History Recap / StrangerThingsS4E9Chapter9ThePiggyback

* RightForTheWrongReason: Hopper correctly predicts that they are going to have an easy time breaking back into the prison since it's the last place the Russians will ever think to look for them. In reality, the reason they have an easier time getting back into the prison is because the creatures from the Upside Down got loose and killed all the guards.
* RightUnderTheirNoses: Hopper reasons that they’ll have an easier time breaking back into the prison since the Russians would expanding their search radius to look for the escaped prisoners, and wouldn’t be looking for them in the prison.

** How Hopper and Joyce got back to Hawkins exactly is left offscreen, along with the status of Murray, Dmitri and Yuri after presumably transporting them there.
** Sam Owens remains presumably in Colonel Sullivan's custody, who is presumably still convinced that Eleven's a dangerous threat and responsible for the deaths in Hawkins. Jonathan admits that part of the reason they didn't contact anybody in Hawkins via telephone and drove all the way there in Argyle's pizza van is the risk of Sullivan and his military forces picking up their trail, and Eleven has to obscure her appearance in public to remain under the radar, making it very clear that the American government is still a threat to the heroes thanks to him.

* RightUnderTheirNoses: Hopper correctly predicts that they are going to have an easy time breaking back into the prison since it's the last place the Russians will ever think to look for them.
** As it turns out though, when they actually return to the camp, they discover all the guards are missing. Then Hopper hears gunfire, screaming, and snarling in the distance...

* BreakTheCutie: In both figurative and literal senses. Poor sweet, funny, strong Max is as broken as a human can be by the end. Vecna blinds her, snaps her arms and leg, and despite being revived, the strain leaves her in a coma. Worse yet, Eleven can't find any trace of Max's consciousness. Best case scenario is that Max has retreated deep into her own subconscious to protect herself. Worse case is that nothing of her consciousness remains and she's just an empty shell now.

* WeirdWeather: To the surprise of the citizens of Hawkins, the epilogue has "snow" is falling in warm spring weather.

* WeirdWeather: To the surprise of the citizens of Hawkins, the epilogue has snow falling in warm spring weather.

* BittersweetEnding: Hopper is able to return home and reunite with his loved ones, but though Vecna was defeated, he was still able to open his gate to Hawkins, killing dozens and leaving many more homeless; on top of that, Eddie died [[HeroicSacrifice helping save Hawkins]] but is still believed to have been behind the murders by the population at large, Nancy and Jonathan have relationship issues, Lucas failed to reason with Jason, who was brutally killed by the Gate opening, and Max was left comatose. Finally, Will tells Mike that [[NotQuiteDead Vecna is still alive]], and the newly opened Long Gates [[SequelHook begins to corrupt the land around Hawkins]].

* BreakTheCutie: In both figurative and literal senses. Poor sweet, funny, strong Max is as broken as a human can be by the end. Vecna blinds her, snaps her arms and leg, and despite being revived, the strain leaves her in a coma. Worse yet, Eleven can't find any trace of Max's consciousness, meaning she's now deep in her own subconscious to protect herself - or worse.

** The Russian scientists and soldiers are killed by the Upside-Down monsters they were experimenting on and feeding prisoners to.

** Likewise, the efforts of the Russians to monopolise the Upside-Down are not further elaborated on, save that the general in charge clearly had not given up hope of doing so.

* AlmostDeadGuy: The Russian commander is still alive - barely - when Hopper's group arrives back at the gulag. He delivers exposition about what happened and dies.

* AlmostDeadGuy: One of the Russian officers is still alive when Hopper's group arrives back at the gulag. He delivers exposition about what happened and dies.

* WouldHurtAChild: Andy threatens to break Erica's arms after tackling her. Bear in mind he's a high school junior or senior and Erica is an eleven-year-old elementary school student.

** Sam Owens remains presumably in Colonel Sullivan's custody, whom is presumably still convinced that Eleven's a dangerous threat and responsible for the deaths in Hawkins. Jonathan admits that part of the reason they didn't contact anybody in Hawkins via telephone and drove all the way there in Argyle's pizza van is the risk of Sullivan and his military forces picking up their trail, and Eleven has to obscure her appearance in public to remain under the radar, making it very clear that the American government is still a threat to the heroes thanks to him.

* MagicalDefibrillator: In both senses, this is how El brings Max back; using her telekinesis to restart her heart. However this only means that while Max's body is technically alive, she's comatose and not even Eleven herself can find her consciousness within her mind.

** How Hopper and Joyce got back to Hawkins exactly is left offscreen, along with the status of Murray, Dmitri and Yuri after presumably transporting them there. Owen's aide's status is also unshorn, especially since Owens himself is now in Sullivan's custody.

