"Chapter Three: The Monster and the Superhero" is the third episode of the fourth season of Stranger Things and the twenty-eighth episode overall. It premiered on May 27, 2022.
Synopsis[]
Murray and Joyce fly to Alaska, and El faces serious consequences. Robin and Nancy dig up dirt on Hawkins' demons. Dr. Owens delivers sobering news.
Plot[]
Jack Sullivan visits Sam Owens, who has been fired from his job following the events of 1985, in his home in Ruth, Nevada. Sullivan shows Owens images of Chrissy Cunningham's corpse and explaining the circumstances. Sullivan states his belief that Eleven, who Owens insists is dead, has gone rogue and is testing her powers to remotely assassinate people in Hawkins. Owens refuses to surrender information, so Sullivan leaves, ordering his men to track down any of Owens' contacts in hopes of finding Eleven.
Jonathan Byers and Argyle, both clearly high, drive Eleven, Mike Wheeler, and Will Byers back from the roller rink after Eleven injured Angela. They return to find Murray Bauman making dinner for them, where Joyce Byers explains she needs to go on a "business trip" to Alaska the next day. Argyle mentions the incident at the rink, and Eleven excuses herself to her room when Mike makes an offhanded comment about Angela, laying down on her bed and experiencing intense flashbacks of the mass murder at Hawkins National Laboratory.
In the Upside Down, Vecna reconnects himself to his tendrils and rises into the air.
Lucas Sinclair wakes up in Benny's Burgers, where he goes outside to find Jason Carver, Patrick McKinney and Andy preparing to hunt Eddie Munson. Jason grants him permission to leave if he does not feel up to it, but Lucas insists he is fine.
Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, and Max Mayfield visit Eddie, still hiding out in Rick Lipton's boathouse, to inform him that the police are looking for him, but his name has not been released publicly. Dustin plans to kill Vecna to prove Eddie's innocence, which Eddie points out sounds like an impossible task. They notice the police speed by outside. The police have found Fred Benson's body and are interrogating Nancy Wheeler on when she last saw him. She brings up Wayne Munson's Victor Creel theory, which Calvin Powell ignores. Dustin's group arrives on the scene, and Nancy looks at them, realizing the Upside Down is involved in the murders.
Mike sits with Eleven in her room, incredulous that she did not tell him the truth as he has been bullied his whole life, but Eleven insists that she does not belong, and people believe she is a "monster." She points out that, after seeing Mike's reaction to her hitting Angela, that he thinks she is a monster as well, noting that he does not say "I love you" to her anymore. He insists that she cannot let the opinions of other people ruin her relationship and that she is a "superhero," but she sighs "not anymore." The police come to detain Eleven for hitting Angela, and Mike insists as she is taken away that he will find a way to help her.
As her plane to Alaska prepares for takeoff, Joyce expresses regret over lying to her children, but Bauman, knowing their tendency to get involved, claims she did the right thing. She claims she is "seeing an old friend" when a flight attendant asks and expresses mild disgust when the attendant assumes Bauman is her husband.
In Kamchatka, Jim Hopper provokes "Enzo" actually a guard named Dmitri Antonov, into a fight so they can talk in private. Antonov informs Hopper that Joyce and Bauman are going to Alaska, and that he is sending them to Yuri Ismaylov, a reputable smuggler. Antonov warns Hopper to escape in time to be on the plane the next day. Antonov punches Hopper in the face to keep up appearances
The Hawkins group updates Nancy on what they know, and they try to find a correlation between Fred and Chrissy's actions before their deaths. Max remembers seeing Chrissy leave Ms. Kelley's office and realizes she may have been confiding in her about her visions, and so the group decides to find out if Fred was also seeing her. Nancy splits off from the group to check something out and Steve tries to go with her, but eventually has Robin go with Nancy when he realizes he is the only other person who can legally drive. Inside Eddie's trailer, a fissure forms on the ceiling where Chrissy hit it.
In the Upside Down, Vecna descends into a mental plane where he can see and hear the innermost darkness of Hawkins residents, eventually selecting Patrick after hearing his father berating him. Patrick, in the car with the basketball team, experiences a brief headache and his nose starts to bleed, which he ignores. The team arrives at the house where the band Corroded Coffin is practicing. The band members question Lucas as to why he is with the team, but Lucas again pretends they know who he is through his sister. Jason violently interrogates one of the members of the van until he says that Dustin may know where Eddie is, much to Lucas' discomfort.
