Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
#1
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Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Runtime: 2hr 19min
Episode 1 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...fire-club.html
Episode 2 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...nas-curse.html
Episode 3 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...superhero.html
Episode 4 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...ear-billy.html
Episode 5 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...a-project.html
Episode 6 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...-six-dive.html
Episode 7 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...wkins-lab.html
Episode 8 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...ight-papa.html
Episode 9 Thread: https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/65...piggyback.html
#2
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
The longest single episode of scripted television in US television history!
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#4
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
--I feel like Erica has been shoehorned into the season because the writers like her. I like her, too, but she really hasn't done as much as she did last season.
--I have a feeling Jason is going to fuck up the plan.
--I still don't like Argyle. Such a tired stereotypical trope of a character.
--Pineapple does not belong on pizza.
--Jonathan is such a good brother.
--Eddie dedicating his concert to Chrissy
--Yep, Jason is fucking up the plan.
--Steve, Robin, and Nancy getting overmatched at the same time as Dustin and Eddie.
--I was worried about Max there for a second. Eleven for the save!
--Lucas should be able to pound this idiot, but Jason is whipping his ass.
--Everyone is losing their fight. I don't like this.
--Holy shit. That Mike declaration was edited brilliantly. The tables are turned!
--Dammit. We Lost Eddie. Went out like a boss. His character was written with no way out, I guess.
--Ugh, and Max, too. I'm destroyed.
--Holy shit. Hawkins is falling into hell.
--And there's still 30 minutes left...
--So Eleven "heals" Max. Thank God.
--Oh, but Argyle lives. Whoop-de-doo.
--Main character death count: Eddie, Max (resurrected), and possibly Brenner. Vecna wounded, but Will still senses him, so he's still out there as well. Great ending to a great season.
--I have a feeling Jason is going to fuck up the plan.
--I still don't like Argyle. Such a tired stereotypical trope of a character.
--Pineapple does not belong on pizza.
--Jonathan is such a good brother.
--Eddie dedicating his concert to Chrissy
--Yep, Jason is fucking up the plan.
--Steve, Robin, and Nancy getting overmatched at the same time as Dustin and Eddie.
--I was worried about Max there for a second. Eleven for the save!
--Lucas should be able to pound this idiot, but Jason is whipping his ass.
--Everyone is losing their fight. I don't like this.
--Holy shit. That Mike declaration was edited brilliantly. The tables are turned!
--Dammit. We Lost Eddie. Went out like a boss. His character was written with no way out, I guess.
--Ugh, and Max, too. I'm destroyed.
--Holy shit. Hawkins is falling into hell.
--And there's still 30 minutes left...
--So Eleven "heals" Max. Thank God.
--Oh, but Argyle lives. Whoop-de-doo.
--Main character death count: Eddie, Max (resurrected), and possibly Brenner. Vecna wounded, but Will still senses him, so he's still out there as well. Great ending to a great season.
#5
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Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
I enjoyed it overall but those last 30 minutes started to feel like Return of the King.
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#6
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
In the scenes where the room is completely black where you only saw the character and their reflection in the wet floor had a Under the Skin vibe?
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#7
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Oh, man, that finale was pretty awesome! What a rollercoaster of action and emotion. Things were looking very dire there for a while, and I thought it was going to end up being a bigger loss than what happened. It was great how they brought all the different threads to a head at the same time.
Murray showing up in the nick of time with the flamethrower and then Hopper's fight (wielding a sword!) with the demogorgon was pure fun to watch.
There were some good lighter moments mixed in with the seriousness of it all. I lol'd at Eleven's line to Max, "I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer. (Max: "What?") And everyone is prepping for the final battle, making weapons, fortifying their positions, prepping Eleven's water bath, and Argyle is making pineapple pizza. (which, for the record, I find very tasty)
Mike telling Eleven he loves her, giving her the strength to fight back against Vecna was reminiscent of the power-of-love climactic scene in The Fifth Element.
Loved Jonathan's brief talk with Will, too. Damn, lots of tear-jerker scenes in this episode.
