{"id":470073,"date":"2022-07-02T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/eleven-takes-on-vecna-in-deadly-showdown-recap\/"},"modified":"2022-07-02T17:30:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T14:30:00","slug":"eleven-takes-on-vecna-in-deadly-showdown-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eleven-takes-on-vecna-in-deadly-showdown-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"#Eleven Takes On Vecna in Deadly Showdown (RECAP)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29509e5ebea\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a29509e5ebea\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eleven-takes-on-vecna-in-deadly-showdown-recap\/#%E2%80%9CEleven_Takes_On_Vecna_in_Deadly_Showdown_RECAP%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Eleven Takes On Vecna in Deadly Showdown (RECAP)&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CEleven_Takes_On_Vecna_in_Deadly_Showdown_RECAP%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Eleven Takes On Vecna in Deadly Showdown (RECAP)&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div> <strong><b>[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the<\/b> <em>Stranger Things<\/em> <b>Season 4<\/b> \u201cChapter Nine: The Piggyback.\u201d]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The supersized Season 4 finale perfectly represents the highs and lows of <em>Stranger Things<\/em>. When it\u2019s good, it\u2019s really good. Some of the action sequences are thrilling. There are poignant character moments and stellar performances. And there are knowing winks to the audience at some of the more ridiculous plot points. But then there is the bad that drags it down: the unnecessarily long run-time and repetition, meandering side plots with irritating side characters, and an unwillingness to let things go.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll start with the positives, which mostly come in the middle of the episode once The Party makes their way back into the Upside Down. Eddie (Joseph Quinn) distracting Vecna\u2019s (Jamie Campbell Bower) demon-bat army by shredding his electric guitar to Metallica\u2019s \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d is magnificently metal. And Hopper\u2019s (David Harbour) head and limb chopping sword fight with a Demogorgon almost makes the torturous Russian plot worth it. There are also <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>-best performances from Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schn<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>, each bringing raw emotion to some heavy scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Also, in a surprising but welcome twist to the usual formula, the dispersed groups don\u2019t reunite in Hawkins to battle with the season\u2019s Big Bad. Instead, they figure out a way to fight from their separate locations. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) telepathically <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>s into Max\u2019s (Sadie Sink) mind to fend off Vecna while Hopper, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and Murray (Brett Gelman) return to the Russian prison (by choice) to destroy the gateway and gaggle of Demogorgons.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1050807\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1050807\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1050807\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/millie-bobby-brown-stranger-things-4-1.jpg\" alt=\"Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things 4\" width=\"1000\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/millie-bobby-brown-stranger-things-4-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/millie-bobby-brown-stranger-things-4-1-450x223.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/millie-bobby-brown-stranger-things-4-1-768x381.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/millie-bobby-brown-stranger-things-4-1-570x283.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1050807\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Netflix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Eleven\u2019s \u201cmind fight\u201d is the best of these sequences, managing to mix some genuinely trippy memory hopping with intense fighting and a sprinkle of humor. Even Argyle (Eduardo Franco) gets a moment to shine as he \u201cmy dude\u2019s\u201d his way into a Surfer Boy Pizza chain and commandeers a freezer for Eleven\u2019s mental excursion. If that sounds absurd, don\u2019t worry; the show knows it. \u201cI piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer,\u201d Eleven tells a rightly baffled Max in what is easily the biggest laugh of the episode.<\/p>\n<p>As Max is pulled in different directions, flipping between her happy memories and her nightmares, the two worlds begin to collide, and memories crash into each other. It\u2019s Hawkinception (or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindflayer). Eventually, Eleven finds Max, who is hiding out at the Hawkins High Snow Ball, the place where she was happiest. But Vecna is too powerful; he overcomes Eleven\u2019s attack and has her all tied up with his demonic tentacles, forcing her to watch as her friends are brought close to death.<\/p>\n<p>However, this is where the episode length ends up doing more harm than good. In the reality of the show, everything on-screen is happening simultaneously. Lucas is attacked by jock Jason (Mason Dye) in the middle of Max\u2019s possession. Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery), and Robin (Maya Hawke) have tentacles wrapped around their throats. Dustin and Eddie fight off a swarm of hellish bat demons. This should feel like fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat action.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1050808\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1050808\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1050808\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/david-harbour-stranger-things-4.jpg\" alt=\"David Harbour in Stranger Things 4\" width=\"1000\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/david-harbour-stranger-things-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/david-harbour-stranger-things-4-450x223.