Stranger Things Season 2 Episode 4 Recap – Will the Wise

The Episode

Joyce speeds off to Hawkins Middle and sees the AV club is empty. She stumbles upon Dustin, Max, and Lucas who are also looking for Will. The search leads them to the open field where Mike is trying to wake Will up from his episode. Joyce tries to talk to him but Will’s senses are currently being bombarded by the monster in the Upside Down. After a few seconds of calling his name, he wakes up in a jerking motion.

As Joyce takes Will back to her car, Max asks the boys what happened and how she’s feeling freaked out. Lucas notes that this is his second episode in two days. Could Will be having True Sight? Max asks what that is, but the boys are speechless.

Back home, Joyce asks Will to recount his visions. He’s reluctant at first until Joyce shows him the monster she saw on the videotape. She shares her suspicions that this thing isn’t just an episode but is actually real and asks him to tell the truth. Will admits that he saw it on the field. She asks what it is, but he doesn’t know, only the feeling that it exudes. He asked it to go away, but it came into every part of his being instead. Joyce hugs Will as he breaks down, promising to never give up on trying to protect him.

Grounded

Eleven goes home to find an angry Hopper waiting for her at the shed. She goes straight to her room where Hopper interrogates her. She says Mike didn’t see her but a mother and daughter did. He asks if anyone else might have seen her but she swears that nobody did. El complains that nothing is happening despite his promises so she became impatient but Hopper says it’s all to keep her safe. El calls him a liar, but Hopper says that he’s merely protecting her. As punishment, Hopper takes away his Eggos and the TV, but she doesn’t let him take them. Hopper pulls off the wire and she cries. He calls her a Brat and she attacks him with books and the couch before returning to her room. Hopper tells her to grow up, so she screams and breaks all the windows.

Jonathan goes home and finds his mom and Will sleeping together in the bed. Will’s eyes are shaking, perhaps from another nightmare.

Nancy asks permission from her mom for a girl’s night out but goes out with Jonathan instead. They drive away, nervous but determined.

Joyce calls Hawkins police but Hopper isn’t in yet. She asks for him to call her once he gets back. She then takes Will’s temperature and finds that he’s colder than usual. Will doesn’t want to go to the doctor, so she prepares a warm bath.

He Likes it Cold

Dustin feeds Dart more chocolates and heads off to school, only to find Lucas, Mike and Max looking for Dart in the dumpster. Later, they notice Will isn’t in class. He’s back home dreading to take the bath, saying that it’s too hot. Will refuses the bath, saying: “he likes it cold”, before leaving.

Hopper patches up the windows damaged by El the night before. He tells her to clean the place up as he leaves for the station. His secretary radios in and asks him to deal with Joyce, who’s called the station eight times already.

Nancy and Jonathan go to their meeting place with Mrs. Holland but notice the many suspicious people watching them. They decide to leave but their car won’t work. Someone offers to give them a ride, while many other agents surround them.

Joyce takes Hopper to see Will, who’s now shirtless after the creature insists on putting him in the cold. As for how he knows this, Will says it just happened. Hopper asks for more details, but Will explains that its like other memories are on the back of his head, growing and spreading. Joyce asks him to draw what he feels, and Will frantically does so.

Papa and Mama

Mike tries to call Will but no one answers. He calls a meeting in the AV club and prohibits Max from joining, saying it’s party only. Mike talks to them about the shadow and what its doing to Will. He wants them to help in Will’s predicament, so he volunteers to go to his home later and asks the other two to find Dart since he has a connection to the Upside Down.

Eleven tries to fix the TV but the wires are busted. She sweeps up the broken glass and discovers Hopper’s storage boxes underneath the floor. She takes out a box labeled Hawkins Lab and searches it. There, she finds the file for Terry Ives and her missing daughter Jane. She sees Terry’s photo with Papa and connects the dots. Eleven takes the radio and uses her blindfold to find Terry. She finds her Mama, but she disappears right after.

Nancy and Jonathan are both impatiently waiting in Hawkins when Dr. Owens steps in. Owens gives them a tour, admitting that mistakes have been made before in the name of science, but those men that led to Barbara’s death are now gone. He asks for their cooperation and shows them the gate of the Upside Down–one hell of a mistake. Owens shows them how they’re dealing with it and warns that the Soviets want to learn about this secret too. He urges them to keep this secret for the good of all.

The Network

Will finishes a pile of drawings that all look like random scribbles, but it turns out they connect to a bigger picture. It forms a huge network of vines, which Hopper correlates to the crops. He goes back to the pumpkin farm and starts digging.

Lucas asks Max to help him find Dart, but she’s mad after being left out. She feels betrayed about them asking her to join the party but them changing tune now that’s something’s happened to Will. Lucas says it’s not like that and explains that her life could be in danger but she doesn’t buy it. She decides to stay out of the party. Billy asks about Lucas and why he’s talking to him, which she just brushes off as just no one. He asks if he’s putting him in trouble and warns her to stay away from him. Even though they don’t like each other, she’s his family now, and it would be wise of her to follow.

Growing

Jonathan and Nancy slip out of Hawkins lab and give each other a nervous look. She takes out the tape recorder from her bag and replays what Dr. Owens just told them. Jonathan asks if she still wants to go through with this. She says: “let’s blow this lab to the ground.”

Dustin goes home and finds Dart’s tank is empty. His tank’s glass has been shattered to pieces and there’s a piece of slime and dead skin left behind. He hears a screech coming from the closet and investigates. Dustin follows a trail of blood through the carpets and furniture. He finds Dart gorging on their pet cat. Dart screeches at him with its flower-like mouth and serrated teeth.

Hopper keeps digging until it gets dark. After shoveling through several feet of dirt, he discovers a gooey membrane and enters it. What he finds is a tunnel system that looks just like the Upside Down’s environment.

Our Thoughts

The show is a really good mix of nostalgia, adventure and horror. Rating: 4/5