When the game levels up

Episode 4 drops any remaining disguise of youthful adventure and plunges headfirst into dark fantasy. The board is fully revealed, all pieces moving toward the same destination — and at the center of it all, children used as bait. Vecna’s game grows clearer. And far more cruel.

Derek in panic and the first collapse

Derek is already unbearable in his “normal” state. Terrified, he becomes impossible to control. Joyce tries to explain what is happening, but he panics and attempts to flee. Erika, Robin, Will and Joyce try to capture him again — when the demogorgon suddenly attacks.

Will falls into a trance, embodying the monster itself. In the chaos, Joyce is “saved” almost by accident. Nothing is under control.

The hunt through the Upside Down

Dustin, Jonathan, Steve and Nancy follow the demogorgon through the Upside Down. The pursuit drags them deeper into the organic core of hell, with no guarantee of return.

This episode — the last before Christmas — carries the symbolic archetype of the wizard from Dungeons & Dragons, the figure that often turns the tide of any campaign.

Children and the feeding tubes

While still in trance, Will saw a disturbing vision: many children like himself being “fed” through those disgusting tubes. That makes what happens in the real world even more alarming — the military is now collecting children and taking them to the base.

Driven by instinct, Will paints on the wall. The image resembles a portal.

The wall and the unknown

In the Upside Down, the chase ends at the wall. The car crashes — or passes through it. It’s unclear. Even the narrative itself enters a zone of visual and symbolic uncertainty.

Vecna’s plan clearly involves children, yet his ultimate goal remains murky. The military seems to know what he wants. Dr. Kay still claims she does not fully understand him — but the bait is obvious: children.

The bunker and the rescue plan

The victims are terrified. All of them are taken to the compound. Will, Joyce, Robin, Mike and Lucas must use the tunnels — and, ironically, rely on Derek — to try to extract the children from the base and from Hawkins.

Nothing is simple. Nothing is safe.

Max and the world of Henry

In the Upside Down, Max explains to Holly that she is “trapped” in Henry’s world. Everyone Vecna captures remains there forever. She reveals that when she woke from her coma, she mentally returned to the 1950s — because she had begun to exist inside the villain’s mind.

The only way to survive is to remain inside the cave where Vecna cannot enter.

Eleven, Hopper, and the trap

Eleven and Hopper work to decode a way into the base, but they are interrupted by Dustin’s call for help. Still, they proceed with their infiltration plan.

Dr. Kay is alerted to the invasion — in truth, it was all a trap. Eleven is captured. Hopper fights back, but Kay controls a demogorgon that restrains him. He is tortured in front of Eleven. They manage to escape — but weakened, Eleven cannot go on. Hopper sacrifices himself to save her.

The farewell feels final.

The rescue that fails

The rescue of the children does not go as planned — at least not entirely. The group is discovered and captured. Will tries to warn everyone of the imminent danger, but it is too late. They are surrounded by demogorgons.

This is the trailer’s attack scene, where the soldiers are caught off guard. It would have been devastating if it had remained a secret — especially given what comes next.

The true Sorcerer

The episode’s great revelation — and the season’s turning point — is finally unveiled:
Will now has powers.

To defend his friends, he annihilates every monster. One by one. Without hesitation.

He is no longer merely like Eleven.
He is more than Eleven.
He is, quite literally, the sorcerer.

And somehow, that sounds less like victory…
and far more like the omen of a tragic fate.