Stranger Things Season 4: Will Eleven Finally Have Her ‘Carrie’ Moment?
Now that we have a general idea of when Stranger Things Season 4 premieres, it’s time to get down to business with some theories for the new season. We know some fans are disappointed with the release date being so far away but think of it as time to really get your theories fleshed out. The latest teaser trailer gave us a glimpse into the Byers’ and Eleven’s new lives in California, but in true Stranger Things fashion, nothing ever stays calm for long.
Eleven and the Byers live in Lenora Hills, California, in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4
In the heartbreaking final scene of Stranger Things Season 3, fans saw Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) disappear after Joyce (Winona Ryder) flipped the switches to close the gate to the Upside Down. At first, audiences were worried that Hawkins’ beloved police chief bit the dust, but thankfully, we didn’t have to fret for long. We received confirmation that he was still alive, albeit in a Russian prison camp, in February of 2020. However, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the gang thought he was gone for good. Without Hopper around, Eleven relocated with the Byers to California.
Before Stranger Things Season 4, Eleven had zero experience with attending school. Now, she’s thrust into a high school in California, and high school can be a nightmare for people who don’t have supernatural abilities. We can’t imagine Eleven has an easy road ahead.
In the “Welcome to California” teaser, fans hear Eleven narrate a letter she’s written to Mike, who’s back in Hawkins. In the letter, she talks about how well she’s adapting and how many friends she has. However, what audiences see is a different story. Not only does it look like she doesn’t have any friends besides Will, but she may have managed to acquire two new bullies.
Fans think the roller rink scene is important for Eleven in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4
In the California teaser, viewers see Eleven at a roller rink in California. Everyone at the rink is dressed in trendy ‘80s fashion, but Eleven’s outfit doesn’t match at all. We’re not sure if she chose this herself or if maybe one of the bullies set her up. However, it appears she starts to spiral into a panic at the rink.
Some fans believe this is when Eleven finally has her Carrie moment. For those of you who aren’t aware, Carrie is a Stephen King novel. It features a bullied girl with telekinetic powers. Carrie eventually gets fed up with the bullying when a bucket of pig’s blood gets poured on her at prom. She uses her powers to lock the gym doors, trapping everyone inside and eventually killing them.
Now, we don’t think Eleven will go full Carrie. Although, we do know that one of her bullies is a girl named Angela. Fans think this might be the moment Eleven gets her revenge on Angela and maybe any others who get in her way. Do we see Eleven actually murdering her high school classmates? No. Do we maybe see Angela and friends getting a little roughed up by Eleven? Possibly.
The theory that Eleven gets revenge on her bullies is picking up traction
The wait for Stranger Things Season 4 has given fans more time than usual to pick up on clues in the teaser trailers released. Several Hawkins AV Club subreddit members noticed the stylistic difference in cinematography in the roller rink scene. They began to speculate whether or not Eleven finally gets fed up with being teased.
One Redditor wrote, “I think this is El’s breaking point with Angela. Angela set this all up to be the big embarrassing thing for El (like the pig blood bucket at prom in Carrie). I think I’ve read that Angela gets in trouble for making El cry in school after she gives her presentation about Hopper.”
Another user chimed in, “I’m guessing this is may be where we get a glimpse of her powers returning. Could be El can’t control her powers in this moment since they’ve been gone but because she’s terrified by the bullies they got off like a bomb. She may seriously hurt people by accident or by snapping into survival mode. Reminiscent of some scenes in Carrie.”
While we don’t have any confirmation so far, it’s an interesting theory to think about. Plus, we can’t imagine folks would get mad at Eleven finally taking a stand for herself. Now, all we have to do is wait. Stranger Things Season 4 premieres at some point in the summer of 2022.
