Though it hasn’t even been out a full week yet, Stranger Things season 3 has been shattering streaming records for Netflix, racking up approximately 40.7 million views around the world on its first episode alone. While a fourth season hasn’t officially been confirmed – we know those behind the scenes are hoping to bring the entire story to a close after the next run – creators Matt and Ross Duffer know exactly where the next batch of episodes are heading.
While chatting with EW about Stranger Things 3 (the sequel-like title that Netflix is using to advertise the recently released season), the Duffer Brothers said of the show’s next phase:
“We have the big broad strokes. It’s just now about filling in those lines in the details. We’re pretty excited about where it’s potentially going to go. Again, like we said, it’s going to feel very different than this season. But I think that’s the right thing to do and I think it’ll be exciting… Assuming there’s a season 4, obviously the question of who that American is in that cell and then also what they’re doing with the Demogorgon, is a tease. That’s obviously going to play a huge role in a potential season 4.”
“I think the biggest thing that’s going to happen is it’s going to open up a little bit, not necessarily in terms of scale, in terms of special effects, but open up in terms of allowing plotlines into areas outside of Hawkins.”
Expanding the plot outward from Hawkins seems par for the course considering the latest season ends with Joyce Byers, her two children, and Eleven moving away from the small Indiana town. Additionally, the Russian military plays a major antagonistic force throughout season 3, and the country seemingly serves as the setting of that much-talked about post-credits scene. If Hopper truly is ‘The American’ in question, then he can’t be any further away from Hawkins – that is, given he’s not trapped in the Upside Down instead.
Eleven actor Millie Bobby Brown has said in the past that she knows where season 4 is heading, but for the casual fans, its storyline is anybody’s guess. Is Hopper alive? Will the fan-favorite Russian Alexei be avenged? Can somebody please play a full game of Dungeons and Dragons with Will?
Prior to its release, Stranger Things 3 was teased as being darker and gorier than all of the episodes that preceded it. Considering the story’s big monster was a creature made out of actual human gore, I think it’s safe to say that promise was kept. Yet, it sounds like it’s going to be a while before we find out just how different season 4 will actually be. In the meantime, feel free to head back and watch the first three seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix now.