This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Vol 1.
Stranger Things Season 4 dials the fan service to a new level – however, it took a noticeable liking to the adored relationship between Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), leaving one fan-favorite couple to fall by the wayside. Proceed with caution as this article does contain spoilers for all seasons of Stranger Things.
Throughout the new season of the hit Netflix series, Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) seem to have called it quits following the tumultuous happenings of the previous season which saw Max’s step-brother Billy Hargrove (Darcy Montgomery) sacrificing his life to the Mind Flayer to protect the ragtag group of teens. Despite the third season's finale being bittersweet, with relationships and friendships intact, it was clear that the events that transpired would change the teens’ lives forever. What happened between Max and Lucas in the time between Season 3 and Season 4 of Stranger Things. Keep reading to find out.
Did Max and Lucas Break Up In Stranger Things Season 4?
Released on May 27, the most recent season of Stranger Things sees the gang starting off on different footings. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and Eleven have ridden off to sunny California with Joy (Winona Ryder) finding a new work-from-home job, leaving her Hopper-induced heartbreak behind in Hawkins, Indiana. Lucas has found his calling on the basketball team, prioritizing the sport over playing Dungeon and Dragons and hanging out with social piranhas Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Mike – who are otherwise as nerdy and tight-knit as we left them in the prior season. Where does that leave Max?
In the opening episode, it is revealed that Max has pulled away from her new friends and now prefers to be alone. She is seen brushing off Lucas’ invitation to his grand basketball game and walking through the school hallways blasted Kate Bush through her headphones. During the duo's tense conversation in Season 4, Episode 1 (called "The Hellfire Club"), it is revealed that they split up; Max brushes it off as a casual happening which doesn’t address Lucas’ obvious affection for the other teen.
In the episode and in Max's opening scene, her and Lucas make prolonged eye contact before she makes her way into the school counselor's office. During her therapy session, the young teen is asked about her relationship with her mom and grieving her brother - insinuating that that's what drew the two apart. The basketball player meets Max at the end of her session which she responds to with "Are you stalking me, or something?" After she laughs off being invited to his basketball game, he urges her to find something she cares about - like he has - and says, "It's like you're not even here anymore." She responds to this by mocking him, saying, "Something must be wrong with me because I broke with you."
The two have a silted relationship through the season until reuniting in Season 4, Episode 4 (called "Dear Billy"). In this episode, Max has found out that Vecna has cursed Max, and she is doomed to die, at any given moment. This prompts some confessions out of the redhead, and she writes the core cast and her family a series of letters that they aren't able to open until after her death. As the intense situation plays on and Max takes an Upside Down-induced fall, her and Lucas embrace. As the rest of the season plays on, they two never officially get back together, however they are seen bantering and repairing their relationship. At one point, Lucas tells his love interest that he missed her laugh.
How Did Max and Lucas Get Together?
McLaughlin has been part of the Stranger Things series since the first episode, however Sadie Sink did not join until Season 2. Upon Max's introduction, Lucas is instantly infatuated with her, but Will and Mike are reluctant to let another girl join their friendship group - Dustin, the human equivalent of a marshmallow, was on Team Max. The couple first got together at the Snowball Dance, at the end of Season 2, and they shared a kiss while slow dancing. They ebb and flow throughout the third season, and have left the "Honeymoon stage" of their relationship. Max and Eleven join together to give their respective boyfriends the cold shoulder, and become close friends following an epic mall montage to "Material Girl" by Madonna.
However, at the end of the third season the couple was still together and took to mocking Dustin about his long-distance relationship with Suzie. They joined together to mock the curly-haired boy by singing the theme song to "The Neverending Story" - which Dustin embarrassingly sang with his girlfriend to win back her affection and get her to help them save the world.
Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.