Original subtitles

[alarm ringing]

[Axel] Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!

-Move it. -[Dottie] Let's get out of here!

[police siren wailing]

Headed down Poplar, toward Main.

[grunts and pants]

-Get 'em off of us, Mick! -I'm working on it!

-The alley. To your right. -Okay.

[horns honking]

Shit!

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Shit!

[cackles]

[exhales] Okay. Okay.

[police sirens wailing]

-Son of a bitch! We got more! -[Mick] Oh, shit!

They're headed down 7th.

Do something, Kali. Do something!

Next right. There's a tunnel. Take it.

We got these bastards now!

Boom.

[crashing]

Holy shit!

[tires screeching]

Shit! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

What the hell is wrong with you, Adams? The hell are you doing?

[distorted] Adams! Come on. What the hell? Why'd you stop?

Adams! Adams!

-Adams, I'm talkin' to you! -[pants]

[grunts]

Adams! Adams!

-[whoops] -[laughs]

[theme music playing]

Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!

A police chase rocked downtown Pittsburgh earlier this evening...

-Another stupid penny! -Dusty, watch it! You almost hit Mews.

-Can I please check under your cushions? -Dusty.

-Mom, please? It's an emergency! -[moans]

[moans]

Who's your buddy? Who's your buddy?

Love you, Mom.

Lucas, you copy? I've got four quarters. What's your haul?

Take your puny haul and multiply it by five.

-How? -While you were scrounging around

like a homeless bum, I mowed Old Man Humphrey's lawn.

Old Man Humphrey's got that kinda cash?

-Just call Mike already. -You call Mike.

I have to go take a shower from doing real work, like a man.

Over and out.

[Dustin over walkie-talkie] Mike, do you copy? Mike, do you copy?

Yeah. Yeah, I copy.

-What are you doing on this channel? -Nothing.

Lucas and I have six bucks total.

-What's your haul? -Shit! I don't know yet.

-What do you mean you don't know yet? -Hold on. Call Will.

What the hell are you doing?

I'll pay you back!

-[Mike] Bye! -[Nancy] Mike!

-Mike! Get back here! -Hey. No running in the house.

What is going on?

[Nancy] Mike! Mike!

Asshole!

-Hey! -Okay. So, I'll pick you up in two hours.

-That's 9:00 on the dot, okay? -Okay.

If anything happens, if you need to come home,

just ask them to use their phone and call home. Okay?

-Don't-- -Don't walk or bike home. I know.

-Okay, but, sweetie-- -Mom, I have to go.

Have fun.

To slay the dragon, use the magic sword.

[Dustin] Oh, Jesus! I'm in unchartered territory here, guys.

-Down! Down! Down! -[Dustin] I'm going! I'm going!

[exclaims]

I'm going! I'm going! I'm going!

-[all clamoring] -Okay. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!

No. No. No!

No! No! No! I hate this overpriced bullshit!

Son of a bitch! Piece of shit!

You're not nimble enough. But you'll get there one day.

But until then, Princess Daphne is still mine.

Whatever. I'm still tops on Centipede and Dig Dug.

[Keith] You sure about that?

Sure about what?

You're kidding me. No, no, no.

Move! Move! No, no, no, no, no. Hey, no! No! No!

[video game chimes]

-751,300 points! -[Mike] That's impossible.

-Who is Mad Max? -Better than you.

-Is it you? -[scoffs] You know I despise Dig Dug.

-Then who is it? -Yeah, spill it, Keith.

You want information, then I need something in return.

No, no, no. No way. You're not getting a date with her.

Mike, come on. Just get him the date.

I'm not prostituting my sister!

-But it's for a good cause. -No, don't get him the date. Know what?

He's gonna spread his nasty-ass rash to your whole family.

Acne isn't a rash and it isn't contagious, you prepubescent wastoid.

Oh, I'm a wastoid? She wouldn't go on a date with you.

You make, like, what? $2.50 an hour?

-[Keith] Nice perm. -Gonna make fun of my hair?

[rumbling]

Hey. Hey, guys, do you see the...

-[crashing] -[gasps]

-[thunder crashing] -[electricity crackling]

-Will! Are you okay? -[gasps]

Yeah. I just...

-I needed some air. -Come on. You're up on Dig Dug.

Let's take that top score back, huh?

[Murray] Good morning, Jim.

-Jim. Hold on a second. We need to talk. -Get away from me.

Okay, no... I think you really wanna hear this.

-Get away from me. -Trust me. I only want five minutes!

Yeah, I want a date with Bo Derek. We all want things.

This isn't a laughing matter, Jim.

-This is serious, okay? -[groans]

I really got something here. I'm telling you!

-Hey. Mornin', Chief. -Morning.

Morning, Murray.

Got any proof on your butt-probin' aliens yet, Murray?

-[Powell laughs] -I believe there was, and may still be,

a Russian spy presence in Hawkins.

Russian spies!

Are the spies in cahoots with the aliens? Or how do they fit in here? I'm confused.

I'm talking multiple reports now. Multiple reports, okay?

Of a Russian child in Hawkins.

-A child? What are you talking about? -A girl who may have psionic abilities.

-"Psionic"? -Psychic.

What about that girl that made that kid pee himself?

-A prank. -What girl?

-Wasn't a prank. -[Hopper mocks]

You got five minutes. Not a second more.

[Murray] I talked to a Big Buy ex-employee

who said some little girl shattered the door with her mind.

I heard that story.

Did you hear the one about the fat man with the beard who climbs down chimneys?

[Murray] Then last month, a co-worker of Ted Wheeler's claims

some Russian girl with a shaved head was hiding in his basement.

Ted now denies this.

-Oh, wow. That's a surprise. -But it connects.

-Enlighten me. -This girl,

she's some kind of a Russian weapon, right?

Barbara sees this girl, tries to help her, perhaps.

But before she can, the Russians find them, take them--

Wait. You're telling me Barbara Holland was kidnapped by Russian spies.

-Kidnapped. Killed. -Killed?

-Don't you get it, Jim? -No.

This has potentially international implications.

I'm talking a full-on Russian invasion right here in Hawkins.

[whirring]

Do you have any proof of this girl? I mean, has anybody seen her recently?

-These are separate-- -[phone rings]

Excuse me. Sorry.

-Okay. -Hello?

Merrill called, wants you to check out his pumpkins.

-Says they've been contaminated... -All right.

...by his vengeful neighbor, Eugene. You're welcome.

I'm sorry. I really hate to do this, but I gotta run.

-It's an emergency. -You gave me five minutes.

Yeah, listen, you know what? I liked your alien theory a lot better.

And you want my advice?

Why don't you stop bleeding those people dry and go home? All right?

-I am not bleeding anyone... dry. -Listen to me. Go home.

It's crap, I know.

No, it's not crap.

-It's not good. -It's going to be.

-Just... It needs some reorganizing. -[sighs]

-Can I mark on it? -Yeah, I guess.

So, in the first paragraph,

you used the basketball game versus Northern

as a metaphor for your life, which is great.

But then, around here,

you start talking about your granddad's experiences in the war.

And I... [stammers] I don't see how they're connected.

It connects because...

because, you know, we both won.

-Do you think I should start from scratch? -No. I mean...

When's the deadline?

It's tomorrow for early application.

Can you come and help me tonight?

We have our dinner tonight, remember?

-Oh, my God! -We already canceled last week.

