to have him tortured, in the hope that he would give up Eleven’s location. Before the final moments of the Stranger Things Season 4 finale, it looked like his plan had succeeded, though Sullivan hadn’t left his secret spot just yet.
Mike, Will, And Jonathan Are In Salt Lake City With Suzie
Well, I don’t know if I would have even believed that spoilery Stranger Things board game if it had revealed this. After Sullivan’s men destroyed the Byers home, Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle were forced to flee with their other injured guard, Agent Harmon. The older man does die, but not before giving the kids a way to find Project Nina, and Eleven’s whereabouts.
The boys soon realize that the number he gave them called a computer, and Mike had them set out to find Dustin’s extremely smart girlfriend, Suzie, at her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, to help them get the rest of the info they needed. After some family shenanigans so that Suzie could use the computer her dad confiscated, the guys were gifted with Eleven’s exact coordinates in Nevada.
Whew! As you can see, all of our favorite players are still very spread out by the time Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 comes to a close, so it will likely take great effort for everyone to come back together during Volume 2, which hits Netflix on July 1.
