🚨 There are MASSIVE — and I mean MASSIVE — spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 4! 🚨
After years of waiting, Stranger Things finally returned with Season 4, Vol. 1 on Netflix this week, and honestly, it was worth the wait.
The first seven episodes of Season 4 pick up almost a year after the Battle of Starcourt, with Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Max (Sadie Sink), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) trying to navigate high school, while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Will (Noah Schnapp) are trying to fit in at their new school in California. Of course, this is Stranger Things, so the calm and "normal" doesn't last forever.
Soon, Hawkins is once again under attack, this time by Vecna, a creature from the Upside Down who is killing people in a very brutal way. Like, the end of Season 4, Episode 1 proved that this show has now taken a hard turn into the horror genre, and I am so excited for it.
With Vecna threatening Hawkins, Lucas, Dustin, Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Max team up to try and stop him, and it's the best team-up the series has given us. Then, things take a very real turn when Max is Vecna's next victim.
This leads into the episode "Dear Billy," which, in my opinion, is one of the best episodes of Stranger Things to date. As of right now, it's one of the highest rated episodes of the series on IMDb.
Directed by Shawn Levy and written by Paul Dichter, "Dear Billy" follows Max as she comes to terms with possibly dying at the hands of Vecna, and this leads to her writing letters to all the important people in her life.
The entire episode brilliantly leads up to an emotional performance from Sadie Sink, which starts when Max sits in front of Billy's grave and reads the letter she wrote for him. Y'all, I was very much weeping on my couch.
Then, "Dear Billy" takes a turn to the pure horror that this season perfectly delivers, when Vecna gets a hold of Max and tries to kill her. Again, Sadie Sink just knocks it out of the park as Max is trying desperately to escape.
The final moments culminate when the crew learns that Max's favorite song could save her from Vecna, and "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush starts playing and ultimately saves Max. These last five minutes of "Dear Billy" are incredible, from the acting to the directing to the writing to the music choice.
After Stranger Things 4 dropped on Netflix, "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush quickly shot to No. 1 on iTunes and is charting on Spotify's Top 200. The 1985 track originally reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Speaking about Max's big episode, Sadie Sink told Netflix, "[Max's] been wanting to give up. ... But her friends show up for her, and I think that's what really helps her. She is someone in a lot of pain. To see her go on this journey and then even more painful circumstances, but still choose to fight the good fight and be a team player, and also just continue on for herself as well — that's really inspiring."
In terms of filming, Sadie said, "The running bit actually must have been five takes of me running, like, 25 yards that they just cut together to make it look like I was running a lot further. But really it was just like one little square of murky, bloody water." Also, she wrote Max's goodbye letter to Billy in a script-print "hybrid," which is a mix of her own script handwriting and what the Stranger Things team thought Max's would look like.
And on top of Max's storyline, "Dear Billy" also features a perfectly creepy performance by iconic actor Robert Englund, who is best known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
Basically, while binge-watching Stranger Things 4 Vol 1., fans and director Shawn Levy quickly shared their love for "Dear Billy," especially Sadie Sink's performance and everyone's newfound love of "Running Up That Hill':
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Stranger Things fans after watching Dear Billy:
Our work here is done 🙃❤️ https://t.co/qSmT4mnRrh
Overwhelmed by all your kind words about “Dear Billy”. From the moment the Duffers gave me the outline, I knew this episode could be something really special. Enjoy the BTS (and yes, that is Sadie up on the wires !)
dear billy has completely destroyed me.
Emmy for @SadieSink, or else! Wow #StrangerThings
manifesting sadie sink getting a emmy for her outstanding performance in dear billy.
DEAR BILLY IS THE BEST EPISODE IN STRANGER THINGS. THE LAST 5 MINUTES? FUCKING CHEF'S KISS. A TRUE CINEMA. SADIE SINK YOU ARE PHENOMENAL #StrangerThings4
dear billy is genuinely the best episode in the entirety of stranger things, i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. the last 5 minutes? masterpiece. the incorporation of running up that hill? incredible. sadie sink? emmy award worthy #StrangerThings4
The “Dear Billy” episode is Stranger Things 4 was phenomenal. Maybe my favorite episode of the entire series.
dear billy has to be your favorite episode from stranger things season 4. sadie sink portrayed her character so well i’m in shock 😮💨 hands down #StrangerThings4
still not emotionally recovered from Sadie Sink's performance in episode 4 "Dear Billy" #StrangerThings4
me in the last 5 mins of dear billy simultaneously crying and loving the music #StrangerThings4 #episode4 #dearbilly
Me hearing the “Run Up that Hill” by Kate Bush on Dear Billy episode from #StrangerThings4
i just have to say the inclusion of kate bush’s running up that hill (a deal with god) in stranger things 4 episode 4 changed the trajectory of my life and permanently altered my brain chemistry thank you kate bush thank you sadie sink
Imagine dying coz your friends don't know your favourite song #strangerthings
“dear billy” being one of the best episodes this season, the little montage of max’s memories made me cry so much, the running scene whilst running up that hill was playing a MASTERPIECE. #StrangerThings4
give her fcking superpowers in s5 and she's gonna take it to next level beyond expectations of us all, dear billy my favourite episode because max completely ATE it <3 #StrangerThings #StrangerThings4
For those of you who don't understand why #DearBilly made such an impact in #StrangerThings4 Max chose to live. This girl who had been living with guilt, depression, unaliving thoughts, self-isolation, and hopelessness saw the light at the end of the tunnel and ran for it. 1/3
That scene at the end of dear billy... I was shocked at the weight of the metaphors. It had me up and wishing Max made it like my life depended on it. What a beautiful illustration of how brave you have to be to keep living through trauma and loss #StrangerThings
#StrangerThings4 spoilers max has been alone in life for so long and at the end of dear billy she finally realised she’s not and that she does have a family and that is everything to me
knowing that max also wrote a farewell letter for steve cause he is part of the most important people in her life means so much to me #StrangerThings
sadie sink deserves ALL the awards for that final scene in episode 4- #StrangerThings #StrangerThings4
i will give every bone in my body to read what max wrote to lucas in the letter #StrangerThings
In conclusion:
i feel like as soon as i recover from vol 1, vol 2 is gonna drop and break me into 3 million pieces #StrangerThings