Stranger Things – Season 4, Episode 4

Episode Title: “Dear Billy”

Full Story Explained

Episode 4 is one of the most emotional chapters of Season 4. Fear, grief, and hope collide as the group races against time to save one of their own.

Max’s Time Is Almost Up

Max’s condition worsens rapidly. The visions are constant now. She sees the grandfather clock everywhere, hears Vecna whispering, and feels reality slipping away.

She knows the truth—she is next.

Instead of running, Max prepares for the worst.

She writes letters to the people she loves, apologizing, saying goodbye, and admitting the pain she has been hiding since Billy’s death.

These letters aren’t dramatic. They’re quiet, honest, and heartbreaking.

Max believes she won’t survive.

Searching for a Weakness

Dustin, Lucas, Steve, Nancy, and Robin dig deeper into Vecna’s pattern. They realize every victim is trapped inside Vecna’s mental world before being killed.

This raises a crucial question.

If Vecna traps the mind, can something pull a victim back out?

Robin suggests music.

Music is deeply emotional and personal, something that can cut through trauma and memory. They decide to try it as a last, desperate gamble.

If they’re wrong, Max will die.

The Trap Is Set

The group returns to the Creel house, the epicenter of Vecna’s power. Max enters the house alone, wearing headphones, while the others hide nearby with a cassette player ready.

As expected, Vecna attacks.

Max is pulled into Vecna’s mind—a red, broken landscape filled with floating debris and memories of her worst pain.

Vecna confronts her, using Billy’s death to break her down emotionally.

This is Vecna’s true weapon.

Not claws.
Not strength.

Guilt.

Running From the Darkness

As Vecna begins the killing process, Dustin plays Max’s favorite song through the headphones.

“Running Up That Hill.”

The music cuts through the nightmare.

Max hears it. She remembers who she is. She realizes she doesn’t deserve to die for her pain.

A glowing doorway opens in Vecna’s world.

Max runs.

Vecna chases her, the environment collapsing around them. At the last possible second, Max breaks free, returning to her body just as Vecna loses control.

She survives.

The group holds her as she collapses, crying—not just from fear, but from relief.

Hopper’s Fight Continues

In Russia, Hopper is forced into a brutal test of survival against a Demogorgon.

Injured and exhausted, he manages to hold his ground long enough to stay alive.

Hopper proves something important.

Monsters can be fought—even without powers.

Ending Explained

Episode 4 reveals the most important rule of Season 4.

Vecna’s curse can be broken.

Music and emotional connection can pull a victim out of Vecna’s control.

Trauma gives Vecna power, but hope weakens him.

Max survives not because she’s stronger than Vecna—but because she chooses to live.

This changes everything.

• Vecna is no longer unstoppable.
• The group has a way to fight back.
• But the escape came at a cost.

Vecna is still alive.

And he will learn from this.

By the end of “Dear Billy”, the season’s direction becomes clear.

The fight against Vecna isn’t just physical.

It’s a battle for the soul.

And the next time, the monster may not let anyone run.