-You don't have to go. Just work on this. -No, no, no. What's the point?

-Hey, calm down. -I'm calm. I'm calm.

I'm just being honest. You know, I mean...

-I'll end up working for my dad anyway. -That's not true.

I don't know, Nance. Is that such a bad thing?

There's insurance and benefits and all that adult stuff.

And if I took it, you know, I could be around for your senior year.

-Steve... -Just to look after you a little bit.

Make sure you don't forget about this pretty face.

[chuckles]

Nance, I'm serious.

-I love you. -I love you, too.

[car engine revving]

[tires screeching]

Who is that?

I have no idea.

But would you check out that ass?

Just look at it go.

[giggles]

[bell ringing]

Meet the human brain.

I know. I know, it doesn't look like much.

A little gross even, right? But consider this.

There are a hundred billion cells inside of this miracle of evolution.

All working as one.

No, no, I did not misspeak. I did not stutter.

A hundred billion.

-[door closes] -Ah, this must be our new student.

[principal] Indeed. All yours.

All right. Hold up. You don't get away that easy.

Come on up. Don't be shy.

Dustin, drum roll.

Class, please welcome, all the way from sunny California,

the latest passenger to join us on our curiosity voyage, Maxine.

-It's Max. -[Mr. Clarke] Sorry?

Nobody calls me Maxine. It's Max.

-[whispers] Mad Max. -Well, all aboard, Max.

-Hey, there. -Hey.

Do you have these in any other colors? I'm not a big fan of orange.

Hmm...

I'll have to check in back.

Oh, shit!

-You're gonna get me fired. -That's my master plan.

Get you fired so I can hire you and we won't have to hide back here.

Bob? Bob, I have to get back to work.

I know. I'm sorry. I can't stop thinking about you.

-It's crazy. I feel like a teenager. -Me, too.

You know, in high school, you didn't know who I was.

Come on. [chuckles]

Bob, I have to get back to work.

Okay.

Go sell your electronic thingamajiggies, and I'll see you tonight for movie night.

Jonathan's night to pick?

-Yes. -Okay.

-Okay. Okay. -Okay.

Hey, look, a green one.

Tell Jonathan not to pick anything scary. I hate scary movies.

[Hopper] You're saying this was fine yesterday?

[Merrill] Fine?

These were prize winners, Chief. You should've seen 'em.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what happened.

And then I remembered... Eugene.

What about him?

He's been complaining about me to just about anyone who'll listen.

Why's that?

Well, he started this "Pick Your Pumpkin" thing.

Acted like it was trademarked.

I said, "Hire yourself a damn lawyer. See how far that gets you."

You're telling me that nice old Eugene

came out here after dark and doused your field with poison?

Not Eugene himself.

-I'm thinking one of his field hands. -Uh-huh.

Listen, Chief, I don't go throwing around accusations lightly. You know me.

This happening the day before Halloween, when sales are peaking?

That's a hell of a coincidence.

-Hell of a coincidence. -[flies buzzing]

You got somebody working on that field?

[rustling]

[rustling continues]

-[screeching] -[yells]

-[panting] -[caws]

Yeah, screw you, too.

[Tina] Hey. Be there.

-Hey, Nancy. -Hey! Thanks.

-Oh, could I get one more? -Yeah, sure.

You're coming to this.

"Come and get sheet faced."

No, I'm not.

I can't let you sit all alone Halloween. That's just not acceptable.

Well, you can relax. I'm not gonna be alone.

I'm going trick-or-treating with Will.

-All night? -Yeah.

No, no way. You're gonna be home by 8:00,

listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something.

Sounds like a nice night.

Jonathan, just come. I mean, who knows, you might even, like, meet someone.

-[shrieks] -[chuckles]

-Oh, my God! Take those stupid things off. -I missed you.

-It's been like an hour. -Tell me about it.

Okay. Okay, okay. God.

[Steve] Sorry.

-[Mike] There's no way that's Mad Max. -Yeah. Girls don't play video games.

And even if they did, you can't get 750,000 points on Dig Dug.

-It's impossible. -[Lucas] But her name is Max.

-So what? -So, how many Maxes do you know?

-I don't know. -[Lucas] Zero. That's how many.

She shows up at school

the day after someone with her same name breaks our top score.

-I mean, you kidding me? -Exactly. So she's gotta be Mad Max.

And plus she skateboards, so she's pretty awesome.

Awesome? You haven't even spoken a word to her.

I don't have to. I mean, look at her. Shit, I've lost the target.

Oh! There.

Got it. There we go.

[all] "Stop spying on me, creeps."

Well, shit.

[principal] William Byers.

Your mother's here.

[Dustin] You guys think he's okay?

[Lucas] He's always weird when he has to go in.

I don't know. He's quiet today.

He's always quiet.

You feeling any better?

Will?

Huh? [mumbles]

Yeah. Yeah, sorry.

Hey. What did we talk about, huh? You've got to stop it with the sorries.

Sorry. I mean, yeah, I know.

And listen, you know, there's nothing to be nervous about, you know.

Just tell 'em what you felt last night and what you saw.

Hey, I'm gonna be there the whole time. So it's gonna be okay. Okay?

Okay.

-Hey, buddy. -Hey.

Hey.

[clatters]

[whirring]

Sir Will, how are you?

Mom. Pop.

Let's take a look, see what's going on here.

I see you shaved off a pound since we saw you last.

Must be making room for all that Halloween candy.

What's your favorite candy?

Desert island candy, if you had to pick one?

-I don't know. -Come on.

Life or death situation, what would you pick?

-I guess... Reese's Pieces. -[mouthing] Reese's Pieces.

Good call. Good call.

I'm more of a Mounds guy,

but I gotta say, peanut butter and chocolate, come on, hard to beat that.

All right, tell me what's going on with you.

Tell me about this episode you had.

[Will] Well, my friends were there and then they just weren't,

and I was back there again.

In the Upside Down?

All right, so what happened next?

I heard this noise, and so I went outside, and it was worse.

How was it worse?

There was this storm.

[thunder crashing]

Okay. So how did you feel when you saw the storm?

I felt...

frozen.

-Heart racing? -Just frozen.

Frozen, cold frozen? Frozen to the touch?

No. Like how you feel when you're scared,

and you can't breathe or talk or do anything.

I felt... felt this evil, like it was looking at me.

It was evil?

Well... [clears throat] What do you think the evil wanted?

To kill.

[whirring rapidly]

To kill you?

Not me.

Everyone else.

[Owens] All right, I'm gonna be honest with you.

It's probably gonna get worse before it gets better.

Worse? He's already had two episodes this month.

He'll likely have more before the month is out.

It's called the Anniversary Effect. And we've seen this with soldiers.

The anniversary of an event brings back traumatic memories.

Sort of opens up the neurological floodgates, so to speak.

So what does this mean for the kid?

He's gonna have more episodes, nightmares?

Yeah, that. Maybe some personality changes.

He might get irritable. He might lash out.

What do we do when that happens?

Okay. Well, from what we know about post-traumatic stress...

And we're still learning, okay? Just treat him normally.

Be patient with him. Don't pressure him to talk.

Just let him lead the way.

I'm sorry, what you're saying is it's gonna get worse and worse

and we're just supposed to pretend it's not happening?

It sounds counterintuitive, I know.

But I assure you that is really the best thing you can do for him.

Listen. I understand what you went through last year. I get it.

But those people are gone. They're gone. Okay?