Eddie rockin' out on top of the trailer was awesome! Sad to see him go--he was a character I liked more and more as the season went on. Dustin's conversation with his uncle was really good.
I was just thinking yesterday about how much I was reminded of the book The Talisman by the kids traveling back and forth between the worlds this season, and sure enough Lucas is reading it to Max in the hospital near the end.
Speaking of Max and Stephen King books, I worry that Eleven bringing Max back from the dead could end up not being a good thing (à la Pet Sematary).
The denouement scenes did go on a bit long, but I'm not complaining. All the reunions were great--especially El and Hopper.
The scale of the story keeps getting bigger each season, and it looks like season 5 is set to raise the stakes even more than I expected.
Murray showing up in the nick of time with the flamethrower and then Hopper's fight (wielding a sword!) with the demogorgon was pure fun to watch.
There were some good lighter moments mixed in with the seriousness of it all. I lol'd at Eleven's line to Max, "I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer. (Max: "What?") And everyone is prepping for the final battle, making weapons, fortifying their positions, prepping Eleven's water bath, and Argyle is making pineapple pizza. (which, for the record, I find very tasty)
Mike telling Eleven he loves her, giving her the strength to fight back against Vecna was reminiscent of the power-of-love climactic scene in The Fifth Element.
Loved Jonathan's brief talk with Will, too. Damn, lots of tear-jerker scenes in this episode.
Eddie rockin' out on top of the trailer was awesome! Sad to see him go--he was a character I liked more and more as the season went on. Dustin's conversation with his uncle was really good.
I was just thinking yesterday about how much I was reminded of the book The Talisman by the kids traveling back and forth between the worlds this season, and sure enough Lucas is reading it to Max in the hospital near the end.
Speaking of Max and Stephen King books, I worry that Eleven bringing Max back from the dead could end up not being a good thing (à la Pet Sematary).
The denouement scenes did go on a bit long, but I'm not complaining. All the reunions were great--especially El and Hopper.
The scale of the story keeps getting bigger each season, and it looks like season 5 is set to raise the stakes even more than I expected.
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#8
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
This show can be cheesy and bloated and obvious but gosh darn it, it still manages to work for me. Less death than I expected in the finale considering the surplus of characters but it’s really all leading up to S5’s grand finale I guess (hopefully less 80min or more episodes please).
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#9
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Seems clear that Eleven brought Max’s body back from the dead, but that Vecna has her soul. Her body is basically empty. But, this mean Max is still tied to life, unlike the prior three victims.
I bet the plot of at least the first half of Season 5 will be for Eleven to rescue Max’s soul from Vecna and return her to her body, which may seal the cracks in Hawkins.
It probably won’t happen, but it would be cool if Max was able to steal some of Vecna’s powers before returning to her body.
I bet the plot of at least the first half of Season 5 will be for Eleven to rescue Max’s soul from Vecna and return her to her body, which may seal the cracks in Hawkins.
It probably won’t happen, but it would be cool if Max was able to steal some of Vecna’s powers before returning to her body.
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#10
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Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Great end to the season.
Really wish Spellbound would have been the song to save Max. Hope it gets new ears on Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I think Will dies in the next season. He’s intertwined too much with the upside down.
Hate that Eddie died. Should have been the useless annoying pothead. Got the guitar on order, but not sure if it’s a sure thing since it’s limited.
Have they started filming the next season? Or soon? They looked even older in these 2 episodes than the first part.
Really wish Spellbound would have been the song to save Max. Hope it gets new ears on Siouxsie and the Banshees.
I think Will dies in the next season. He’s intertwined too much with the upside down.
Hate that Eddie died. Should have been the useless annoying pothead. Got the guitar on order, but not sure if it’s a sure thing since it’s limited.
Have they started filming the next season? Or soon? They looked even older in these 2 episodes than the first part.
#11
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Maybe I’ll post more thoughts later, but it fucking sucks Eddie died. It was obvious he was going to but it still really sucks.
