‘Stranger Things 3’ Recap – ‘Chapter Four: The Sauna Test’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

As season three of Stranger Things rolls on, I’m quickly starting to notice that one of the key reasons that this season is so well received and quite frankly so entertaining, is the sheer fact that it really is working to provide the audience with everything that the series does well. Because when it immerses us into a juicy plot, we simply cannot look away, and it’s doing that in every single episode, and it really is doing a fine job as well of keeping the spirit of adventure that we came to love in season one alive since every single story also features new and fascinating places for our characters to go, something that just so happened to be amplified in the next entry in this series, ‘Chapter Four: The Sauna Test’.
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Because holy cow, this episode took us all kinds of fascinating places, and thrilled us in the process since so many amazing secrets and plot points were revealed, such as the fact that the ever-slimy mayor of Hawkins, made a deal with the devil. Because shortly after Hopper awoke from his epic beatdown, he immediately recalled that the man who beat the tar out of him, was also at the mayor’s office the other day, prompting he and Joyce to pay Kline a physical visit to get the mayor to admit as to why that mystery man was at his office, and well, what the chief uncovered was disturbing to say the least. For now, we know this muscular dude is bad news and aligned with the Russians and he helped broker a deal to snatch up all the land on the outskirts of town. Why exactly, Kline didn’t know, but that didn’t stop Hopper and Joyce from heading off to start a little investigation of their own.

While they dealt with that, the plot thickened at the Starcourt Mall. Because Robin figured out that the airducts should be able to get them into the store room that the Russians were guarding so heavily, allowing for them to learn exactly what they’re hiding, provided of course…one of them could fit within the ventilation system. Enter Lucas’ sister, Erica, who was tiny and agile enough to make it through the vent network and in order to get her buy in on the plan, Scoops Ahoy had to give up a Queen’s ransom in ice cream, and just like that the plan was set into motion, and it was a rousing success. Because they got into the room and learned that the Russians are transporting some shady stuff, and they also came to learn that this storeroom is more than meets the eye, since it’s also an elevator that goes deep into the ground.

But truly, the centerpiece of this tale was the journey that Will and his cadre of friends went on. Because now that he was fully aware of the Mind Flayer’s return, Eleven and Max met with him and the others to formulate a plan to stop him before he could garner any real strength, and that meant, they needed to outright confirm that Billy was indeed his new host. Which prompted them to launch a plan to capture him at the rec center and use the sauna there to bring the Flayer to the surface and this, well this ended up being a beautiful return to the horror elements that made this series famous to begin with. Because Billy was terrifying once his secret was exposed, and the battle that ensued between he and Eleven was breathtaking and chilling, and while it ends in a stalemate, the fact that someone can hang with El is terrifying to say the least and I’m sure it won’t be long before these two foes face off once again.

In the end however, what I truly loved about this episode, is that it left so many plot threads hanging in the right kind of way. Because already, I’m dying to know what Hopper and Joyce will find on their search. I need to know what waits beyond the doors of that incredible elevator and of course, I’m also left wondering as to how exactly Eleven and her friends will be able to stop the Mind Flayer now he’s stronger than he’s ever been and well, the only way to find the answers to those questions, is to hit play as soon as possible. But before I return to the Netflix app to get my fix, I really need to shower this episode with as much praise as possible. Because this really was a dynamic and wonderful tale, one that pulled me in and entertained through and through and clearly, the story is ramping up to something big and I cannot wait to see what surprises await me in the next chapter of this magnificent story. Until next time.   

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