So if we're gonna get through this,

I just... I need you to realize I'm on your side.

I need you to trust me.

[Joyce] "Trust me"?

-Are you kidding me? -[Hopper] Yeah, I know.

But, you know, university gives out a degree, this guy's got it.

And look, that post-traumatic stuff he's talking about, that stuff is real.

He's gonna be okay. All right?

How's Bob the Brain?

Don't call him that.

Sorry. Old habit.

He's good. We're good.

Good. I'm happy for you.

Really. Hey...

Things get worse, you call me first.

You call me.

Okay.

They're ready for you, sir.

-Patty. -Sam.

Afternoon, sir.

-Looks like another hot one today, huh? -Never gets old, sir.

[screeching]

[Dustin] Still no sign?

[Lucas] Jack shit.

-Oh! Damn it. My mom's gonna murder me. -So go home. I'll radio if she comes.

Oh, yeah, nice try. You just want me out of here so you can make your move.

-Oh, 'cause you're such a threat. -That's right.

She will not be able to resist these pearls.

[purrs]

-Ten o'clock. Ten o'clock. -What?

[indistinct arguing]

-They're arguing. They're arguing. -Oh, my God.

I see that. I don't even know why you need those.

God. You're so stupid.

[video game chiming]

She's incredible.

She's...

[both] Mad Max.

After dinner, I want you to pick out your toys for the yard sale.

-Fine. -Two boxes' worth.

-Two boxes? -You heard me.

I'm fine with you giving away a couple,

but the other ones have way too much emotional value.

-Emotional value? -They're hunks of plastic, Michael.

You already took away my Atari.

Didn't wanna lose more toys, you shouldn't have stolen from Nancy.

I didn't steal. I borrowed.

Oh, and you didn't curse out Mr. Kowalski last week either, right?

Or plagiarize that essay? Or graffiti the bathroom stall?

Everyone graffitis the bathroom stall.

So if your friend jumps off a cliff, you're gonna jump, too?

We know you've had a hard year, Michael. But we've been patient.

This isn't strike one. This isn't even strike three.

It's strike 20. You're on the bench, son.

And if it'd been my coach, you'd be lucky to still be on the team.

Two boxes. Two.

[Steve] Okay. Ready?

Yeah.

[sighs] Okay.

[doorbell rings]

[Marsha] I'm so sorry I didn't get to cook.

I was gonna make that baked ziti you guys like so much,

but I just forgot about the time, and before you know it,

"Oh, my God, it's five o'clock."

-It's fine. It's great. -Right. I love KFC.

So, I noticed a "For Sale" sign out in your yard.

Is that the neighbors', or...

-You wanna tell them? -Go ahead.

We hired a man named Murray Bauman. Have either of you heard of him?

-No. -No, I don't think so.

He was an investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

He's pretty well known.

Anyway, he's freelance now, and he agreed to take the case.

That's... That's great.

No, that's really... That's great, right?

Um, what exactly does that mean?

Means he's gonna do what that lazy son of a bitch Jim Hop--

Sorry.

[exhales]

What the Hawkins police haven't been capable of doing.

Means we have a real detective on the case.

It means...

we're going to find our Barb.

If anyone can find her, it's this man.

He already has leads. By God, he's worth every last penny.

Is that why you're selling the house?

Don't worry about us, sweetie. We're fine.

More than fine.

For the first time in a long time, we're hopeful.

[stammers] Excuse me. I'll be right back.

-It's finger-lickin' good. -Mmm.

[breathing heavily]

[crying]

[toy screeches]

El, are you there? El?

[static crackling]

It's me. It's Mike.

It's day 352, 7:40 p.m.

I'm still here.

If you're out there, say something. Or give me a sign.

I won't even say anything. Just... I wanna know if you're okay.

[static crackling]

I'm so stupid.

[distorted voice] Mike.

-[Dustin over walkie-talkie] Mike? -Hello, is that you?

Yeah, it's me, Dustin. What're you doing on this channel again?

I've been trying to reach you all day. We were right. Max is Mad Max.

-Yeah, I'm busy. -But--

-[Lucas] What do we do now? -We stick to the plan.

Mike's not gonna like it.

Last time I checked, our party is not a dictatorship.

-It's a democracy. -What if Max says no?

How can Max say no to these? [purrs]

I told you to stop that.

-I'll see you tomorrow. -Later.

[chirping]

Mews!

Mews.

[crashing]

-Stop. Stop! -[Bob] What?

Come on, you gotta get used to it. This is the future.

Well, put the future down and get me a clean bowl.

[knocking on door]

Hey, bud. I didn't know what you'd like, so I got a variety.

-Take your pick. -Whatever you want.

All right.

What are you working on?

Zombie Boy? Who's Zombie Boy?

-Me. -Did someone call you that?

Hey. You can talk to me. You know that, right?

Whatever happened. Will, come on, talk to me.

-Stop treating me like that. -What? Like what?

Like everyone else. Like there's something wrong with me.

What are you talking about?

Mom, Dustin, Lucas. Everyone.

They all treat me like I'm gonna break.

Like I'm a baby. Like I can't handle things on my own.

It doesn't help. It just makes me feel like more of a freak.

-You're not a freak. -Yeah, I am.

I am.

You know what? You're right.

You are a freak.

-What? -No, I'm serious. You're a freak.

But what? Do you wanna be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else?

Being a freak is the best. I'm a freak.

Is that why you don't have any friends?

[chuckles] I have friends, Will.

Then why are you always hanging out with me?

Because you're my best friend, all right?

And I would rather be best friends with Zombie Boy than with a boring nobody.

You know what I mean?

Okay, look...

Who would you rather be friends with? Bowie or Kenny Rogers?

Ugh.

Exactly. It's no contest.

The thing is, nobody normal

ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world.

-You got it? -Well...

-some people like Kenny Rogers. -Kenny Rogers.

I love Kenny Rogers. [chuckles]

-What's so funny? -Nothing.

Mr. Mom. [whoops] Perfect!

[both chuckle]

Where's Mommy keep the extra diapers?

[Bob and Joyce laugh]

[Jack] Hey! Cowards.

[both laugh]

[phone ringing]

Hey.

-It's okay. Let it go. -[phone continues ringing]

Probably just a crank call.

-Okay. -[Jack] Holy mackerel!

-Let it go. -[Jack] Aw, man!

[Bob laughs]

[phone continues ringing]

[thudding]

[upbeat music playing]

[machine beeping]

[alarm blaring]

[urinating]

[rumbling in distance]

[rumbling intensifies]

[thunder crashing]

[door creaking]

[breathing shakily]

[lightning crackling]

[rhythmic knocking]

[door unlocks]

[indistinct conversation over TV]

Hey, what'd we talk about?

[female voice] No signal.

-What? -[female voice] No signal.

It's 8-1-5. You're late.

Yeah, I lost track of time. I'll signal next time, all right?

Uh, and it's 8:15. It's not 8-1-5.

Eight-fifteen.

Now, what did we talk about?

Dinner first, then dessert. Always.

That's a rule.

Yeah?

Yes.

[theme music playing]

[Eleven echoing] Goodbye, Mike.

[yelling]

[screeching]

[coughs]

[groans]

Mike?

Mike?

[breathing heavily]

Mike? Mike!

[screaming] Mike!

Mike!

[whimpers]

[soldiers shouting indistinctly]

[muffled explosion]

[soldier 1] Bravo team, check in.

