Stranger Things Season 3 Episode 4 Recap – The Sauna Test

Growing

While preparing for bed, Eleven can’t quite get over his vision of Billy and the encounter at Heather’s home. Max tries to assure her that everything’s fine, but El still can’t get over it. El says Billy seemed wrong, but Max attests that it’s just his normal mode. At least he isn’t a murderer like they suspected. Max shows El a wonder woman comic to ease her worries.

Nancy and Jonathan call officer Powell to take Mrs. Driscoll to the emergency room after ingesting large amounts of fertilizer. The officer demands an explanation, but all of them are still in shock at what they saw. Driscoll insists that she “has to go back” and reaches out for the steel mill as her ambulance passes it by.

Tom and Janet Holloway wake up with their hands bound inside the steel mill. Heather and Bill approach them with blank stares. Tom asks them to stop but Heather insists that there’s no stopping this. The two of them leave for the upper floors and a screeching sound emerges from the darkness. The Mind Flayer, whose physical form has now been constructed by all the dead rabid rats reaches out with two tendrils and injects them into Tom and Janet’s faces.

Hopper wakes up wounded and in a daze in his couch. Joyce has taken her back and cared for him while he was out. The two of them wonder who the thug at the lab could have been. Joyce attempted to record the thug’s license plate but didn’t manage to get all of it. Hopper learns the culprit was on a motorcycle and gets a clue.

The Gathering

Lucas calls Max via Supercom, alarming them of the code red, but she wouldn’t listen. Max calls her and insists that this is serious, and their very lives are at stake. He calls for a meeting at his house immediately. They attempt to call Dustin once more, but can’t reach him.

Dustin is back at the mall, having spied the movement of the Russians who are still loading their boxes in the warehouse. Steve volunteers to subdue the armed guards so that they can steal their keycards, but Dustin isn’t convinced of his skills. Robin gets an idea and leaves them, bringing with her the coins from the tip jar.

At the Hawkins Post, Tom Holloway scolds Nancy and Jonathan for breaking the rules and disobeying his orders. Nancy argues that Driscoll would have died if they didn’t arrive, but Tom claims that she’s a paranoid schizophrenic. Tom fires them both after Driscoll’s family threatened litigation.

Will tells the whole gang of the three incidents where he a cold feeling. It’s the same sensation he felt whenever the Mind Flayer shows itself to him. El says she closed the gate, but Will wonders if they actually locked the creature in the real world. The Mind Flayer might have left Will’s body, but what if part of it is still inside of him? Max reminds them that the demo-dogs died after the gates were sealed, but Mike says they can’t take any chances either way. Will suggests that the Mind Flayer could have found another host.

Starcourt Mystery

Hopper barges into the Mayor Larry’s office to ask him for the identity of the military guy who came in the other day. Larry won’t budge, and the two men fling threats at each other that could break their whole careers. Hopper however, is at the losing end due to the mayor’s connections.

Hopper beats up Larry and threatens to break his finger. Larry then reveals that he’s been taking money from someone so that they could get permits to build Starcourt mall. Hopper asks for the records. Larry warns him that he wouldn’t want to mess with this people, so Hopper drags him outside and leads him to it.

Back in the car, Nancy insists that Tom was lying. Jonathan is livid for losing his job, saying he doesn’t have a privileged upbringing like she does and he can’t afford losing a summer job.

Robin brings back the complete blueprints of Starcourt Mall that she brought from the county office. She discovers that there’s an air duct connecting their shop back to the storage facilities. Dustin tries to squeeze in but he’s too big. Erica then arrives asking for samples, which lights up Robin’s eyes.

A Possible Host

Max, El, Mike, Lucas and Will spy on Billy at the pool and see him wrapped up in towels. Will explains that the Mind Flayer likes to hide itself and only appears once he’s needed. Mike takes the boys with him and devises a plan to lead Billy to the sauna. That way they’ll know if he’s a host.

Robin, Steve and Dustin bribe Erica with ice cream to convince her to check what’s being delivered at the store rooms. She still is apprehensive considering the possible danger she might face, so she asks for free ice cream for life in exchange.

Mayor Larry takes Hopper and Joyce to his mansion and takes out the land deeds from his safe. Joyce notices that all the deeds are situated near the power plant, which means that whatever the Russians are building might be there.

Karen Wheeler tells Nancy that it’s not easy out there. This world will beat you up again until you stop trying, but she insists that Nancy is a fighter and she won’t give up. Karen says she’s proud of Nancy for standing up to herself and suggests she finish her story and sell it someplace else.

The Trap

Lucas apologizes to Will for not taking his campaign seriously. Mike apologizes to El for lying about his Nana, saying that it was Hopper who threatened him. El says perhaps Hopper is right, and she should hang out more with someone of her own “species”. Max asks them if they’re ready, and hopes that Billy actually isn’t the host.

That night, Erica dons her protective gear to crawl into the air ducts. She reaches the store room safely and opens the door for the others.

Larry’s wife discovers him tied up at his home is asked to get the phone. Meanwhile, Joyce and Hopper investigate the questionable land deeds one by one.

While closing down the pool, Billy hears Mike taunting him, which leads him to the sauna where a dummy attached with a tape recorder has been placed. Mike and his friends then lock up the doors and they turn up the temperature.

Nancy goes to the hospital to check on Mrs. Driscoll and reads through her vitals. Suddenly, Doris’ heart rate elevates to abnormal levels.

The Horde

Steve, Dustin, Robin and Erica inspect the boxes and find a mysterious chemical canister inside. Suddenly, the room starts to shake. It turns out to be an elevator, which is now taking them far underground.

Billy asks Max to open the doors and threatens them. Once the temperature reaches 220, Billy sits down and confesses that it wasn’t his fault. It was the giant shadow that made him do it. Max tries to talk him through it but Billy secretly grabs a sharp piece of broken bathroom tile.

Suddenly, Will feels the sensation again. As Mike tells Max to get out from the door, Billy suddenly stabs the window and reaches out for the lock. Lucas hits Billy with the wrist rocket and asks Max to stay away. The lights flicker around them as Billy squirms on the floor.

Billy then barges through the door and a fight ensues between him and El, where El flings him outside the brick wall. Billy runs away from them and returns to a steel mill, where a huge army is amassing.

Our Thoughts

Scariest episode yet. Rating: 4.2/5.