"Chapter Four: The Body" is the fourth episode of Stranger Things and the fourth episode of the first season. It premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016 along with the rest of the season, and was written by Justin Doble and directed by Shawn Levy.
Synopsis
Refusing to believe Will is dead, Joyce tries to connect with her son. The boys give Eleven a makeover in order to connect with Will. Nancy and Jonathan form an unlikely alliance.
Plot
Chief Hopper tries to convince Joyce the visions she's having of communicating with Will and the monster are all in her head as her way of grieving. However, Joyce knows that she's not crazy, and wants Hopper to believe that Will is not dead.
In Mike's basement, El proves that Will is still alive by channeling him through Mike's walkie talkie. Mike hears him singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go", and after further discussion the boys decide to take El to school so that she can use Mr. Clarke's Heathkit to make further contact.
Despite the body being confirmed as Will, Joyce still doesn't believe he's dead. Hopper is surprised to hear that state officials performed the autopsy on the body rather than Gary. Joyce asks to see the birthmark on Will's body and storms out, convinced that the body she saw wasn't Will's.
Meanwhile, Jonathan is ready to plan Will's funeral which gets him into an argument with Joyce. The two argue about if Will is really dead, causing them both to storm off.
At the Wheeler house, Mike and the boys give El a makeover, dressing her in Nancy's pink dress and a blonde wig, while Mike does her makeup. El comes out of the bathroom, and Mike say she looks "Pretty... good." At school, Mr. Clarke agrees to let them use the radio as long as they attend an assembly commemorating Will's death. Overhearing bully Troy and his friend laughing about Will's death, Mike confronts them and pushes Troy. Before Troy can attack, El causes Troy to freeze in place and urinate on himself.
In the Hawkins Laboratory, one of Brenner's workers attached to a security line goes through the gate to the alternate dimension. The worker reaches the other side, but the monster seemingly finds him and cuts the worker off from the security line. Brenner's crew was not able to reel him back in time.
Jonathan is picking out a coffin for Will's body when Nancy arrives to ask him about the photo he took of Barb. Nancy describes the monster in the photograph as the same one she saw running through the forest. Jonathan realizes Nancy is describing the same monster Joyce saw crawling out the wall, leading him to question if his mom really is telling the truth.
Back at the school, El uses her powers to try to talk to Will through the ham radio. A flashback is shown where El uses her powers to locate one of Brenner's men, repeating what he said over the lab's speakers. El is able to make contact with Will and the boys hear him calling for his mom. Joyce suddenly hears Will's cries as well through the wall in her home.
At the police station, Hopper questions Gary about the autopsy. He tells Hopper about the state police claiming jurisdiction, which he thinks is odd considering Will is just a regular small-town boy. Suspicious, Hopper locates the officer who found Will's body at a bar. His suspicions are confirmed when he forces the officer to confess about saying the body was Will. Hopper sneaks in to see the body and performs an autopsy of his own. He cuts open the body cavity and realizes the body is packed with what appears to be some sort of stuffing.
Joyce tears down the wallpaper and sees Will in the alternate dimension. El and the boys are able to hear Joyce and Will's conversation through the radio. The radio catches on fire before they can make further contact.
Joyce is still talking to Will, and she tells Will to hide as the monster is coming back for him. Joyce takes an axe to the wall to get Will. She breaks a hole in the wall, only revealing her front porch.
Cast
- Joyce Byers - Winona Ryder
- Jim Hopper - David Harbour
- Mike Wheeler - Finn Wolfhard
- Eleven - Millie Bobby Brown
- Dustin Henderson - Gaten Matarazzo
- Lucas Sinclair - Caleb McLaughlin
- Nancy Wheeler - Natalia Dyer
- Jonathan Byers - Charlie Heaton
- Karen Wheeler - Cara Buono
- Dr. Martin Brenner - Matthew Modine
- Ted Wheeler - Joe Chrest
- Steve Harrington - Joe Keery
- Officer Powell - Rob Morgan
- Lonnie Byers - Ross Partridge
- Officer Callahan - John Paul Reynolds
- Will Byers - Noah Schnapp
- English Teacher - Danny Boushebel
- Unnamed Test Subject - Jason Davis
- Greg McCorkle - Arthur Lee Dozier V
- Unnamed State Trooper - Ron Fallica
- Patty - Marianne Fraulo
- Ground Controller - Adam Gagan
- Hawkins High Principal - Salem Murphy
- Mr Clarke - Randy Havens
- James - Cade Jones
- Funeral Director - Jon Kohler
- Morgue Worker - Shawn Levy
- Shepard - Christopher Cody Robinson
- David O' Bannon - Ron Roggé
- Field Reporter - Paul Ryden
- Principal Coleman - Tony Vaughn
- Troy - Peyton Wich
- Gary - Mark Withers
Music
Soundtrack
- "Atmosphere" by Joy Division - First song after Chief Hopper informs Joyce of the discovery of Will's body.
- "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash - Eleven taps into Mike’s radio, and he can hear Will singing. Joyce later plays the song while trying to call Will out.
- "Color Dreams" by The Deep - Hopper buys O'Bannon a beer, before questioning about the discovery at the quarry.
Original Score
- "It's Not My Boy"
- "After Sarah"
- "Hallucinations"
- "Over"
- Unreleased track
- "Kids Two"
- "Biking to School"
- "Hawkins Lab"
- "She'll Kill You"
- "Photos in the Woods"
- "Danger Danger"
- "The Upside Down"
Notes
- The episode's title is a nod to Stephen King's short story The Body, which was also the basis for the film Stand By Me, another film that has heavily inspired the Duffers.[1]
Gallery
External Links
References
| Episodes of Stranger Things | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Season 2 | |
| Season 3 | |
| Season 4 | |
| Season 5 | |