[Eleven breathing heavily]

[soldiers conversing indistinctly]

[grunts]

[panting]

[Karen] What about the Russians? What if they come looking for her?

They don't know where she is.

And she can't contact you without us knowing.

[man] The most important thing is for you to try to go on with your lives

-and to keep all of this-- -Top secret. Yeah.

Understood. We're all patriots in this house.

-[woman] Go back to the beginning. -[Mike] I told you everything.

-I understand this is difficult, Michael. -I don't know where she is.

And even if I did, I'd never tell you.

I would never tell you.

[woman] I know it's difficult to accept,

the stories she told you were not true.

She's a very dangerous individual.

[man] If she contacts you, you must tell us.

[woman] Otherwise, you're putting yourself and your entire family at risk.

Do you understand, Michael? Do you understand?

[man] Michael?

Michael?

[man] Fan out.

Somebody check the left side, I'll check the right side.

[helicopter blades whirring]

[men shouting indistinctly]

[theme music playing]

[Hopper] Oh, Jesus!

[Eleven] Ghost.

Yeah, I see that.

-[Eleven] Halloween. -Sure is.

But right now, it's breakfast, okay? Come on, let's eat.

They wouldn't see me.

-Who wouldn’t see you? -The bad men.

What are you talking about?

Trick or treat.

You want to go trick-or-treating?

You know the rules.

-Yes, but-- -Yeah, so you know the answer.

-No, but they wouldn't see me. -No. Hey. I don't care.

-But they wouldn’t see me. -I don't care, all right?

You go out there, ghost or not, it's a risk.

We don't take risks. All right?

They're stupid, and...

We're not stupid!

Exactly.

Now, you take that off, sit down and eat. Your food's getting cold.

[sighs] All right, look...

How about I get off early tonight, and I buy us a bunch of candy,

and we can sit around and get fat, and we watch a scary movie together?

How's that for a compromise?

[stutters] "Compromise"?

C-O-M-promise. Compromise.

How about that's your word for the day? Yeah?

It's something that's kinda in-between. It's like halfway happy.

By 5-1-5?

5:15. Yeah, sure.

Promise?

Yes.

I promise.

Halfway happy.

[chuckles]

Will?

Come on, honey, up and at 'em.

Will?

-Jonathan? -Yeah?

Where's Will?

-What? -Where's Will?

-He's not in his room? -No.

Uh...

Will?

What are you doing?

Peeing?

[chuckles] Okay.

[toilet flushes]

Okay.

-Let's get this... on. -[grunts]

Oh!

You need some tape. Hold on.

What's this?

Nothing.

Did you have another episode?

No, it's just, um... a sketch for a story I'm writing.

[Joyce sighs] All right.

[Jonathan] Three, two, one...

-["Ghostbusters" playing] -Great. Hold up the proton blaster.

All right, now turn to the light.

Oh! I want to see those pearls. Yeah!

-[meows] -Who you gonna call?

[scatting]

[laughs] Oh!

Adorable, baby. Just adorable!

-God. You are such a nerd. -Shut up.

No wonder you only hang out with boys.

-Erica! -Just the facts.

[mouthing] Nerd.

[Mrs. Sinclair] My God, I love this costume. Keep it up.

-[Mike] All right, that's the last one. -No, just one more. Come on, please?

Ah!

-Can I go to school? -Wait, wait.

-Okay, say, "Who you gonna call?" -No!

[all singing "Ghostbusters"]

-♪ Who you gonna call? ♪ -♪ Ghostbusters! ♪

Hey, Spengler!

-Egon! Yeah! -Venkman!

Whoa! Whoa!

-What? -Why are you Venkman?

-Because I'm Venkman. -No, I'm Venkman.

Why can't there be two Venkmans?

Because there's only one Venkman in real life. We planned this months ago.

I'm Venkman, Dustin's Stantz, you're Egon, and you're Winston.

-I specifically didn't agree to Winston. -Yes, you did!

-I don't think he did. -No one wants to be Winston, man.

What's wrong with Winston?

What's wrong with Winston? He joined the team super late,

he's not funny, and he's not even a scientist!

-Yeah, but he's still cool. -If he's cool, then you be Winston.

-I can't! -Why not?

-[stutters] Because... -[mocking Mike] Because you're not black?

-I didn't say that! -You thought it.

-I didn't say that! -Mike!

Guys... Guys! Guys!

Why is no one else wearing costumes?

[school bell ringing]

Crap.

-[students laughing] -[student] Oh, my God!

When do people make these decisions?

[Will] Everyone dressed up last year.

-It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you. -Just be cool.

[boy] Who you gonna call? The nerds!

-We gonna do this? -Not right now. We look like morons.

[Dustin] Maybe she likes Ghostbusters?

Of course she likes Ghostbusters, but that's not the point.

The point is we're dressed up and she isn't.

[Dustin] I didn't bring regular clothes. You?

[Lucas] No.

Then we have no choice. We gotta do this. It's now or never.

-Right. [sniffs] -Let's engage.

We could ask her after class.

-Yup. -Okay.

[Joyce] See? It's an exact match.

-But... why would he lie to me? -[inhales deeply] He's a kid, Joyce.

I mean, you heard him describe these episodes.

It's not like he's describing a nightmare. He talks about them like they're real.

Yeah, because they're not nightmares, they're flashbacks.

I know a couple guys who have had these things,

and it feels like you're there, like it's happening.

-Then what the hell is this? -Owens said it would get worse.

-That place... -What do you wanna do?

You wanna take him back to Chicago?

Well, there's that guy in Boston that's supposed to be--

They're all a bunch of quacks.

They'll all tell you the same thing, just cost you more money.

I think he's right... about trauma. And we're coming up on a year, you know.

I think everybody's on edge. Me, you... Will most of all.

I think we just gotta get through the next few weeks.

[sighs]

[sighs]

Nothing's gonna go back to the way that it was.

Not really.

But it'll get better.

In time.

[sighs heavily]

[Joyce mumbles]

-Here. -Thank you.

-[chokes and coughs] -[chuckles]

Jesus! Hopper...

Brings me back to old times.

What?

-[sighs] Sharing my cigarettes between... -Fifth and sixth period.

Yeah, under the steps.

Mr. Cooper caught us that time, remember?

He was like, [gruffly] "Hey, assholes."

We ran. We just ran.

[chuckles]

God, I want this to be over.

I know.

[Joyce sniffles]

[beeps]

[static crackling]

How's it looking out there, cowboy?

[man] Uh, you know, Doc. The usual.

Nice and nasty with a chance of radioactivity.

Oh, yeah, it's barbecued all right. Anyone hungry?

[technician] And...

[beeping]

...we're back on!

[cheering and applauding]

[Will] There was this storm.

[Owens] Okay. So how did you feel when you saw the storm?

[Will] I felt frozen.

[Owens] Actually frozen? Cold?

[Will] No, like how you feel when you're scared,

and you can't breathe or talk or do anything.

I felt... I felt this evil--

[Barbara echoing] Nancy, this isn't you.

[Nancy] Barb, just go ahead and go home, okay?

[Barbara] Nancy?

Nancy!

Nancy.

What's going on? Are you okay?

-I can't keep doing this. -Doing what?

-Pretending like everything's okay. -What are you talking about?

Barbara.

It's like everyone forgot.

It's like nobody cares. Except her parents.

-And now they're selling their house. -Nance--

And they're going to spend the rest of their lives looking for her.

