Stranger Things Season 4 Episodes 8 & 9 Review: Papa / The Piggyback

Stranger Things Season 4 delivers a bittersweet ending with its final two episodes leading to an epic showdown between Eleven and Vecna. 

Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 8, “Papa,” and Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 9, “The Piggyback,” feel like a long conclusion. We knew that these episodes would be supersized, but the story also seems to drag until its meets with the final standoff between Vecna/Henry/One and Eleven.

Characters Over Story

Now that Stranger Things Season 4 has concluded, it definitely feels like this season is meant to advance character arcs above anything else. The story arcs seem to take a backseat as these characters split up and find their way back to each other. 

By the end, each character has gone through some character development. Unlike previous seasons, we aren’t just building to a climactic battle scene but also the emotional growth of these characters. 

There are lots of moving scenes that feel much more compelling within the narrative machine that is this season. Because of that, all the fight scenes feel much more gratifying. 

Some examples of this include the moment when Eddie decides not to run and draws the bats away from Dustin and the others going after Vecna and the scene when Mike talks about how he loves Eleven but doesn’t say it. 

MIKE: I love you on your good days. I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers. I love you without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are. You’re my superhero.

We’re starting to see the bonds between these characters get even deeper than they were before. That’s what is going to make the final season have so much more at stake. Especially now that they’re all together, again.

Trying to Leave Russia

Besides giving us some great Joyce and Jim moments, it’s hard to see why we needed a Russia subplot this season. While they were one of the main threats last season it didn’t feel like this plot gave us a lot of value for this season. 

On these final two episodes, it honestly feels l like this is meant to play as comic relief, and maybe set up for Stranger Things Season 5 as we see the complexity of the Russian operation. 

The scenes that stand out most from the Russia arc are typically rooted in comedy. Yuri’s monologue about the two Katinkas is funny for a moment, but borders on annoying when you consider the bigger questions being raised by other storylines.

If Hawkins is going to fall is Russia really that central to the plot? 

Reunions

While Russia doesn’t feel like it’s moving the plot forward, it did bring Jim back to Hawkins and gave viewers a reunion between Jim and Eleven where she references that soul-shattering letter from the end of Stranger Things Season 3.

ELEVEN: I kept it open. I kept the door open three inches…because I never stopped believing. 

Hopper and Eleven’s reunion hits differently at the end of the season. We were all waiting for it, but Eleven spends a lot of this season alone and spent the better part of a year going through a lot of changes. Getting the first caring father figure she’s had back is a reminder that maybe everything will be okay.

That’s especially important given that Eleven is experiencing her first loss too. 

In fact, the way that the final episodes reunite all of the couples, who have been mostly physically separated, makes us realize exactly what we missed about this season. The moments between Mike and Eleven, Max and Lucas, Joyce and Hopper, and Jonathan and Nancy all show us the kind of relationships we have been missing. 

It’s great to have these characters together again and definitely leaves us looking forward to a more united final season. 

Eleven’s Not the Only Superhero

Both of these episodes lean into the return of Eleven’s powers. Given that Stranger Things Season 4 started with Eleven not having her powers it’s very gratifying to see her using them.

The helicopter scene on Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 8, “Papa,” is a solid preview of what’s to come with Eleven being more confident and sure of herself.

However, the final battle leaves us feeling like there is more than one superhero in this group. The multi-pronged assault on Vecna/Henry/One is a prime example of that.

Each character had a role to play in a different location, and they all had a hand in wounded Vecna this time. Yes, Eleven’s powers were central to that, but she couldn’t have done it without backup. 

Eleven has always needed her friends, but this battle really focused on the teamwork that the Party has cultivated. 

The Ending

Grief seems to be one of the central themes of Stranger Things Season 4 and every character is wrestling with their demons. Several characters are reckoning with their past in some shape or form and we need to spend some time decompressing with them after ever everything ends. 

After defeating Vecna/Henry/One we get to stay in Hawkins for about 40 minutes. This is an interesting decision because it gives the audience a chance to sit with Hawkins after a major event like this has happened. 

Stranger Things has always packed a punch when it came to the fight scenes and the adventures in the Upside Down. However, it’s also about human beings and the community that they’re living in. It can be hard to remember that against the fantastical elements of the show, but Hawkins is as much of a character as anything else.  

The news clip makes a point of saying that Hawkins has had a lot happen to it over the years, and I think it’s important that we spend some time in this town as it grieves. All of our characters are tied to this town and it’s good to see them giving back and coming together to help where they can. 

It’s not an easy ending to sit with, but it feels like the one that Season 4 deserves and I hope that the show continues to explore that in its final season. 

More Questions Than Answers

For all the character arcs, it doesn’t feel like the story has moved very much. 

After Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 7, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” there are a lot of questions that still need to be answered, but “Papa” and “The Piggyback” don’t give us clear answers.

Some moments like Jonathan’s decision not to go with Nancy to Emerson and Robin’s crush are left like loose threads. 

As Robin says, in the wake of everything else these feel like small moments, and maybe it’s okay that things aren’t perfectly resolved yet. This town still has a lot to go through, and it wouldn’t heart to up the stakes as we get to the final battle.

Stray Thoughts:

• “I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer,” may be the best line ever uttered on the show. 
• Can you blame Hopper for planning out what he was going to order at Enzo’s while being held prisoner in Russia? If I was eating that prison food, I would be thinking about spicy breadsticks and lasagna too.
• So is pineapple on pizza gonna be Eleven’s new Eggos?  
• Will and Jonathan’s moment where he says that he still loves his brother is really sweet. I know that The Duffer Brothers commented on how Will’s sexuality would be addressed in this finale, but it feels like a point that they’re just trying to hit. I really hope that they are able to explore this a little more in Season 5. 
• Argyle is the friend everyone needs on their side when weird stuff starts happening. That’s really all I have to say about his presence. (That, and I’m glad he’s still alive.)
• Is anyone else glad that Eleven didn’t answer Dr. Brenner’s final plea for forgiveness? Even in the end, I am not sure Brenner deserved to ask anything of Eleven considering he lied to her up until the last possible moment. 
• Eddie dedicating his performance for the bats to Chrissy is kind of sweet. 

What did you think of this season of Stranger Things? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Stranger Things Season 4 is now available on Netflix.

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