In California, Eleven is questioned by the police about the incident, but she does not explain why she hit Angela and again experiences flashbacks of the incident at the lab. As the Byers brothers and Mike talk to the police to figure out how to free her, she is taken away in a prison transport van while they watch. As Eleven continues to have flashbacks, the van is intercepted in a remote area by Owens and several federal agents.
Hopper approaches a burly inmate and trades his meal in exchange for the inmate breaking his chain during the next work period. During work, Hopper waits for the guards to be distracted and gives the inmate the signal, biting down on his sleeve while the inmate hits his chain with a sledgehammer, breaking his foot in the process. That night, he barely disguises his damaged chain and sets his foot when alone in his cell. Max goes to Ms. Kelley's house under the guise of wanting to talk to her.
Dustin and Steve wait outside, where the former points out how he seemed eager to go with Nancy until the latter tells him to be quiet. Ms. Kelley tries to get Max to talk about Billy Hargrove's death, but she instead tries to talk to her about Chrissy. Ms. Kelley refuses to violate Chrissy's privacy, and so Max asks to go to the bathroom, using it as an excuse to steal her keys to the school.
As Jason, Patrick and Andy investigate the outside of Dustin's house, Lucas slips into his bedroom through a window and calls him on his radio. Not knowing who he is with, Dustin reveals Eddie's location and Max tells him to meet them at the school, but Lucas is interrupted by the team before he can warn them. To avoid suspicion, he gives them Eddie's location, but intentionally misleads them. They arm themselves and go to the provided area, only for Lucas to slip away from the group when he has the chance.
Nancy and Robin go to the Hawkins Public Library, to investigate Victor Creel. Their research takes them all day, and Nancy becomes increasingly annoyed with Robin, especially when she points out that she and Steve are not dating for seemingly no reason. They resort to checking archived tabloids, finding a headline that says Creel claimed a demon killed his family. It claims that Creel thought his house was haunted by a demon and hired a priest to exorcise it, which failed, and it killed his family and spared him as punishment.
Owens takes Eleven to a diner and promises to take care of the rink incident, then explains why he tracked her down: Hawkins is in danger because of Vecna's influence, and they need her to stop him. She reminds him that her powers are gone, but he tells her there is a way to bring them back stronger than before if he comes with her. He warns her that a faction of the government believes she is a threat, but he believes she can save them all. He reassures her that this is her choice, but her friends in Hawkins are in danger and she may be the only one who can save them. She agrees to go with him, and agents are dispatched to the Byers house to inform them of her disappearance.
Robin radios Dustin with her findings, who is busy breaking into the school with Max and Steve. Max finds that Ms. Kelley was seeing both Fred and Chrissy, and that they were both suffering from headaches, nosebleeds and nightmares. Just as she realizes these line up with her recent behavior, she hears Vecna calling to her. She heads out into the hallway to see a grandfather clock embedded in the wall. Vecna calls her name again, and, in the Upside Down, his eyes open.
Cast[]
Music[]
Soundtrack[]
- "In Transit to Bermuda" by Dorian Zero - Jonathan and Argyle attempt to comfort El while high and driving back home.
- "Rigoletto, Act III: V'ho ingannato... Colpevole fui" by Giuseppe Verdi - The kids arrive home to find Murray in the kitchen making risotto.
- "Che gelida manina" by Giacomo Puccini and Erich Leinsdorf - Murray and Joyce tell the kids they're going to Alaska for a "business trip".
- "Guardian Angel" by Fergus Mac Roy - Dr. Owens and Eleven at the diner.
- "There's a Storm Coming" by Dance with the Dead - End credits.
Original score[]
- "Ruth, Nevada" - Colonel Sullivan and his army arrive at Dr. Owens' home to search for Eleven's location.
- "Brenner's Little Pet" - Sullivan tells Owens that the killings in Hawkins correlate to Eleven.
- "Blood Balloons" - Argyle and Jonathan arrive to find a wounded Angela being tended to by paramedics while bystanders stare at a guilt-ridden Eleven.
- "A Realm Unspoiled by Mankind" - Eleven goes to her bedroom and both memories of hitting Angela and memories of Hawkins Lab flood her mind; Demobats swarm the Upside Down Creel house as Vecna attaches to his tentacles.