-I know. -It's destroying them.

I know. Okay? I get it. But listen, there's nothing we can do about it.

Yeah, we could tell them the truth.

-Well, you know that we can't do that. -We don't have to tell them everything.

This isn't some game, Nance. If they found out that we told any...

They could put us in jail. Okay? Or worse, they could destroy our families.

They could do anything they want. Okay? Just think about what you're saying.

Hey...

Hey, hey...

Hey, it's... [sighs]

It's hard, but let's...

let's just go to Tina's stupid party...

wear our stupid costumes

that we've been working on for a stupid amount of time,

and just pretend like we're stupid teenagers, okay?

Can we just do that, just for tonight?

Okay.

Come here.

[Nancy sighs]

[ringing]

[Dustin clears throat] Um...

Hi, Max. I'm Dustin, and this is--

-Lucas. -Yeah, I know.

The stalkers.

[stutters] Uh, no. Actually...

We weren't stalking you.

No, we were just concerned because, you know, you're new and all.

Yeah, for your safety.

Mmm-hmm. There are a lot of bullies here.

-[stuttering] So many bullies, it's crazy. -Yeah.

-Is that why you're wearing proton packs? -Well, these don't function. But...

I do have this handy-dandy little trap here.

And look, it even opens and closes. Look, look, look...

Voilà! [chuckles]

It's cool, right?

No? Okay. But, um...

So, we were talking last night, and you're new here,

so you probably don't have any friends to take you trick-or-treating,

and you're scared of bullies, so we were thinking

that it would be okay if you come with us.

-"It'd be okay"? -Yeah. Our party's a democracy,

the majority voted you could come.

Didn't realize it was such an honor to go trick-or-treating with you.

We know where to get the full-sized candy bars.

We figured you'd want in.

That's presumptuous of you.

Yeah. Totally. Uh, so, um... you'll come?

We're meeting at the Maple Street cul-de-sac at 7:00.

That's 7:00 on the dot!

"Presumptuous."

That's a good thing, right?

[sighs]

Is it bad?

Lucas, is it bad? Lucas? Son of a bitch, Lucas. Is it bad?

[woman on TV] How does it feel? Like pouring pure silk onto my skin.

[man] Inhuman. Relentless.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is... The Term--

Well, I'm stunned. I don't know what to think.

-[man] Don't you love me? -[Erica] Of course I love you.

It's just that it's so sudden. I mean, it's not like you.

Erica, I am this way because of you.

-[Erica] Me? -"Me?"

[man] Mmm-hmm.

You have made me wild and impetuous,

-just like you. -"Impetuous."

People are going to be aghast.

-"People are going to be aghast." -[man laughs] They're gonna love it.

[both laughing on TV]

I mean, it's gonna stun the whole town. The whole world!

Erica, tell me that you will marry me, in this house, tonight...

[television continues indistinctly]

[chittering]

[chittering]

[twig snaps]

Hey.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

What's your name?

What're you doing out here in the cold?

[grunts]

[tires screeching]

[flies buzzing]

So, you're telling me that Merrill poisoned your farm,

because he thinks you poisoned his, which, of course, you didn't?

No, sir. And I got me an alibi the night he accuses me.

My Jenny and her boys were in town. I was with them all night.

-Did you actually see Merrill? -No need. That man done lost his mind.

Went around slandering me, threatening all sorts of madness.

-A pumpkin conspiracy. -[chuckles]

Hawkins' very own Chinatown.

Merrill threatening to do something and him actually doing something

are two very different things.

-You got a better explanation? -Cold weather.

-It's October. -Yeah, it's a cold one.

-You see these hands? -Yeah.

-You know why they look like that? -Because you're old?

-You're damn straight. -[Powell chuckles]

And I've been doing this a long time, Chief. A long time.

And I ain't never seen anything the likes of this.

-None of us have. -None of us?

Merrill didn't just hit me last night. He hit damn near everyone.

What are you talking about?

Jack O'Dell, Pete Freeling, Rick Neary, the Christensens.

All of their crops, dead.

Give me those names again.

You're late again.

-Yeah, I had to get catch-up homework. -Jesus. I don't care.

You're late again, and you're skating home.

Do you hear me?

["Wango Tango" by Ted Nugent playing]

-[song continues on car radio] -God, this place is such a shithole.

-It's not that bad. -No?

[Billy inhales deeply] Mmm!

You smell that, Max? That's actually shit.

-Cow shit. -I don't see any cows.

Clearly, you haven't met the high-school girls.

-[scoffs] So what, you like it here now? -No.

-Then why are you defending it? -I'm not.

Sure sounds like it.

-It's just we're stuck here, so... -Hmm.

You're right. We're stuck here.

And whose fault is that?

Yours.

-What'd you say? -Nothing.

-Did you say it's my fault? -No.

You know whose fault it is.

Say it.

Max...

say it.

Say it!

["Wango Tango" continues playing]

Really, everyone dressed up last year.

Billy, slow down.

-Oh, these your new hick friends? -No! I don't know them.

I guess you won't care if I hit 'em, then?

I get bonus points, I get 'em all in one go?

No, Billy, stop. It's not funny.

[revving]

Hey, guys?

Billy, come on, stop it. It's not funny. Stop!

-Go! -Mike, you need to haul ass!

-Billy, stop it! -[tires screeches]

[Dustin] Whoa! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

Yeah! That was a close one, huh?

[Billy laughs]

[Dustin] Holy shit!

Was that...

Mad Max.

["Wango Tango" continues playing]

[wind chimes rattling]

[flies buzzing]

Now, you tryin' to tell me, with a straight face, cold did this?

How far does it go?

[Powell over radio] Hey, Chief, you copy?

[Hopper] Uh...

Hey, Chief.

[Hopper] How's it looking over there?

Like a giant pissed all over Jack's bean field.

Smells, too. It smell over there?

Uh, yeah, little bit.

[grunts] Smells like a nursing home, man.

Listen. I want you guys to track the rot, see how far it goes.

Just, uh, mark anything that's dead.

-That's gonna take some time. -So take it.

And, look, we don't know what caused this. Could be poison.

So don't touch anything without gloves.

[sniffs]

Copy that, Chief.

[sighs]

You got any marking flags?

So you hit "T" to zoom in, and "W" zooms back out.

See? Easy-peasy.

Just make sure to turn off the power to save energy there.

Listen. Stay close to your brother, okay?

And listen, listen, listen...

If you get a bad feeling or anything, you tell him to take you straight home.

-You promise? -Okay.

-Are you ready, bud? -Yeah.

Be safe.

[imitating Dracula] I hope it doesn't suck!

-[snickers] -[chuckles]

[Jonathan] I just don't get what she sees in him.

What?

Bob.

At least he doesn't treat me different.

I mean, I can't even go trick-or-treating by myself. It's lame.

What? You think I'm lame?

No, but it's not like Nancy's coming to watch over Mike, you know?

[sighs]

[Dustin] Will! Hey!

[car horn honks]

[Dustin] Hey, don't cross the streams. Don't cross the streams!

[sighs]

Hey, listen.

Yeah?

If I let you go on your own, you promise to stay in the neighborhood?

-Yeah! Yeah, yeah, totally. -And be back at Mike's by 9:00.

-9:30? -9:00.

-Yeah. -Deal?

-Yeah, deal. -All right.

Hey, Will. Don't let any of your spazzy friends use this, all right?