** Where Vecna is currently and how badly affected he is by being set ablaze, pelted with shotgun shells and taking a nasty fall isn't shown, save that Will confirms he's alive, and getting ready to finish things now his massive gate is open and the Upside-Down is starting to merge with reality.

** Sam Owens remains presumably in Colonel Sullivan's custody, whom is presumably still convinced that Eleven's a dangerous threat and responsible for the deaths in Hawkins. Jonathan admits that part of the reason they didn't;t contact anybody in Hawkins via telephone and drove all the way there in Argyle's pizza van is the risk of Sullivan and his military forces picking up their trail, and Eleven has to obscure her appearance in public to remain under the radar, making it very clear that the American government is still a threat to the heroes thanks to him.

* NeverSayDie: Dustin narrowly avoids straight-up telling Eddie's uncle that his adoptive son is dead. Instead, he says he is sorry, gives the guy his son's guitar prick and they share a conversation.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Eleven being able to bring people back to life is a new power that has never been hinted at.

* SeriesFauxnale: An extra-long special that ties up a lot of loose ends and features a FinalBattle with [[ShapeshifterGuiltTrip Billy]]/[[GreaterScopeVillain One]]/[[OverarchingVillain The Mind Flayer]]/[[BigBad Vecna]], for a second it really seems like this is it, then at the last minute TheBadGuyWins.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: [[Music/{{Metallica}} "Master of Puppets"]] and its lyrics are aptly describe what Vecna is, but considering his HiveMind powers, it ends up being a somewhat ironic song to play as a means to ''distract'' his underlings.

Meanwhile, the California-Nevada group is unable to get Eleven back to Hawkins right away, but she gets the idea to psychically meet Vecna instead. The group takes over a pizza place and creates a sensory deprivation tank with a freezer and salts. Over in Russia, Joyce, Hopper, Murray, and Dmitri realize that the kids have some kind of plan, and reinfiltrate the prison in order to destroy the Soviets' Demogorgons and Demodogs in order to help them out.

Meanwhile, the California-Nevada group is unable to get Eleven back to Hawkins right away, but she gets the idea to psychically meet Vecna instead. The group takes over a pizza place and creates a sensory deprivation tank with a freezer and salts. Over in Russia, Joyce, Hopper, Murray, and Dmitri realize that the kids have some kind of plan, and reinfiltrate the prison in order to destroy the Demogorgons and Demodogs in order to help them out.

Murray sets the Demogorgons and Demodogs on fire, which stuns and weakens Vecna enough to release the teens. Hopper is able to kill the remaining Demogorgon. Steve, Robin, and Nancy set Vecna on fire and push him out the window, freeing Max and Eleven, but his body disappears. Eddie, who had returned to the Upside Down to continue luring the Demobats away, is killed by them. Lucas is able to fight back against Jason, but is too late to stop Vecna from executing Max, stopping before he could cave in her skull, sensing her body giving in from the trauma of the snapped limbs and burned out eyes. Eleven is barely able to resuscitate her, but her clinical death still opens the gates, causing an earthquake that wreaks havoc throughout Hawkins.

* BreakTheCutie: In both figurative and literal senses. Poor sweet, funny, strong Max is as broken as a human can be by the end. Vecna blinds her, snaps her arms and leg, and despite being revived, the strain leaves her in a coma. Worse yet, Eleven can't find any trace of Max's consciousness, meaning she's not deep in her own subconscious to protect herself.

* DarkestHour: The one moment where all seems lost. Vecna has Eleven and Max tied up and is about to kill them. Nancy, Steven and Robin are also immobilized and about to be strangled to death by {{Tentacle Rope}}s. At the same time, Hopper is attacked by a Demogorgon and can hardly defend himself. Lucas is being strangled by Jason. Eddie lies defeated on the ground. Cue Mike delivering his AnguishedDeclarationOfLove to Eleven.

* PleaseWakeUp: Dustin and Lucas say this, respectively, to Eddie and Max during the latters' deaths.

** We find out Vecna's EvilPlan: kill four specific people (Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, Max), use those deaths as means to open the four gates to the Upside Down and then lead a final assault on our world.

* ExactWords: Since Max was clinically dead for a minute, this counts as the fourth death Vecna needed to open the Gates.

* BreakTheCutie: In both figurative and literal senses. Poor sweet, funny, strong Max is as broken as a human can be by the end. Vecna permanently blinds her, snaps her arms, leg, and her spine, and despite being revived, the strain leaves her in a coma. Worse yet, Eleven can't find any trace of Max's consciousness, meaning if she's not deep in her own subconscious to protect herself, then she may truly be dead from a psychological perspective despite El's best efforts.

** Blinded and battered by Vecna, Max tragically dies in Lucas's arms. While Eleven is able to revive her, she still falls into a coma which Lucas says the doctors are uncertain if she'll wake from, and even if she does, she'll end up blind and permanently paralyzed.