Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 4: Max Reveals the Truth Behind That Iconic Season 4 Scene

Stranger Things is back, and Volume 1 does not waste time twisting the knife. Episode 4, 'Sorcerer', changes how we think about Max Mayfield’s big escape in Season 4 and pushes the whole story from creepy mystery to all-out survival mode.

Max is alive, but not where we hoped

Here’s the brutal update: Max’s body is still comatose in the hospital, but her mind never actually made it out. She’s been stuck inside Vecna’s mindscape this entire time. That Season 4 miracle with Kate Bush’s 'Running Up That Hill'? Not a clean rescue. More like a timeout. Max even tries the song again in Episode 4, using Lucas’s music in the real world as a beacon, but the track cuts out mid-run and the door slams shut. Music alone is not enough anymore, and Henry Creel shows up right after to shove her back into hiding.

Her safe house is a memory Henry is scared of

Max explains she’s navigating a mental prison Henry built, the same system he used whenever a victim’s death opened a gate to the Upside Down. She’s carved out a pocket of autonomy by hiding in one specific memory: a cave system Henry won’t enter. It is tied to his childhood trauma that the franchise has been expanding on, including the stage prequel The First Shadow where young Henry disappeared for 12 hours and came back... different. The cave lets Max stay herself while the rest of Henry’s memories churn with horrors she cannot control.

The near-escape that resets the rules

Max almost makes it out this season. She follows the faint echo of 'Running Up That Hill' Lucas plays at her bedside, threads her way through Henry’s memory maze, and even sees her own body in the hospital. Then the connection collapses before she can step through. The takeaway is clear: the Kate Bush lifeline that worked before is now a dead battery against Vecna’s upgraded grip.

New ally: Holly Wheeler

Episode 4 throws Max a lifeline in a very unexpected form. Holly Wheeler gets snatched into the same mindscape, and Max teams up with her. Max sends Holly back into the Creel House memory to distract Henry long enough to buy time and plan a real escape. More importantly, this opens the door to actual communication with the outside world. For the first time, there is a workable path to coordinating a rescue.

Vecna’s endgame gets numbers

Volume 1 lays out the stakes: Henry needs twelve children to finalize his takeover plan. Holly is one of several kids already in his grip, which puts a clock on everything happening in Hawkins. The group figures out why he zeroes in on kids: their minds are easier to bend until they break.

Will, Eleven, and a messy human obstacle

The mid-season finale escalates the Will Byers thread. His connection to Vecna flares back to life, and Will’s vision of the captive kids hints he might be able to tap into the hive mind directly. Meanwhile, Eleven finds Kali — yes, Eight — literally wired into a machine at a military base. And then there’s the added headache: the military is rounding up children because they think Eleven is behind the abductions. So the heroes have to fight monsters and bureaucracy at the same time.

Release plan and episode guide

• Episode 1 - The Crawl — November 26, 2025
• Episode 2 - The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler — November 26, 2025
• Episode 3 - The Turnbow Trap — November 26, 2025
• Episode 4 - Sorcerer — November 26, 2025
• Episode 5 - Shock Jock — December 25, 2025
• Episode 6 - Escape from Camazotz — December 25, 2025
• Episode 7 - The Bridge — December 25, 2025
• Episode 8 (Finale) - The Rightside Up — January 1, 2026

Where Volume 2 is headed

Episodes 5 through 7 land on December 25, with the series finale arriving January 1. Expect the show to finally unpack the Upside Down’s ecology and its connection to Dimension X. Episode 4 is the pivot: we’re out of clue-hunting mode and into open conflict.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is streaming now. How are you feeling about Max’s odds after 'Sorcerer', and what’s your bet on Henry’s twelve-kid plan blowing up in his face?