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MysterioMan007 (07-02-22)
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Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
This was a solid, solid finale. All leading up to the big battle in S5. This was a great battle. Seeing it on all 3 groups’ fronts. Great editing. Great finale. Hell, I got choked up when Dustin was describing Eddie’s end to Mr. Munson. Lots more emotion felt in this ep for me than the rest of series combined. And didn’t feel like almost 2.5 hours at all. It flew. Definitely going to be an amazing final season.
#13
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
I didn't even realize Jason died until I saw it on a social media post. Good riddance to that guy, but I'm watching again just to see it ply out.
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
^Yeah, it's easy to miss but when the rifts start to open up after Max's 'death,' the one that starts in the house where Lucas, Max, and Jason are actually goes through Jason's unconscious form laying on the attic floor, kind of dissolving away the middle of his body.
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#15
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Shit, I didn't catch Jason's death, either. This is the third on-screen death this week that shot and edited in such a way that's it's not obvious what happened. (The other two being on
Also agree that it was a huge mistake to kill off Eddie. The character was written from the first episode to have a pretty obvious self-sacrifice redemption arc, but Joseph Quinn's performance was so charismatic and he had such great chemistry with the cast, that killing off him was a waste. Should have become part of the gang for season five.
Spoiler:
Also agree that it was a huge mistake to kill off Eddie. The character was written from the first episode to have a pretty obvious self-sacrifice redemption arc, but Joseph Quinn's performance was so charismatic and he had such great chemistry with the cast, that killing off him was a waste. Should have become part of the gang for season five.
#16
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Also agree that it was a huge mistake to kill off Eddie. The character was written from the first episode to have a pretty obvious self-sacrifice redemption arc, but Joseph Quinn's performance was so charismatic and he had such great chemistry with the cast, that killing off him was a waste. Should have become part of the gang for season five.
Just saw Jason die. What a way to go...
On a side note, I'm strangely attracted to gun-wielding Nancy. She becomes ten times hotter when she morphs into Sara Conner.
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#17
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Really enjoyed the finale, minus that last 20 minutes. Good stuff all around. Didn’t drag at all. Great effects work as well. Very rewarding season, I think a lot better than S3.
#18
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Robin has been a great addition to the crew. But, ever since I found out she is Ethan and Uma's daugther... shit I can see a little of both of them in her face. lol
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
I was planning to watch this in two parts, but watched in one sitting. Good finale.
Max got wrecked haha killing Vecna in the Upside Down is probably the only way to reverse the effects. Don’t kill Vecna in Hawkins.
Max got wrecked haha killing Vecna in the Upside Down is probably the only way to reverse the effects. Don’t kill Vecna in Hawkins.
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Boondock Saint (07-04-22)
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
A few more thoughts:
A nitpick, but glass bottles like they used for their Molotov cocktails don't break that easily--unless Vecna's skin is like stone, but he looks kind of squishy.
Dr. Owens is presumably still alive. Last we see him he was handcuffed in the Nina bunker. The group within the government that wanted to kill Eleven didn't get completely wiped out there did they? I wonder if that conflict within the government has resolved itself and if Dr. Owens will still have a role to play. We did see the female agent that was on Owens' side driving Joyce and Hopper back to the cabin at the end.
As long as the concluding scenes went on, I wish there had been a line or two on camera with Mike telling Dustin about how they went to see Suzie in Utah. Or even a Dustin/Suzie scene on their respective ham radios.
No Mr. Clarke at all in this season! I know he wasn't necessary for any of this storyline, but to me he's always been a fun side character and kind of a tradition on the show. Would have been nice to see him at the end, helping out as a volunteer at the shelter or something.
I was also surprised at how little Karen Wheeler was in this season, after having a fairly prominent arc in season 3. They even put out a character poster for her this season. But she's basically just in a few scenes, mostly rolling her eyes at Ted.
A nitpick, but glass bottles like they used for their Molotov cocktails don't break that easily--unless Vecna's skin is like stone, but he looks kind of squishy.
Dr. Owens is presumably still alive. Last we see him he was handcuffed in the Nina bunker. The group within the government that wanted to kill Eleven didn't get completely wiped out there did they? I wonder if that conflict within the government has resolved itself and if Dr. Owens will still have a role to play. We did see the female agent that was on Owens' side driving Joyce and Hopper back to the cabin at the end.
