Warning: SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4 volume 1!
Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) finally reunite with Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in Stranger Things season 4 revealed Hopper's survival following the events at Starcourt Mall. Unfortunately, there was a twist: Hopper was captured by the Russians and imprisoned in Kamchatka. Further trailers hinted at Joyce and Murray teaming up to rescue their dear friend, and that's exactly what plays out in season 4 volume 1.
After receiving a mysterious package containing a doll from Russia, Joyce s Murray, who encourages her to carefully break the object to see if it's a trap. Instead, the doll holds a ransom note stating Hopper's survival and a phone number that later connects to a Russian prison guard named Dmitri (Tom Wlaschiha). If paid, Dmitri promises to use smuggler Yuri (Nikola Đuričko) to fly Hopper out of Russia, but during the Alaskan exchange, Yuri backstabs all parties. Thankfully, Joyce and Murray regain control of the situation, coming up with a plan for Murray to impersonate Yuri to deliver himself and Joyce to the Kamchatka facility.
Meanwhile, Hopper escapes the labor camp, but his freedom is short-lived. He and Dmitri are put in a group of prisoners set to face off against a "monster" in the prison yard, which happens to be a Demogorgon. The Demogorgon kills every prisoner except Hopper and Dmitri, thanks to Hopper's flaming spear. During the fight, Murray and Joyce take over the prison's control room, opening the door for Hopper and Dmitri to escape. Hopper then sees Joyce for the first time in months after his faceoff with the Russian prison Demogorgon, and the two come together for a long hug. Granted, that feeling of relief will be short-lived based on what's next for Hopper, Joyce, and Murray as they will be forced to face remaining comrades within the prison, lingering prisoners, and the Demogorgon. More details can be gathered about the group's fate based on images and teasers released for Stranger Things season 4 volume 2.
What Stranger Things 4 Has Already Confirmed About Hopper, Joyce & Murray's Volume 2 Story
During the Stranger Things season 4 teaser released in August 2021, a shot of Hopper using a flamethrower was shown. This sequence occurs in the prison, hinting that Hopper and the group will use the flamethrower to kill the Demogorgon and any other creature the Russians could be hiding. Yuri mentions having a flamethrower at his warehouse at the nearby church, and it's possible Murray and Joyce brought it along for the trek to the prison.
The short trailer for volume 2 shown after "Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" also gives viewers a look of Hopper looking around the Russian facility. He finds a tank with a Demogorgon inside before the group looks at another large glass tank holding moving particles of the Mind Flayer. Hopper is seen running with a gun after a clothing change, and Murray seems to also get a hold of the flamethrower in a quick shot. Oddly enough, though, Joyce is not seen in the volume 2 preview, but she will undoubtedly have a large role in taking down the Demogorgon and getting out of the prison.
Despite no teases, volume 2 will likely see Hopper, Joyce, and Murray attempt to make their way out of Kamchatka. Their priority will quickly turn to the kids in Nevada, with Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven in the new "Nina Project" lab and Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) heading to locate her. It seems inevitable that the entire group will be reunited back in Hawkins, considering the threat of Vecna, but it's now a question of whether that will occur by the end of season 4 or if that moment is saved for Stranger Things season 5. After everything that has happened, hopefully, Hopper, Joyce, and Murray are all around for the big reunion, whenever that might be.
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