Okay.

[imitating Dracula] I hope it doesn't suck.

[Will chuckles]

[Lucas] Will!

-Egon! -Yeah! You ready for tonight, man?

Awesome!

["Shout at the Devil" by Mötley Crüe playing]

[all] ...thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two!

[all cheering loudly]

-Yeah! -Forty-two!

We got ourselves a new Keg King!

-[chanting] Billy! Billy! Billy! -That's how you do it, Hawkins!

Billy! Billy! Billy!

[chanting continues]

We got ourselves a new Keg King, Harrington.

-Yeah, that's right! -Yeah. Eat it, Harrington.

What's in this?

Pure fuel! Pure fuel!

Whoo!

[burps]

[glasses shattering]

Hey... Whoa, whoa! Hey... Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy.

Take it easy. Nance, Nance, Nance...

We're just being stupid teenagers for the night. Wasn't that the deal?

["Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers playing]

[chuckles] Yeah.

[Joyce chuckling]

-No. No, no. -Come on. Yes.

-Yes. Yes. Yes. Come on. -No. No. No. [laughing]

Oh, there it is. [chuckles]

You playing Frankenstein to my Dracula?

-Come on, you're stiff as a board. Relax. -I'm sorry. It's...

He's fine. Okay? Jonathan's with him.

[sighs] I know.

It's just every time he's away from me, it's like I can't function.

-I know it sounds silly. -No, it's not silly. It's not silly.

What if we were to move out of Hawkins... together?

-What? -I know.

Whoa, Nellie, right? No, I just...

I've been thinking about what you said.

About how we've got all these memories here,

and you wish you had enough money to move.

Well, my parents are selling their house in Maine.

There's a RadioShack nearby. I'm sure they'd take me on.

We could just...

-My turn to be silly now. -[sighs] Bob...

No, it's fine. Wine makes me crazy.

Oh, it's just so hard to explain.

It's just this... This is not a normal family.

It could be.

It could be.

♪ Everything is nothing If you got no one ♪

♪ And you just walk in the night ♪

-♪ Slowly losing sight of the real thing ♪ -[doorbell rings]

[knocking on door]

Finally.

Huh?

[imitates Dracula] Victims.

[knocking and ringing continues]

[all] Trick or treat!

[chuckles] Oh!

Well, aren't you cute? The little exterminators.

[Lucas sighs] If I get another 3 Musketeers, I'm gonna kill myself.

-What's wrong with 3 Musketeers? -"What's wrong with 3 Musketeers?"

-No one likes 3 Musketeers. -Yeah, it's just nougat.

Whoa. "Just nougat"?

Just nougat? It is top three for me.

-Top three? -Top three!

Oh, God. Give me a break.

Seriously, I can just eat a whole bowl of nougat. Straight up.

-[growling] -[boys scream]

[Lucas squeals]

[chuckling]

Holy shit! You should have seen the look on your faces.

And you? Who screams like that? You sound like a little girl.

Hey, you guys coming or not? Oh, I heard we should hit up Loch Nora.

That's where the rich people live, right? [chuckles]

[both] Yeah!

[sighs]

-[gunshots] -[Hopper gasps and sighs]

You're dead.

Yeah, you got me, kid.

[toy gun firing]

-[kid chuckles] -Happy Halloween.

Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

[groans]

Hey, kid. Give me some of that candy, would you?

No way.

All right. How about now?

Who are you? I'm Maria.

Will you play with me?

Would you like one of my flowers?

[beeping]

L...

A...

T...

E.

Late.

[continues beeping]

["Monster Mash" playing]

♪ He did the mash ♪

-♪ He did the monster mash ♪ -♪ The monster mash ♪

-♪ It was a graveyard smash ♪ -♪ He did the mash... ♪

Another full-size. Like, seriously, rich people are such suckers.

-Wait. You're not rich, right? -No, I live up Old Cherry Road.

Oh.

No, it's fine. I mean, the street's good for skating.

[Dustin] Hmm.

Yeah, totally tubular.

What? Did I say that right? Or is it, like, tubular.

It's, like, [imitates surfer] totally tubular.

-Totally tubular! -What a gnarly wave, dude.

-Totally brodacious, bro! -[Max] Stop. My ears are hurting.

[Dustin and Lucas continue indistinctly]

-Did you agree to this? -What?

To her joining our party.

-It's just for Halloween. -You should have checked with me.

Well, they were excited. I guess I thought you'd be okay with it.

She's ruining the best night of the year.

-Watch it, Zombie Boy. -[gasps]

Trick or treat, freak.

-Boo! -[gasps]

[ambient rumbling]

[echoing] Mike?

Mike?

Mike!

[chittering]

[chittering continues]

[ominous loud rumbling]

[loud growling]

[breathing heavily]

-[Mike] Will! -[screams]

-Will, what's wrong? -[breathing heavily]

I couldn't find you. Are you hurt?

Holy shit!

-[Lucas] Is he okay? -I don't know.

I'm gonna get you home, okay? I'm gonna get you home. Hold on.

-All right, take it easy. -I got him.

Mike?

Keep trick-or-treating. I'm bored anyways.

What's wrong with him?

["Girls on Film" by Duran Duran playing]

[retching]

["Girls on Film" continues playing]

[girl] Nice costume.

-Huh? -Nice costume.

Oh, uh, yeah. I'm going as a guy who hates parties.

[chuckles]

-I'm Samantha. -Uh, Jonathan.

Kiss?

The band.

[chuckles]

-No, no, no. -Get off.

-No, you've had enough, okay? -Screw you!

Nance, I'm serious. Hey. Hey. Hey. Stop. No, I'm serious.

-Put it down. -No!

-Nance, put it down. -Steve! Stop.

-Stop. Stop. -[gasps]

[all exclaim]

What the hell?

Nance.

Nance, I'm sorry.

-That's not coming off, Nance. -It's coming.

Come on. Let me just take you home, okay? Come here.

-Let me take you home. Come on. -[slurring] You wanted this.

No, I didn't want this. I told you to stop drinking.

-It's bullshit. Bullshit. -No, it's not bullshit. Okay?

-No, it's not bullshit, Nancy. -No, you. You're bullshit.

[stammers] What?

You're pretending like everything is okay.

You know, like we didn't... like we didn't kill Barb.

Like, it's great. Like, we're in love and we're partying.

Yeah, let's party, huh? Party. We're partying.

This is bullshit.

"Like we're in love"?

[Steve shudders]

It's bullshit.

You don't love me?

It's bullshit.

[sighs]

[Will] It's like... like I'm stuck.

[Mike] Like, like, stuck in the Upside Down?

[Will sighs] No.

You know on a View-Master, when it gets, like...

-Caught between two slides? -Yeah. Like that.

Like one side's our world, and the other...

The other slide is the Upside Down.

And...

And there was this noise coming from everywhere.

And then I saw something.

-The Demogorgon? -No.

It was like this huge shadow in the sky.

Only, it was alive.

And it was coming for me.

Is this all real?

Or is it like the doctors say, all in your head?

I don't know. Just...

Just please don't tell the others, okay?

They won't understand.

Eleven would.

She would?

Yeah.

She always did.

Sometimes I feel like I still see her.

Like she's still around, but she never is.

I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy.

Me, too.

Hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right?

[chuckles] Yeah. Crazy together.

[chuckles softly]

[Nancy exhales]

[sighs]

Jonathan?