As long as the concluding scenes went on, I wish there had been a line or two on camera with Mike telling Dustin about how they went to see Suzie in Utah. Or even a Dustin/Suzie scene on their respective ham radios.
No Mr. Clarke at all in this season! I know he wasn't necessary for any of this storyline, but to me he's always been a fun side character and kind of a tradition on the show. Would have been nice to see him at the end, helping out as a volunteer at the shelter or something.
I was also surprised at how little Karen Wheeler was in this season, after having a fairly prominent arc in season 3. They even put out a character poster for her this season. But she's basically just in a few scenes, mostly rolling her eyes at Ted.
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#22
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Definitely my favorite season since one.
Really enjoyed the finale especially everything leading up to the big battle. Great job cross cutting the different groups and ratcheting up the tension.
Murray with the flamethrower. He really enjoyed roasting those suckers. The stuff with Lucas and Max was great. They are the better of the young group of actors for sure.
They brought back the Michael Myers mask for a nice throwback but Nancy shooting Vecna 5 or 6 times then him falling off the balcony and disappearing must have been a nod to the movie too. Robin Steve and Nancy are a great trio.
The show wears its heart on its sleeve which can verge into saccharine territory at times but it does capture the era and the spirit of mystery and adventure really well which is a big part of what made growing up in the 80's fun for many of us.
Really enjoyed the finale especially everything leading up to the big battle. Great job cross cutting the different groups and ratcheting up the tension.
Murray with the flamethrower. He really enjoyed roasting those suckers. The stuff with Lucas and Max was great. They are the better of the young group of actors for sure.
They brought back the Michael Myers mask for a nice throwback but Nancy shooting Vecna 5 or 6 times then him falling off the balcony and disappearing must have been a nod to the movie too. Robin Steve and Nancy are a great trio.
The show wears its heart on its sleeve which can verge into saccharine territory at times but it does capture the era and the spirit of mystery and adventure really well which is a big part of what made growing up in the 80's fun for many of us.
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John Pannozzi (07-03-22)
#23
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
Enjoyed this season a lot, but wow...the last two episodes really felt "stretched." Would have been better if Episode 8 was a standard hour and Episode 9 was around 90 minutes.
Hated that they felt the need to end with a semi-cliffhanger and don't like the "retcon" that Vecna was responsible for all the events in earlier seasons as well.
Glad that Steve didn't die. There were some major rumors going around that he was going to be offed.
Hated that they felt the need to end with a semi-cliffhanger and don't like the "retcon" that Vecna was responsible for all the events in earlier seasons as well.
Glad that Steve didn't die. There were some major rumors going around that he was going to be offed.
#24
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
I was thinking this exact same thing as the scene unfolded. I thought they'd throw them at the pillars supporting his tentacles. Also, why on earth did they stick to the "we are armed to the teeth but will only attack one at a time" trope, lol. All three of them should have hurled molotav's and started shooting/hacking immediately.
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John Pannozzi (07-05-22)
#25
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Stranger Things (S4E09) -- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback"
A lot of cheese in this - but I guess that fits with many 80s movies.
They "defeated" (temporarily) Vecna... and then there was still 30 minutes left. Holy shit it just wouldn't end.
The last 2 episodes clocked in at almost 4 hours... could've easily shaved 1 hour between the two.
With all the shit that went down this season and the last 2 episodes, it really felt like they should've changed some of the outcomes and just ended the series here. They're really milking this show with another season.
Glad Max is still around - she's the best character and actor on the show. However, I fear her acting next season will mainly consist of her lying unconscious.
They "defeated" (temporarily) Vecna... and then there was still 30 minutes left. Holy shit it just wouldn't end.
The last 2 episodes clocked in at almost 4 hours... could've easily shaved 1 hour between the two.
With all the shit that went down this season and the last 2 episodes, it really felt like they should've changed some of the outcomes and just ended the series here. They're really milking this show with another season.
Glad Max is still around - she's the best character and actor on the show. However, I fear her acting next season will mainly consist of her lying unconscious.