Stranger Things season 4 episode 6 recap: The Dive

This article contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4 episode 6.

Eleven makes hard realizations, Hopper takes a big gamble, and Steve makes a big sacrifice in the sixth episode of Stranger Things season 4.

Catch up here on everything from the last episode!

The next episode of Stranger Things season 4 begins with the Hawkins police department responding to the death of Patrick. Chief Powell and Officer Callahan question Jason about what he saw.

The basketball player is positive Eddie is the devil, using his demonic powers to kill. Reporting back to Colonel Sullivan, (Sherman Augustus) he has been interrogating and torturing the other agent who was protecting our favorite Hawkins’s transplants in California.

The agent alleges he does not know where “the girl” is but the Colonel does not believe him. He believes Eleven being the murderer in Hawkins is much more likely (but wrong) than an invisible monster (which is true).

At their secret complex, Dr. Brenner is talking to Eleven about how her brain experienced a stroke-like event, forgetting something that was so innate and basic. The Nina machine, along with video footage of Dr. Brenner’s initial experiments helps Eleven unlock those subconscious memories and skills.

She asks about the bloody images she saw. Dr. Brenner explains how those are the memories they are trying to avoid during this careful and delicate process.

This all puts El at ease enough to continue on and dive back into the Nina machine.

Stranger Things season 4 episode 6: Eddie is blamed once again

After escaping Jason and the Hawkins police, Eddie comes across a construction site. Here, the innocent kid finds a walkie-talkie from an unattended work belt.

He takes it and runs back into the woods. Driving back from Victor Creel’s house, Robin is spiraling.

She feels hopeless as Nancy remains more level-headed. They arrive at Reefer Rick’s house to find Powell giving a press conference.

The police chief shares the news of Patrick’s death along with finally naming Eddie Munson as the primary person of interest. Dustin is able to get in contact with Eddie where he updates them on his location.

The gang immediately leaves to meet up with him. Meanwhile, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle arrive at Suzie’s house in Utah.

While walking toward the front door they have a quick pep talk as Suzie’s family is known to be very religious. When they go inside, however, there are adolescents fighting, making movies, and playing with the fuse box.

The babysitter, Eden, who Argyle has a clear attraction to, informs them where Suzie is. When they find Suzie, they trick her into believing the address is for a new video game console for Dustin’s birthday.

Suzie wants to help but her computer is locked in her dad’s office.

Stranger Things season 4 episode 6: Eleven learns some truths

After crashing somewhere in Russia, Joyce and Murray are struggling to figure out where they need to go, and what they are going to do with Yuri. They want to know where the prison is but Yuri refuses to tell them since they do not agree to pay him.

After threatening to leave him for wild bears, Yuri gives in and tells them where his warehouse is.

Within the prison, Hopper, Antonov, and some of the other inmates are led into a room where a feast is waiting. One prisoner explains that this feast is to make them all strong to fight a monster.

In order to defeat it they need to stick together. Hopper, who has been silent the whole time enjoying very little of the food, finally speaks with a chilling calmness and confidence in his voice.

He explains that he has fought one of these monsters before. He adds that the food they are eating is not to make them strong, but it is to make them plump for the beast so it can be happy getting all of the nutrients it needs.

His words bring a hush over the table as they eat what is likely their last meal. Back in the Nina machine, Eleven is experiencing more memories when the orderly explains how she reminds him a lot of the mythical “One” who would use sad memories to fuel his powers.

He shares the surprising revelation that Papa does not always tell the truth. The orderly exemplifies this by discussing Eleven’s mother who tried and failed to visit her.

As Dustin and Steve butt heads, Lucas talks with Max about Patrick, Vecna’s other targets, and how all of them had a secret trauma they were not sharing. Lucas tells Max that he’s sees her now.

He is here for her, so she doesn’t have to feel alone anymore. Nancy and Robin are walking and talking about how this mission has rekindled old flames that should not have ended so soon.

They go on to discuss how Nancy is ticked off a bit at Jonathan because he did come to visit, adding to the fact that they are unable to reach him. This conversation concludes with Nancy and Robin admitting they are officially friends with one another.

Steve is eventually right with his directions, and the group finds Eddie.

Stranger Things season 4 episode 6: Hopper always has a plan

At a Hawkins town meeting, Chief Powell is trying to calm the town folk when Jason and his teammates arrive. Jason gives a rousing speech, that parallels the pep rally, in which he claims Eddie and The Hellfire Club are satanic worshipers and must be extinguished with the good religious energy in the room.

This speech motivates the town to go hunt for this “cult.” After the meeting, Lucas, Dustin, and Mike’s parents rush to the Wheeler home but the kids are not there.

As a result, Karen Wheeler decides to call the police. Once Eddie is caught up on what is going on, and after he shares his events, the gang realizes they know how and where Vecna attacks.

This means they only need a gate into the Upside Down. As everyone is telling each other what went down the last few hours, Dustin is figuring out why his directions to finding Eddie were wrong and why Steve was right.

He concludes that his compass was being altered by a strong magnetic field, which likely means another gate to the Upside Down, but a much smaller one. After Eddie casts the deciding vote, they all go looking for the gate.

In Eleven’s memories, they are playing a game where they have to stay in their circle while trying to push their opponent out of their circle with their mind. Number Two starts off and goes through everyone until only Eleven is left.

Using the memory of her birth mother as motivation, Eleven wins. Yuri leads Joyce and Murray to his warehouse, which is the same church Hopper was found hiding in by the Russian prison guards.

Once the supplies are given, Murray and Joyce inform the Russian smuggler that Murray is going to be impersonating Yuri so they can walk right into the prison. At the prison, the prisoners are done eating and are led to the box with the beast in it.

On their walk, however, Hopper picks a fight with Antonov which leads to a fight with the guards. The monster’s feast is delayed.

Back in the cells, Hopper explains how he lifted a bottle of vodka and a lighter, which will be used to fight the Demogorgon.

Back at Suzie’s house, using all of her eccentric siblings, they are able to break into Suzie’s father’s home office to access her computer. She is able to track the IP address (something that goes over everyone else’s heads) and find coordinates in Nevada.

Stranger Things season 4 episode 6: The water gate

Dustin leads his friends through the woods to Lover’s Lake. Eddie, Robin, Nancy, and Steve get into a boat to go search the lake, leaving Dustin, Max, and Lucas (the kiddos) behind.

In her memories within the Nina machine, Eleven discovers the same orderly who confided and revealed many secrets to her earlier was being tortured by other orderlies with Dr. Brenner looking on. In the Rainbow Room, Eleven is mocked and tortured by Two and the other kids.

This leads to El being pulled out again after realizing she killed all of the other kids. On Lover’s Lake, the boat is right above the energy source.

Steve volunteers himself to swim down and check it out. He finds the gate and swims back to the group to report his findings when a tentacle pulls him down and through the gate.

This leads to Nancy, Robin, and a reluctant Eddie diving in after Steve to save him. While this goes on, Dustin, Lucas, and Max see the cops getting close to the lake.

This leads to them diverting the officer’s attention so Eddie will still be free. They lead the cops away from the lake before getting caught.

Within the macabre Upside Down, Steve is eventually freed from the tentacle that pulled him down. This freedom is short-lived however because the episode ends with vulture-like monsters attacking Steve and pecking at his torso while one holds him down by the throat.

Do you think Steve is going to be ready for the big fight against Vecna?  How do you think Eleven making this horrific realization will impact her process?

Let us know your answers and opinions in the comments below!

Watch all of Stranger Things season 4, only on Netflix!