[knocking rhythmically]

Hey, kid. Open up, all right? Look, I know I'm late.

I got candy here, all right? I got all the good stuff.

Please, will you open the door? I'm gonna freeze to death out here.

[breathing heavily]

[TV playing in distance]

Hey, kid. Open up, would you?

I got, uh... stuck somewhere, and I lost track of time.

And I'm sorry.

El, would you please open the door?

El?

[sighs]

All right.

I'm just gonna be out here by myself, eating all this candy.

I'm gonna get fat.

It's very unhealthy to leave me out here.

Could have a heart attack or something.

But, you know, you do what you want.

[announcer on TV] One quarter pound of all-American beef,

fresh-cut tomato, and four strips of crispy bacon.

[man and woman] Did somebody say bacon?

-[switches channels] -[man] Refreshing lemon--

[woman] ...and they're perfect for dunking. Mmm!

[voices echoing]

[Mike echoing] It's day 353.

I had a bad day today. I don't know. I...

I guess I wish you were here.

I mean, we all do.

If you're out there, just please give me a sign.

Mike.

Eleven?

[sobbing]

[Dustin] Tubular.

Tubular.

Tubular.

[chirping and growling]

Mews, is that--

[loud thud]

[noise continues]

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

[screams]

[chittering]

Holy sh--

["Ghostbusters" playing]

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ If there's something strange In your neighborhood ♪

♪ Who you gonna call? ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ If there's something weird And it don't look good ♪

♪ Who you gonna call? ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ I ain't afraid of no ghost ♪

♪ I ain't afraid of no ghost ♪

♪ If you're seeing things Running through your head ♪

♪ Who can you call? ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ An invisible man Sleeping in your bed ♪

♪ Oh! Who you gonna call? ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ I ain't afraid of no ghost ♪

♪ I ain't afraid of no ghost ♪

♪ Don't get caught alone Oh, no ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ When it comes through your door ♪

♪ Unless you just want some more ♪

♪ I think you better call ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

♪ Who you gonna call? ♪

♪ Ghostbusters ♪

[Claudia] Dusty!

Dusty, how was it?

[stammers] How was what?

"How was what?" The greatest night of the year, of course.

Oh. Oh, yeah, it was... It was, uh, tubular.

-What's wrong with you? -Nothing.

-Did something happen? -No. What? No.

Are you constipated again?

No. Mom!

Okay, you're acting weird.

-I am not acting weird! -[thudding]

-Whoa! -Ah!

-[laughing nervously] -[hissing]

Awesome, right? Yeah... I rigged the trap with, uh,

a motor to make it look like I caught a ghost.

Just like the movie.

-[laughs nervously] Oh, Dusty. -[laughs] Yeah.

[both laughing]

Funny. Look at that. Look at that.

I told you to keep quiet.

All you had to do was stay still for one minute.

One minute.

Sorry, Yertle.

Temporary eviction, buddy.

[chittering]

What are you, little guy?

What were you doing in my trash?

You hungry?

Nougat.

-Go on, eat. -[screeches]

Too hot?

Sorry about that, little guy.

[chuckles]

You like nougat, too, huh?

You're pretty cute, you know that?

I'm glad I found you. [chuckles]

D'Artagnan.

I'm gonna call you d'Artagnan.

[d'Artagnan chittering]

[screeches]

[theme music playing]

[footsteps approaching]

[Hopper] Rise and shine.

So that's it, huh? You're still not talking?

All right.

I guess I'm just gonna have to, uh...

enjoy this triple-decker Eggo extravaganza on my own.

[Hopper grunts]

Mmm!

Mmm!

Good, right?

Know the great thing about it? It's only 8,000 calories.

[sniffles]

You visited him again last night?

He says he needs me.

Want me to go check on him?

I know that you miss him, all right?

But it's too dangerous.

You're the last thing he needs right now.

You're gonna see him. Soon.

And not just in that head of yours. You're gonna see him in real life.

I feel like I'm making progress with these people.

Friends don't lie.

What?

You say "soon" on day 21.

You say "soon" on day 205.

-You now say "soon" on day 326? -What is this?

You're counting the days now like you're some kind of prisoner?

When is "soon"?

"Soon" is when...

it's not dangerous anymore.

When?

-I don't know. -On day 500?

-I don't know. -On day 600?

-I don't know. -Day 700?

-On day 800? -No!

-I need to see him. Tell me! -I said I--

Oh! Shit! Shit!

Friends don't lie!

Jesus. Have you seen them?

-We're looking, Mom. -Yeah, we're... we're looking.

-[Bob] A-ha! Found 'em. [chuckles] -[Joyce] Oh!

Hiding under some jeans, sneaky little buggers.

Thank you. Thank you. You're a life saver.

Can you take Will to school today? I cannot be late again.

-He's staying over now? -Can you just take Will, please?

I can take him.

-Will you make sure he gets in okay? -Yeah, of course.

What do you say, big guy? Wanna go for a ride in the Bobmobile?

Mr. Henderson, you know the rules. Five at a time.

Yep.

One, two, three, four and five.

Ten.

You already have five books checked out.

My mistake.

However...

I am on a curiosity voyage, and I need my paddles to travel.

These books...

These books are my paddles.

Five at a time.

-Are you shitting me? -Excuse me?

What the hell is...

-Mr. Henderson! -I need my paddles!

Was that you I heard milling around last night, or was that a ghost?

Yeah. Me, probably.

-Another nightmare? -Um... no.

Did I ever tell you about Mr. Baldo?

-Mr. Baldo? -Yeah.

I was a little younger than you,

standing in line for the Ferris wheel at the Roane County fair.

-Mmm-hmm. -And suddenly,

I feel this fat white glove tap me on the shoulder.

I spin around, and there he is.

Mr. Baldo.

[imitating clown] "Hey, kiddo, would you like a balloon?"

[chuckles] Go ahead, laugh. It's funny.

It wasn't funny back then, I can tell you that.

I couldn't get him out of my head.

Every night, he would come to me in my dreams.

And every night when he came to me...

I ran.

[sighs] It got so bad that I made my mom stay in the room with me

until I could fall asleep every night.

-Really? -Really.

It went on like that for months.

And then one day, the nightmares suddenly stopped.

-Wanna know how? -How?

Well, I fell asleep...

and just like always, Mr. Baldo came to me.

Only this time, I didn't run.

This time, I stood my ground.

I just looked at Mr. Baldo

in his stupid face, and I said, "Go away. Go away!"

Just like that, he was gone.

Never saw him again.

Easy-peasy, right?

Easy-peasy.

Just like that.

I still don't get why they call him zombie boy.

I mean, I get it. He got lost in the woods for a week or something,

but why is he a zombie? Because everyone thought he was dead?

Yeah. I mean, we had a funeral for him and everything.

After a week?

Well, see, some other kid drowned at the quarry.

We thought it was Will because his body was super decomposed.

What?

Okay, that's not funny.

It's not a joke, all right? It's public knowledge.

You can ask anybody.

Except Will, because he is really sensitive about it.

All right?

Okay.

[Bob] Have a great day, kiddo.

[Mr. Clarke] The case of Phineas Gage

is one of the great medical curiosities of all time.

Phineas was a railroad worker in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident.

A large iron rod was driven completely through his head.

Phineas miraculously survived. He seemed fine.

And physically, yes, he was.

But his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality.

So much so that friends that knew him

started referring to him as "No longer Gage."