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/david-harbour-stranger-things-4-768x381.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/david-harbour-stranger-things-4-570x283.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1050808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Netflix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Except, in TV time, it\u2019s a full half-hour from the point Nancy and co are on the verge of death until we see them again during Eleven\u2019s final push to defeat Vecna. And so what should be a can\u2019t-keep-your-eyes-off crescendo ends up making you impatient and wanting the show to just get a move on. So it\u2019s all the more frustrating when the episode starts with Yuri (Nikola \u0110uri\u010dko) and his terrible jokes literally stalling for time. This is followed by 30 minutes of \u201cgoodbye\u201d scenes, many of which cover the same ground as the last episode: Hopper &amp; Joyce planning their ill-fated date, Steve &amp; Nancy realizing they\u2019re meant for each other, etc.<\/p>\n<p>When the show speeds things up, it can still be as exciting as anything else on television. For example, the final showdown with Vecna after Eleven turns the tables is much more effective than the first fight. Here the action bounces from scene to scene seamlessly as Nancy, Steve, &amp; Robin find the tranced Vecna and set his body alight, while Hopper gets medieval with a sword. There is a palpable energy that keeps you glued to the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Vecna, of course, escapes. His charred body is gone when Nancy\u2019s group head outside to survey the damage. But that\u2019s always the case with <em>Stranger Things<\/em>, right? I\u2019ve talked about it in previous recaps; the Duffer Brothers are afraid to let anything go or kill anyone off. They come close to killing a major character here. Vecna gets to Max and snaps her bones apart before the gang sets him on fire. Max is dead just long enough for the gateway to open, splitting apart the ground beneath Hawkins and swallowing up buildings and people. She\u2019s also dead just long enough to emotionally manipulate the audience.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1050806\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1050806\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1050806\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sadie-sink-stranger-things-4.jpg\" alt=\"Sadie Sink in Stranger Things 4\" width=\"1000\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sadie-sink-stranger-things-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sadie-sink-stranger-things-4-450x223.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sadie-sink-stranger-things-4-768x380.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/sadie-sink-stranger-things-4-570x282.jpg 570w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1050806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Netflix<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But she doesn\u2019t stay dead for long. Eleven uses her powers to get back inside Max\u2019s head and bring her back to life. Sure, the episode leaves us with Max comatose in the hospital, but there is no way she isn\u2019t back for the final season. It\u2019s not as if I want Max to die; she\u2019s one of the better characters, and Sink is a brilliant performer. But I just want the show to have consequences and not try to have its cake and eat it as it did here with this cop-out of a character death.<\/p>\n<p>This might sound like I\u2019m underselling the death that actually happens in this episode. As predicted, Eddie ends up being this season\u2019s sacrificial lamb, much like Billy and Bob before him. For once in his life, he decides not to run, instead choosing to charge headfirst into danger to buy Nancy and co more time. I won\u2019t lie; his death is affecting, as Eddie was a likable character that Quinn infused with such life. His friendship with Dustin, particularly, was a highlight of the season. But as fun as Eddie was, he was only introduced this season; he wasn\u2019t a core part of The Party. So it seemed inevitable that he would be the one to meet his demise.<\/p>\n<p>However, to end on a positive note, it\u2019s great to see everybody back in Hawkins by the episode\u2019s end. Eleven, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and the Byers brothers reunite with Dustin, Nancy, and co. And later, Hopper and Joyce return, leading to a tearful family reunion and a lovely scene between Eleven and Hopper where the pair share in mocking each other\u2019s shaved heads. This means everyone is back in the same place for the final season, and given that the Upside Down is now infecting its way through Hawkins, there is no reason to send different groups off elsewhere. So fingers crossed, no more LA or Russian side-plots.<\/p>\n<p><em>Stranger Things<\/em> is still a great show when it wants to be, and this episode has plenty of examples as to why. But it also hampers itself with its reluctance to cut the fat or enact change. If you take the positives of this season and transfer them into a more concise and focused narrative, then the show has the potential to deliver its best season in its final outing.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Stranger Things<\/em>, Season 4, Streaming Now, Netflix<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/1050803\/stranger-things-season-4-episode-9-recap-the-piggyback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Eleven Takes On Vecna in Deadly Showdown (RECAP)&#8221; [Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Stranger Things Season 4 \u201cChapter Nine: The Piggyback.\u201d] The supersized Season 4 finale perfectly represents the highs and lows of Stranger Things. When it\u2019s good, it\u2019s really good. Some of the action sequences are thrilling. There are poignant character&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":470074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/joe-keery-natalia-dyner-maya-hawke-stranger-things-4-1014x570.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}