Stranger Things season 4: Key takeaways from the trailer

It’s been such a long wait, but the Stranger Things season 4 trailer is finally here! Netflix dropped the three-minute look at the new season this morning, and it’s certainly got us excited for what’s to come.

Stranger Things season 4 is split into two parts. The first arrives on May 27, just a few weeks away from now! The second half drops only five weeks after, on July 1. Both of those dates fall on holiday weekends, and we’ll definitely need the extra binge time since the episodes this season are supersized.

Longer episodes mean more stories to tell. And after almost three years of waiting, we definitely won’t be complaining about that. So bring it on!

The season is very spread out in terms of locations. We’ve got Hawkins, where most of the main characters are, California, where the Byers have moved and Russia, where Hopper is, thankfully, still alive. The trailer gave us a hint at one more place we’re going to be visiting, as well as some other key takeaways.

Key takeaways from the Stranger Things season 4 trailer

Before we jump in, let’s check out the season 4 trailer for the hundredth time today:

Back to the Upside Down

With our characters spread out across two countries, we’re adding another world to the list. We can clearly see Steve and Max in the Upside Down. Then there’s a clear shot of four of our Hawkins friends casually strolling around the other dimension on their bikes. That just cracks me up! Of course, we’ve seen the Upside Down in previous seasons, but we know this season is going to dive into its mythology, and so it looks like the characters will be spending more time in the scary world.

What could take our heroes to the Upside Down? Well, it probably has something to do with the season’s newest monster, Vecna. And he is probably even scarier than the Demogorgon and Mind Flayer. And how do they get there? I’m guessing it has something to do with the clock and Creel House that we know will play a significant role in season 4. Both were shown in the real world, as well as the Upside Down. So maybe the Creel House has some kind of portal to the other dimension.

Eleven’s struggles

This girl cannot catch a break. She has been through so much heartbreak since the start of the series. And get ready because Stranger Things will keep pulling on our heartstrings. The trailer tells us El still doesn’t have her powers back, but Dr. Owen shares she’s needed to save her friends back in Hawkins.

We’re also flashing back to her time at Hawkins Lab (cue the crying). The biggest question, though – does El get arrested? We see her in a truck labeled “prison transport,” with Mike sadly watching as it drives away. What is happening!?

It’s all about Max

Max was featured heavily in the trailer, so it seems we’re going to focus on this character more in season 4. It’s obvious she’s still grieving over the loss of Billy. Even though he wasn’t the nicest brother, they still lived together and his death is tough to process. Especially the way he died, sacrificing himself to save Eleven and the rest of the kids. In a surprising twist, we also see Max levitating. How can she be doing that, and what does it mean?

Time for a rescue mission

There’s a couple of hints that Joyce is heading to Russia. Somehow she finds out Hopper is alive. First, we see a mailed package with a bunch of Russian stamps. Then Joyce and Murray are seen in a plane. They’re all bundled up for the cold weather – which is probably Russia!

What did you take away from the trailer? What are you most excited to see? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Stranger Things season 4 part 1 drops on Netflix on May 27.