Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 “Sorcerer” was really out here proving that I was completely wrong about a lot of stuff. And I’m not even mad. I haven’t been this engaged in a show in years. And it speaks to the strength of Stranger Things as a whole that even though I was wrong about where Holly was, what was up with the Wheelers, and Vecna’s deal with Will, I’m not mad. This all makes sense now and I’m so excited for what’s to come for Christmas and New Year’s.
“Sorcerer” also acted as a full circle moment for Will. Vecna saw him as weak and easily broken. And he tortured that kid for years with the help of the Mind Flayer. He kidnapped him, groomed him, terrorized his waking and sleeping moments, and then threw him away because he was going to do to others what he did to Will. Just better. And by the end of the episode we saw Will take Robin’s words to heart. He’s not a victim. He’s a young man, a brother, a son, a friend, and a member of this party. And him accepting himself changes everything.
With the discovery of Dr. Kay having Eight aka Kali in her clutches, the showdown is now going to see El, Will, and Kali take them all down. Just you wait.
MORE: Need a refresher on the previous episode? Read our review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3!
I Could Write Essays About Will Byers
As a queer Stranger Things fan, Robin’s speech to Will in those tunnels… it broke me. Because Will has been looking for answers while dealing with being violated by Vecna and everything that happened with the Mind Flayer. Oh yeah, there’s also the end of the world. And here is Robin, a shining beacon of light that helped him untangle the scary and unfamiliar things that were circling in his head. And when the time came, he used Robin’s words to remind himself of a time before the Upside Down. A time that was simple, bright, and everything felt possible. That’s what freed him, what got him to accept himself, and what ultimately unlocked his powers.
Vecna has turned into Papa. He used Will as a guinea pig to figure out what was needed for the Upside Down to spill into our world. And he made sure to tell Will that he chose him because he was inadequate before basically throwing him away. Because Vecna wasn’t scared of Will. He thought Will was beneath him. So to see Will standing there, tall and in command of the demogorgons, it’s the biggest “Well well well how the turntables.” It’s a victim taking their power back. It’s Will proving Vecna wrong and how he should have never underestimated any of the party. Because again, this is how they’re going to take him down. Together.
I also want to point out that in the final moments of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4, Will became the kind of person that would have protected his younger self. And as someone who has suffered abuse in a similar way, that’s what we hope for. That we become the kind of people that would have protected us when we were kids. And I think that’s what Will has become. There’s a weight off his shoulders and a clarity to his heart after “Sorcerer.” Because he persevered. He survived. And with his family and friends at his side, he’s going to thrive.
MORE: Have your watched Stranger Things on Broadway? Because it’s soooo worth it! Read our review.
It Was Never About the Wheelers
Ever since Vecna showed Nancy that vision about what was going to happen to Hawkins, I’ve been side-eyeing the Wheelers. And that side-eyeing just got worse when Holly was kidnapped and the Wheeler parents weren’t killed in Season 5 Episode 2. But it had nothing to do with the Wheelers. It had to do with their kids. And while everyone was watching Vecna orchestrate terror with one hand, he was using the other hand to slowly but surely take the kids needed to open the gates to our world. So he didn’t hurt the Wheelers or the parents of the other kids because that made it harder for Vecna to get the kids to trust him.
What Vecna is doing to these kids isn’t something that I totally understand yet. And for those who do, let me know your thoughts on the Hive mind and the Mind Flayer.
But Vecna, he’s trapped them in a prison of his own making. A prison in a memory. And we can’t help but notice that these memories are bright, have this glowy edge to them, and everything is just perfect and not scary. It’s giving innocence. This is a part of Henry’s innocence. And whatever happened to him in that cave, it took away Henry’s innocence. We don’t know exactly what happened to him in that cave but this defining moment is referenced in the Stranger Things on Broadway play. That’s why he was afraid.
Talking about Stranger Things on Broadway, I love that this episode in particular referenced the whole Oklahoma play that Joyce, Hopper, and Henry were part of. It brings back to mind how Henry and Will are both victims of the Mind Flayer. But what the Mind Flayer did to Henry, set him on a path that transformed him into a predator of his own. Will is different. What the Mind Flayer did to him destroyed him for a bit. But “Sorcerer” shows that he picked himself off the ground and chose his own path. He picked one of family.
But it does make me wonder who Henry could’ve been if he had the support that Will had at such a young age. Maybe things would’ve been different after *SPOILERS FOR THE PLAY* being found outside that cave system with a wound on his left hand and no memory of what happened.
Max and the Walk Through Memory Lane
I mentioned in my review for Season 5 Episode 3 that I was going to cry if Max did hear Lucas calling out to her across the void. And it happened. I cried. Because she’s lost; has been for a while. And here is Stranger Things continuing to show us that one of the strongest bonds on this show is between Max and Lucas. Lucas is kind of this tether that is holding her from sinking into the darkness. And it continues to have this eerie similarity to issues of mental health and almost letting go that we saw in Season 4.
