Recent Stranger Things set photos seem to demonstrate that a Hawkins trailer park engulfed by the Upside-Down’s vines, but why is this good news for the Netflix hit’s upcoming season? The first season of Stranger Things has been an instant hit for directors that the Duffer Brothers and has since gone on to become one of the biggest original programs created by Netflix. Within its three seasons, Stranger Things has won acclaim for its stellar cast and intriguing combination of mystery, sci-fi, and horror tropes.
The genres which Stranger Things manages to straddle might seem like an odd mix, but the consistent small-town setting allows the show to bounce between terrifying terror and sweet adolescent romance without elements becoming jarring or dissonant. As a result, recent photos from the set of Stranger Things’ upcoming fourth year may be great news for longtime viewers of this sequence.
These photographs show a preview park absorbed by the Upside-Down’s vine-like tendrils, leading fans to assume that the Upside-Down may finally spread into real-life Hawkins in another series, or this might be another previously-unseen part of the Upside-Down. Whatever the scenario, this sight proves the Indiana city is going to be a major setting in Stranger Things season 4 despite that the Byers, Eleven, and Hopper leaving Hawkins. Here are all the ways a Hawkins yield is fantastic for your series.
Why Stranger Things 4 Needs Hawkins
The small-town setting of Stranger Things is vital to the show’s puzzle atmosphere, and its rare divergences from this milieu (like season 2’s sojourn into Chicago) have been fan-despised misfires that failed to capture the ideal scope and scale to the series. El’s trip to her secret sister Kali left many viewers and critics unimpressed since the incident directed Stranger Things to forfeit its small-town setting along with the attendant tropes of its 80s horror inspiration; it had been an interesting experiment but it didn’t quite work. The small-town atmosphere of Hawkins enables the villainy of Hawkins Lab going unnoticed by the external world (despite its creepy experiments) to feel believable, if far-fetched. In contrast, the reveal the wider world is filled with Eleven-style super-powered experimental subjects is a touch too much for its marginally grounded action of this set.
- Advertisement -
How Eleven & Mike (And Jonathan & Nancy) Can Be Reunited
Two of Stranger Things’ main couples, central love Eleven and Mike and B-couple Nancy and Jonathan, were severed at the end of year 3 due to this Byers leaving Hawkins. The conclusion of these two love stories was surprisingly abrupt and hauled off the dynamic of the show’s characters, together with both Nancy and Jonathan and Mike and Eleven being gung-ho pairings who regularly drove the action. The issue of Jonathan and Nancy’s breakup could be answered by Jonathan returning for a job in the reopened paper, along with also the sight of Hawkins in the new Stranger Things set photographs could (hopefully) be proof the upcoming season will offer a reunion to the lovelorn pair.
As for Mike, the truth El is one of few Stranger Things characters who has accessed the Upside-Down makes it seem more inclined either Will Byers will be the character inhabiting the creepy netherworld these set photos display. This may not ensure that the Byers will instantly return to Hawkins, but it does seem like the most likely direction for the plot to follow along. It’s possible that such as Hopper in the second season of the show, a personality who thus far has not ventured into the Upside-Down will find their way inside, whilst Nancy Wheeler (who remains in Hawkins) has previously survived an encounter with the netherworld. But with El and Will being the characters that enter the Upside-Down most frequently (at will in the former’s case and unwillingly to the latter), it is more probable the two Stranger Things stars are set to return to Hawkins and you having been inhabiting the ruined trailer park seen in the set photos.
How Hawkins Can Fix Hopper Siberia’s Plot
In case Hopper ended up in Siberia via a gateway in Hawkins’ Upside-Down, there’s no reason he can not return exactly the exact same way. The Stranger Things antihero could even get a Mind Flayer-style parasite on the way through the dimensional portal – a la season 2 Will Byers a spin that will make Hopper’s redemption out of his callous season 3 self much more engaging. This quick return to Hawkins may also avert a multi-episode, trans-Atlantic journey for Hopper, a subplot which may otherwise see the aforementioned dilemma of the show broadening its small-town scope rear its head again. Seeing the presence of a Hawkins-based portion of the Upside-Down in these season 4 set photos reinforces the chances that the town is going to be the season’s main setting, meaning Hopper could return early on in season 4. This would also avoid a drawn-out Russian subplot few viewers would be excited about and guarantee his reunion with Joyce, Eleven, and the rest of the cast. The Upside-Down providing a solution to Hopper’s Russian exile could also supply Stranger Things another chance to explain how the portal works, something fans have wondered about during the series.
Why Stranger Things 4 Could Still Go Wrong
But just seeing Hawkins in these Stranger Things set photographs might not be as promising as it seems. The show could still split its time between Indiana, Russia, and wherever the Byers are, creating an undesirable”3 lines, all waiting” structure for this season. This disjointed storytelling is something that could be remedied by the absent Byers family returning to the town of Hawkins in Stranger Things season, thus reuniting the fundamental group and returning them to their experiences. Whether that Stranger Things reunion comes about through Christmas vacation, a go back to Hawkins for school or work, or another plot contrivance, the sooner the show brings its leading figures back together in one place, the greater. This is why the sight of Hawkins in those set photographs is exciting news for Stranger Things viewers, even if the town is looking a lot worse for wear thanks to the malignant influence of this Upside-Down.