- "100% Convinced" - Dustin, Max, Steve, and Robin explain to Eddie the situation and their plan.
- "Scars" - Dustin, Max, Steve, and Robin arrive at Fred's crime scene to pick up a frightened Nancy.
- "Hellfire Club" - Eleven is arrested for assaulting Angela.
- "Welcome to Kamchatka" - Joyce and Murray prepare to travel to Alaska by plane, while Hopper devises a plan to escape in Kamchatka.
- "Stuck in 1983" - Dustin, Max, Nancy, Steve, and Robin attempt to connect Vecna's killings at the trailer park.
- "Mugshot" - Eleven is interrogated and her mugshot is taken. She's put into the system and sent to juvenile hall as Mike helplessly watches from the streets.
- "Boys and Girls" - Robin unknowingly annoys Nancy while apologizing for her lack of social cues at the Hawkins Public Library.
- "Patient Confidentiality" - Max steals Ms. Kelly's office keys and flees with Dustin and Steve.
- "Musso" - Hopper gets his ankle chains checked by a guard.
- "Elvis Cloned by Aliens" - Robin and Nancy read through archived articles in the basement of the Hawkins Library.
- "A War is coming to Hawkins" - Owens asks Eleven for help; Lucas ditches Jason and his friends at Hopper's Cabin and runs to meet the others at Hawkins High.
Influences and references[]
- See also: Influences & references
Books[]
- LIFE
- A September 1980 magazine issue of LIFE is seen on the Byers' living room table.
- It by Stephen King
- The monster Pennywise is a direct reference to Vecna, as they both target children and harness their souls by using traumatic memories of their past to take advantage of them.
Films[]
- Born Free (1966)
- A VHS tape of the film is placed next to the Byers' television.
- Diner (1982)
- Sam bringing El to the diner is a direct nod to the film that Paul Reiser starred in, since it's one of the Duffer Brother's favorite movies, and a running joke is always having Sam's character eat a diner of some kind throughout the show.
- Doctor Dolittle (1967)
- A VHS tape of the film is placed next to the Byers' television.
- The Exorcist (1973)
- When reviewing a newspaper clipping of the Creel family murders, Robin notes how similar it looked to the film despite the murders predating it.
- My Fair Lady (1964)
- A VHS tape of the film is placed next to the Byers' television.
- Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)
- Jonathan sees the film playing at the movie theatre and attempts to coax Mike and Will to go see it, but Will says it's "supposed to suck."
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
- A VHS tape of the film is placed next to the Byers' television.
- The Woman in Red (1984)
- A VHS tape of the film is placed next to the Byers' television.
Other[]
- National Guard (United States)
- El has a 1970s poster of The National Guard with the slogan, "The Guard Belongs", in her bedroom.
Television[]
- Ewoks (1985-1986)
- Will watches the show as the doorbell rings.
Gallery[]
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For this subject's gallery, see The Monster and the Superhero/Gallery. |
Trivia[]
- The title of the episode was revealed on November 6, 2021, on the occasion of Stranger Things Day.
- This episode takes place between March 22 and March 23, 1986.
- Murray uses his computer to reroute Joyce's phone call through Durham, North Carolina, the hometown of the Duffer Brothers.
- This episode is the 12th episode to be named after a character, following:
- Will Byers ("The Vanishing of Will Byers" & "Will the Wise")
- Eleven ("The Weirdo on Maple Street")
- Holly Wheeler ("Holly, Jolly")
- The Demogorgon ("The Monster")
- Max Mayfield ("MADMAX"),
- Kali Prasad ("The Lost Sister")
- The Mind Flayer ("The Mind Flayer")
- Suzie Bingham ("Suzie, Do You Copy?")
- Heather Holloway ("The Case of the Missing Lifeguard")
- Vecna ("Vecna's Curse")
- After not appearing at all in season 3, the librarian Marissa returns in this episode.
- This is the only episode of season 4 to not extend over 70 minutes.
References[]
| Episodes of Stranger Things | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Season 2 | |
| Season 3 | |
| Season 4 | The Hellfire Club • Vecna's Curse • The Monster and the Superhero • Dear Billy • The Nina Project • The Dive • The Massacre at Hawkins Lab • Papa • The Piggyback |
| Season 5 | |