Stranger Things 4 Episode 2: Vecna's Curse: Thoughts & Analysis
Let’s get right into Season 4 Episode 2: Vecna’s Curse
We left off with Chrissy’s death. Eddie has fled, and he has also been labeled suspect number one. Max saw Chrissy going into Eddie’s trailer, so she confides to Dustin, and both of them end up going to the video store where Steve and Robin work (rip Scoops Ahoy). Dustin and Steve’s interaction is gold with how Steve is jealous of Dustin and Eddie; it’s nice to add light tension. Robin asserts herself as the genius again, using their customer database to locate “Reefer Rick,” Eddie’s drug supplier, by Lover’s Lake. They manage to find Eddie, who’s not doing great.
Also in Hawkins, Nancy, editor of the school paper, sets out with assistant Fred to the murder site. The upside down transition of them walking out to the trailer site was pure cinema. Fred, being inquisitive, asks Nancy why Jonathan is not coming for Spring Break. They’re quote-unquote fine. Upon entering, they get halted by a police officer, who recognizes Fred. Turns out he was responsible for a boy’s death in a car accident. But it’s not really the officer, it’s Vecna, as we can tell by a) the creepy music and b) the grotesque face. To quote season 3 Dustin: “Abort! Abort!!” Nancy appeals to Eddie’s uncle, who reveals this wasn’t the first time a death like this happened. Back in the 50s, a man named Victor Creel was sentenced to Pennhurst Asylum for committing the murder of his family… When Nancy returns, she finds Fred missing.
Fred is in the woods running for his life. He encounters a vision of the coffin of the boy and his family. He then gets out on the road and comes face to face with the accident. The car is burning; the boy crawls out of the fire begging Fred to help. Fred falls into a pit as if it was him being buried, and slowly Vecna comes toward him before clawing his face. Fred rises up on the road, his bones shatter, and he falls dead on the ground.
Vecna’s second attack was just as horrific as the first. The personal aspect especially comes through, as there was some intense imagery. The whole sequence illustrates how Stranger Things is more dark and mature than before. I also loved the focus on Nancy and her investigating skills.
In California, El, Will, Jonathan, and Jonathan’s friend Argyle await Mike at the airport. We see Will has brought his painting. Mike and El have a sweet reunion, although El notices the flowers he got her were signed “From” instead of “Love.” Mike and Will’s reunion is… awkward. Will approaches with an enthusiastic smile on his face, but Mike just says “hey” and gives a one arm hug/pat to Will. When inquired about the painting, Will brushes it off and says “it’s nothing.” Mike and El walk arm in arm as El tells him their plan: burritos for breakfast and then Rink-O-Mania. Mike asks if he’ll get to meet her friends, Angela and Stacy. Will, who’s been walking off to the side, says, “What friends?!” El gives him that “play-along or else” look. Definitely feeling for Will here.
We also run into Murray at the airport. He meets up with Joyce to do some shenanigans and find out if Hopper’s alive and if they can reach him. Great dynamic/comedy as before.
Mike, El, and Will arrive at Rink-O-Mania. Mike and El get out of the van, Will following. His face is blurred in the shot but you can see how visibly upset he looks. El keeps selling to Mike how perfect her life is here. When El and Will have a moment alone, Will confronts her, saying Mike is not going to like her lying. When they get on the rink, Mike and El skate together holding hands. When they move out of the shot, we see Will frozen for a brief moment while everyone moves around him. He then goes on to skate alone, head down, while pensive music plays in the background. This scene is powerful because it carries contrasting effects. On one hand, you feel happy for Mike and El, but also empathize with Will, who’s being left behind and ignored. Also, while many label this as “third-wheeling,” it’s really more than that. Especially if you understand what Will has been through and is going through now.
But now the real trouble comes. Turns out Angela and her cronies are also there. They find El, Mike, and Will sitting in a booth, so they steal El away to the rink. Mike believes they’re friends, but Will immediately stands up, worried. Once Mike notices Will’s reaction, Will starts to tell how El has not been telling the truth.
El is dragged out to the middle of the rink. The DJ plays wipeout as Angela and the others circle around El, calling her a snitch/freak, and mocking her attempt to use her powers. Mike and Will stand in shock. Eventually Mike attempts to get the DJ to turn it off, but too late. El gets blasted with her own milkshake, and she falls to the ground crying. She runs away as Mike tries to reach her. No words. No words for how this scene made me feel.
As they’re looking for El, Mike and Will break into a fight. Mike is angry Will never told him El was having trouble. Will defends saying he didn’t know El was lying. Mike responds he’s been a douche to her all day: rolling his eyes, moping, sabotaging the whole day. Will, also angry, shouts she was lying to him the moment he arrived, and that he’s been third-wheeling all day. Mike says whatever. Then Will asks if he’s mad he didn’t talk to him, citing that he only called a couple times while El got millions of letters. Mike says it’s because she’s his girlfriend, but insists that he and Will are friends. But they used to be best friends, as Will puts. Hearing this, Mike says that maybe Will should have reached out more, and it shouldn’t make him at fault.
I personally really like the conflict between Mike and Will. It’s very real. Also, I feel their relationship became strained in season 3, so I’m glad it carried over and is being explored. Overall, I see both of their points, but I empathize greater with Will.
Okay, now that scene… Eleven returns to confront Angela, demanding an apology. But Angela says she doesn’t have the teacher to cry to, so cry to your daddy instead. But oops, “I guess you can’t do that either.” Again, no words. Just rage.
You can see a shift in El’s eyes. She’s hit her breaking point, so she picks up a skate, walks up to Angela, and smashes it in her face. At this point, I was so deep in El’s shoes that when she finally hit Angela, I felt a flame burn inside my chest. Then, seeing the gash and blood pour out of her face made me freeze. With the added flashbacks to the massacre, there’s even more emotional weight as we’re left feeling that El could very well turn evil.
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