Luckily for Holly, Max didn’t choose to let go. She stayed. And when she saw Holly, she got her out of the house and explained to her everything that was going on. Sadly, telling Holly the truth, it kind of shattered that innocence that we’ve mentioned in our reviews. The innocence that Vecna used to his advantage to trick all of these children. But not so lucky for Vecna, Holly has someone there to guide her and protect her. To show her how to deal with the reality of the world.
Max was lost when she started her time on Stranger Things. She didn’t have that family and friends. She found them in the party and she was better off for it. In this ragtag family she found that guidance and protection. And it makes me feel like this is what all of them need. This is what we all need. Because we saw Derek get a little bit of guidance and protection and boom he was a changed person. So it really feels like Stranger Things is tapping into conversations about nature versus nurture alongside choice and destiny.
Whatever may come next, Max and Holly are an essential part of pretending like everything’s okay to eventually squash Vecna. I’m just really concerned how they’re going to manage it in 4 more episodes. But we’ve gotten this far in four episodes. So I have faith that it’ll all be worth it.
Thought El & Hopper Were Saying Their Final Goodbyes
Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 was the closest I felt like we were going to lose a main character. Because El and Hopper were having those kind of existential moments where they thank each other for being there while reiterating how much they care for one another. Those are always goodbyes in disguise. But I held onto hope that this wasn’t the end for this unexpected father-daughter duo. Color me surprised that it wasn’t the end for Hopper, leading to the end of my heart palpitations.
But before we dive into the Eight/Kali of it all, I want to commend how hard El and Hopper fought for each other. That is her father and she is his daughter. And they’ve come far from their leaving egos in a little box in the woods days. She’s resilient, kind, and has a great instinct. El is the woman that she is because of Hopper’s support. And Hopper is willing to sacrifice his very being to make sure that El’s alive, happy, and healthy long after Hawkins. But luckily nobody died this episode and we can save any more heart palpitations for Christmas and New Year.
Then there’s Kali. The discovery that another child turned young woman from the OG experiments is in the Upside Down, leaves me with so many questions about what happened after her and El separated. Because if you don’t remember, she was able to create hallucinations and visions. Not the same destructive power as El or will. But it’s the kind of power that in combination with El and Will, it can end Vecna. So… what was she creating in her time trapped? What isn’t real and just a hallucination? I’m afraid to find out.
MORE: Ready for the next episode? Read our review for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 5!
Additional thoughts about Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4:
- Again, I’m a Steve Harrington fan, and if I have to fill in the blanks about why he’s acting the way he is, Stranger Things in itself isn’t doing a good job. Because I still think he’s being kind of rude. Where is that babysitter that was giving advice? I shouldn’t have to fill in the blanks about why he’s so short with everyone.
- I just need someone to duke it out with Steve and get him to say what is bothering him.
- Because the longer he keeps whatever is bothering him to his chest, the more I don’t like the person I’m seeing on screen.
- And him being stressed makes me think of other characters on the show that are stressed. They’re all stressed. And their stress doesn’t excuse rudeness. And it doesn’t excuse Steve’s.
- The fact that Max could feel Lucas’s hand in hers.
- I’M GOING TO NEED 4 TO 5 BUSINESS DAYS TO RECOVER FROM THIS.
- The kids really stepped up in “Sorcerer.’ And I’m not talking about the party, who are now young adults. I’m talking about Holly and Derek. You had Holly going “Tell me what I need to do.” after being whisked away by Vecna after her mom got attacked.
- You also had Derek who got 1 oz of love and turned into someone delightful willing to do anything he could to save his friends (or classmates) honestly.
- Mike protecting the kids. I know he’s been annoying as a character plenty of times. But I have to say, this is the most I’ve liked his character. And you know what that means….DEATH! Until then, shoutout to Mike for protecting those kids like they were your own. Maybe Steve has gotten replaced as the babysitter.
- Talking about Mike, I know a lot of people ship Will and Mike. As a queer person, I personally don’t see it. Will is basically a tale as old as time, a queer kid having a crush on their straight friend. But if I take a step back and Will was a girl who’s past visions of her and Mike gave her the strength to unlock these powers and save the day…I would be like this is prime shipping material. So I don’t think it’s coming out of nowhere. There’s something there.
- And fans have caught onto it.
Stranger Things Season 5 Episodes 1 through 4 are now available on Netflix.
What did you think about Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 “Sorcerer”? Let us know in the comments below!
Read all our reviews for Stranger Things Season 5 below:
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 Review: “The Crawl”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 2 Review: “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3 Review: “The Turnbow Trap”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4 Review: “Sorcerer”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 5 Review: “Shock Jock”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 6 Review: “Escape From Camazotz”
- Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7 Review: “The Bridge”
