An ominous clock. Dead rabbits. Flickering lights. Unconscious children on the floor. The Season 4 Stranger Things trailer, like the other trailers, have never failed in building both suspense and fan anticipation; the release for the new season closes in.  

   It has been 2 years since the Season 3 Netflix debut on July 4th. The questions, raised by the multifaceted finale, were supposed to be answered by the Season 4 plot; Covid-19 delayed filming and pushed back the original release date of late 2020-early 2021. The show has been missed by many, including sophomore Sade Alo who “like[s] how it has lovable characters that we’ve seen grow and develop  over the seasons.” 

   Clashes between the old and the new will add more zest to Season 4; including new characters and a buried casualty that will resurface. While the core group of friends “The Party” (Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, Max, and Eleven) will return in their own ways, all of them are now teenagers in high school; an opportunity to introduce new faces opens. These new actors include Amybeth McNulty as Vicky; known for playing Anne Cuthburt in Netflix’s Anne with an E, Myles Truitt plays Patrick the jock, Regina Ting Chen is Ms. Kelly the guidance counselor, and Grace Van Dien as Krissy the popular girl. 

   Robert Englund, famous for portraying Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, will play the mysterious Victor Creel. As head of the sinister family who was blamed for their odd deaths in the 1950’s and the late owner of the haunted house in which the Party will look for clues decades later, he will definitely play a major role in the upcoming plot. 

   Season 4 has a lot to cover. Picking up from the end of Season 3, and making references to the previous seasons, events are expected to be elaborated. Eleven and Will move states, taking away two vital members; the remainder of the group face new domestic issues.

   Fans await the backstory on the beloved Police officer Jim Hopper, and his unexpected survival following his “death.” Supposedly incinerated in his attempt to close the gate to the Upside Down, he lived only to be imprisoned in a snowy region of Russia, with new struggles to face.“Hopper was alive and I was right, and I look forward to seeing how,” says Sade’s sophomore friend Isabella Simko, who is proud to have theorized the right outcome shortly after Season 3 came out.

   Out of the estimated 8-9 episodes, 3 of them have had their names revealed. Episode 1 is Hellfire Club, assumed to be the remaining party members. Both Episode 2: Tick Tock Mr. Clock, and Episode 3: You Snooze You Lose, have enigmatic meanings that relate to nursery-like quips; they hint at their sinister contents. According to the Duffer Brothers, “Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet,” leaving plenty of room to theorize what the new chapter will bring. 

   Stranger Things is considered one of the most impactful sci-fi shows of the era. The extended delay of the show has caused it to downgrade from trends, especially with newly released shows such as Squid Game, a Korean Drama taking the world by storm with its intriguing final survivor archetypal plot. But, upcoming content trailing the new season has increased value and the potential to unify the show’s fans again-even more so once the new season will drop. Junior Joshua Blackwood is excited for the new season to come out, claiming  “[he] likes the  action” the show has to offer. 

   It is encouraged to rewatch the show, Seasons 1-3 to refresh the memory of the show’s thick plot, and the correlation between the old and new seasons. It was publically announced that Season 4 would drop sometime in 2022, but the exact dates are to be determined. Season 4 won’t be the final entry in the series either, according to co-creator Ross Duffer, “We know what the end is, and we know when it is.