In all honesty, I was low-key dreading Valentine’s Day this year. I hate the holiday – and not just because I’m single, although I’m sure that has a large part in my feelings towards Hallmark’s biggest day of the year. But my day full of unwanted pink t-shirts and paper hearts taped to store windows was beautifully interrupted by Jim Hopper, dramatically pulling his scrappy beanie off his shaved head while being violently watched by Russian guards. This is it, I said to myself, the teaser drop for “Stranger Things” season four. My Valentine’s Day was about to improve drastically.

“Stranger Things” is one of my favorite shows and I have absolutely no shame in saying that. When season three dropped July 4, 2019, I watched it in two days. Now that season four is official, I thought it would be best to recap the previous season.

Season three opens with the perfectly brilliant comedic timing of Dustin’s return home from camp and his life-altering announcement: Dusty Buns has a girlfriend. With the season opening intermixed with Steve and Dustin’s reunion, Hopper’s extreme paranoia about El’s new relationship with Mike and Will’s remaining connection to the Upside Down, the audience was informed right out of the gate that the season was going to be a good one. We met Robin, everyone’s favorite sassy queen and Steve’s coworker at Scoops Ahoy – located at the season’s main location, the Star Court Mall – and were quickly ushered into the season’s dominant storyline: the door to the Upside Down is being reopened by Russians, and the Mind Flayer is out to destroy the only force stronger than itself, El.

The Mind Flayer quickly finds a being to inhabit, Max’s older brother Billy, and begins to turn Hawkin’s inhabitants into an army. By this point in the season, I was just glad that the Mind Flayer didn’t inhabit Will, poor kid needs a break. With fulfilling plot lines like Jonathan and Nancy’s joint venture as the couple working at the local newspaper (my dream, honestly) and the introduction of everyone’s favorite Russian, Alexi, season three was a smash.

What I appreciated about the most recent season of “Stranger Things” was not just the story lines or the epic post-production, but the attention to detail. The Star Court Mall was brilliantly crafted, the costuming and replication of the 1980s was spot on and, as always, the acting was superb. I binged the show and was immediately craving more. I cried when El read Hopper’s heartbreaking letter. I live alone and I keep my bedroom door open just because it was Hopper ‘s dying wish – or so we thought.

My favorite scene of season three came at the tail end, when Billy sacrificed himself for El’s safety. Not only was Dacre Montgomery an amazing actor to play the role of the horrifically emotionally damaged Billy, but his character’s last testament was one of love and protection. I’d like to think that Billy saw Max in the situation where he sacrificed his life for El’s, putting himself on the line for the person he really loved the most.

So season four? I literally cannot wait. The lack of a premier date has me frustrated beyond belief and you bet I will be painstakingly scouring the “Stranger Things” social media pages until the streaming date is announced. And here is my laundry list of events that must take place in season four or I riot at dawn:

-El and the gang must save Hopper, it’s not an option.

-Steve needs to find a love interest who truly appreciates his mom energy and feathered hair.

-We must see more scenes with Nancy and Jonathan being cute reporters together (like literally it’s my dream job and relationship, no joke.)

-I wouldn’t be mad if Will and El don’t date anymore, just saying.

-But Hopper and Joyce MUST get married, duh.

-Can we really defeat all the Russians who want to open the door to the Upside Down and basically kill all of humanity? I sure hope so.

-And last but certainly not least, I would like to see more scenes of Suzie and Dusty Buns singing 1980s chart toppers together.

And that’s it folks. Hopefully season four comes out within the semester so I can review it approximately 48 hours after it drops on Netflix. If I’ve already graduated by the time I can rejoin my favorite characters in Hawkins, text me for what I’m sure will be a detailed response.