5 things that surprised me in the 'Stranger Things' season 4 teaser that just dropped
Kim Renfro
- Netflix released new teaser for "Stranger Things 4" with a peek at several upcoming scenes.
- There were a few surprises in the footage, like Eleven's very Joyce-esque haircut.
- Netflix also made the slightly unexpected announcement that season four won't arrive until 2022.
Let's start with the most surprising moments. For one, Eleven looks like a Joyce doppelganger with this new haircut.
At the end of season three, Eleven went to go live with Joyce and Will. Now it looks like Joyce is raising Eleven with her same fondness for bangs.
I'm also curious about the clothes Eleven in wearing in this new footage.
That "new" outfit looks exactly like the oversized flannel shirts and long-sleeve floral top that she wore a lot in season two.
But back then she was hiding with Hopper (who wasn't well-versed in shopping). It's surprising to see that she's back in the same clothes, especially after her mall makeover in season three.
Netflix didn't even wait a full year after the season three finale to confirm that Hopper was actually alive. Now he's wandering around with a flamethrower in the new trailer.
Hopper went from presumed-dead in the season three finale, to alive-but-seemingly-imprisoned in the first season four teaser, and now he's... fine?
Well, as fine as anyone can probably be while battling supernatural evil.
In this shot from the new trailer, Hopper looks worse for the wear as he enters a room. Is he after more supernatural creatures? Or just more bad guys?
It was also interesting that we didn't see Will or Mike in this new batch of footage.
Steve, Dustin, Robyn, Max, Nancy, and Lucas are all present in this shot from a spooky-looking hallway. But what about the other two boys?
Eleven isn't in this scene either, so maybe Mike and Will are sticking close to her. Mike is her boyfriend, after all, and now Will is something like her adoptive brother.
We also got a look at some of the Hawkins High cheerleaders, a stark reminder that all the "kids" are at least freshman in high school.
Season three took place in 1985, right after Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max have all graduated from middle school.
The final scene of that season was set in October, so presumably after they (and Eleven?) had all started high school.
We don't yet know what year "Stranger Things 4" takes place in, but it's a sure bet that they're all at least going to be freshman — if not sophomores. Thanks to filming delays, it's possible that all the characters will have been forced to age more between seasons due to the real-life actors ages.
OK, now onto the less surprising parts of the trailer. Many of the shots are very vague, like this scene of Steve swimming.
He has a flashlight, so he's presumably looking for something underwater. Is he in an actual body of water? Or just an aquarium? What spooked him? We'll have to wait and see.
Then we see what looks like Max, Dustin, Lucas, and Erica riding their bikes together.
Erica, Lucas' little sister, was a fan-favorite from the earlier seasons. Priah Ferguson (who stars as Erica) was upped to a series regular for season four. That means fans can expect to see even more of the best sibling in Hawkins in the upcoming episodes.
An unknown person watches a burning car in this ominous shot. Could this be Mike or Will?
It's hard to say what character this is. Perhaps it's a whole new person fans haven't met yet. Either way, nothing good is happening here.
And last there was a flashback shot of Eleven in what looks like the Hawkins National Lab (HNL).
The HNL was featured heavily in a May 2021 teaser for "Stranger Things 4." It seems like we're going to get flashbacks to Eleven's time with Dr. Brenner, and perhaps get more answers about the other kids who were help captive there.
There's also the question of Hopper's daughter, Sara, and how her death in a hospital might have actually been HNL itself.
The staircase where Hopper was once shown crying over Sara's illness is the same staircase seen inside HNL on "Stranger Things 2." Actor David Harbour (who plays Hopper) also pointed out that similar stuffed animals are seen on Sara's hospital bed and inside HNL.
"So yes — there is a connection there perhaps that we may go into further down the line," Harbour told Insider in a 2017 interview.
So much to ponder. To help with your theorizing about what's in store for season four, read our breakdown of 29 questions "Stranger Things" season three left unanswered.
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Popular Keywords
Advertisement