At the time, this was known as the American Crowbar Case.

Although it wasn't a--

[panting] I am so sorry, Mr. Clarke.

Really, I'm so sorry. Please continue with the class.

Don't mind me.

Really, continue, please. Thanks.

Although it wasn't a crowbar, it was a rod, as I said.

[softly] We have to meet. All of us. At lunch, AV Club.

Why?

I have something that you won't believe.

AV Club. Lunch.

-Dustin! -Yes, my lord?

-Would you care to join the class now? -Please, yes.

-The case of Phineas Gage. -Phineas Gage.

-[Mr. Clarke] Page 104. -[Dustin] 104. 104.

-[Mr. Clarke] Focus. -Focusing. Focusing.

[softly] AV Club.

And he began to curse, using terrible words

-that I don't dare repeat here. -[d'Artagnan chittering]

[Powell] And we found some more by Gilbert's farm.

[Callahan] Some real nasty stuff.

-It was sticky. -All right. Where else?

That was it, Chief.

That was it, or you get tired of looking?

-It was getting dark. -I mean, it was really dark.

They're called flashlights, you dipshits.

Oh, okay. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

[Powell] More lady problems, Chief?

Hey, Chief! Where you going?

You want us to go back out there?

-Why's he gotta kick the door? -Hey, Chief!

[sighs]

[sighs]

[Hopper] My granddad used to live here.

Long time ago.

I mainly just use it for storage now.

Lot of history here.

So, uh... what do you think?

It's a work-in-progress. You know, it's, uh...

It takes a little imagination, but, uh...

once we fix it up, it's gonna be nice.

Real nice.

This is your new home.

Home.

[Hopper sighs]

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

All right, this...

this is music.

["You Don't Mess Around with Jim" playing]

♪ Uptown got its hustlers The bowery got its bums ♪

♪ 42nd Street got Big Jim Walker ♪

All right. [claps] Let's get to work.

♪ He's a pool-shootin' son of a gun ♪

♪ Yeah, he's big and dumb As a man can come ♪

♪ But he's stronger than a country hoss ♪

♪ And when the bad folks All get together at night ♪

♪ You know they all call big Jim "boss" Just because ♪

♪ And they say You don't tug on Superman's cape ♪

♪ You don't spit into the wind ♪

♪ You don't pull the mask Off that old Lone Ranger ♪

♪ And you don't mess around with Jim ♪

[static crackling]

♪ Well, outta South Alabama Come a country boy ♪

♪ He said "I'm lookin' for a man named Jim ♪

♪ I am a pool-shootin' boy My name is Willie McCoy ♪

♪ But down home they call me Slim ♪

♪ Yeah, I'm lookin' for The king of 42nd Street ♪

♪ He drivin' a drop top Cadillac ♪

♪ Last week, he took all my money And it may sound funny ♪

♪ But I come to get my money back" ♪

♪ And everybody say, Jack, don't you know ♪

♪ You don't tug on Superman's cape You don't spit into the wind ♪

♪ You don't pull the mask Off that old Lone Ranger ♪

♪ And you don't mess around with Slim ♪

[Hopper] Give me those.

Okay.

Now, this is called a trip wire.

It's like an alarm.

You, uh, set it up like this.

And then, anybody gets close,

it's gonna make a loud noise like, uh, gunfire.

Bang! [chuckles]

Those bad men aren't gonna find ya.

All right? Not way the hell out here.

We'll take some precautions.

There's gonna be a couple ground rules.

Rule number one:

always keep the curtains drawn.

Rule number two:

only open the door if you hear my secret knock.

And rule number three:

don't ever go out alone, especially not in the daylight.

That's it. Three rules.

I call 'em the, uh...

Don't Be Stupid Rules.

'Cause we're not stupid.

Right?

Not stupid.

-[Steve grunts] -Harrington, right?

I heard you used to run this school. That true?

King Steve, they used to call you, huh?

Then you turned bitch.

Hey, maybe you should just shut up and just play the game.

Whoo!

That's what I'm talking about! Whoo!

[Nancy] Steve?

-What are you doing here? -What do you think?

Where were you this morning? I missed first period.

I figured Jonathan would take you.

Wha... What are you talking about?

[scoffs] Jesus, you really can't handle your alcohol.

Uh...

You remember going to Tina's party last night, right?

-Yes. -And then what?

I remember dancing, and...

spilling some punch.

You got mad at me because I was drunk...

-and then you took me home. -[scoffs]

No, see, that's where your mind gets a little bit fuzzy.

That was your other boyfriend. That was... That was Jonathan.

-I don't understand. -It's pretty simple, Nancy.

-You were just telling it like it is. -What?

Uh...

apparently, uh...

we killed Barb and I don't care, 'cause I'm bullshit...

and our whole... our whole relationship is bullshit, and...

I mean, pretty much everything is just bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

Oh, yeah, also, you don't love me.

I was drunk, Steve. I don't remember any of that.

So that makes everything that you said... It's what? Just bullshit, too?

-Yes. -Well, then tell me.

Tell you what?

You love me.

-Really? -[door bangs]

Harrington!

Dude, we need you, man. That douchebag's killing us. Let's go!

-All right! -Come on!

I think that you're bullshit.

[d'Artagnan chittering]

[Dustin] His name is d'Artagnan.

Cute, right?

-D'Artagnan? -Dart for short.

-And he was in your trash? -Foraging for food.

-You wanna hold him? -No, no.

-He doesn't bite. -I don't want to--

Oh, God, he's slimy!

Ugh, he's like a living booger.

Ugh, oh, God!

What is he?

My question exactly.

At first, I thought it was some type of pollywog.

-Pollywog? -It's another word for tadpole.

-A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad. -I know what a tadpole is.

All right, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic, right?

Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water.

Yeah, but aren't there nonaquatic pollywogs?

Terrestrial pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact.

Indirana semipalmata.

And the Adenomera andreae.

One's from India, one's from South America.

So how did one end up in my trash?

Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?

Do you guys see that?

Looks like something is moving inside of it.

-[screeches] -[both gasp]

[Dustin] Whoa.

It's okay. It's okay.

-I got you, little guy. -[chittering]

I know you don't like that. It's okay.

And there's another thing.

Reptiles, they're cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right?

They love heat, the sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him.

So, if he's not a pollywog or a reptile...

Then I've discovered a new species.

[bell rings]

We gotta show him to Mr. Clarke.

-What if he steals my discovery? -He's not gonna steal your discovery.

You know, I'm thinking about calling it Dustonious pollywogus.

-What do you think? -I think you're an idiot.

When I become rich and famous for this one day,

don't come crawling back, saying,

"Oh, my God, Dustin, I'm so sorry for being mean to you back in 8th grade.

Oh, my God."

-Have a nice day. -Thank you.

Baloney?

Mmm.

-Last night was fun. -Mmm-hmm.

I'm sorry if I overstepped anything.

No! No, you didn't.

Okay.

I mean...

I... I like you so much.

Not just you, everything that comes with you.

Your family, your boys.

And I hope it's not wishful thinking, but...

I kinda feel like I'm breaking through with them.

Not so much Jonathan. He's a tough cookie to crack, but...

Yeah.

With Will, I don't know, I feel like we're connecting.

He likes you, too.

-Yeah? -Mmm-hmm.

I can tell.

Good.

Oh, there was... something else I was gonna mention, but...

It's not a big deal at all, but...

I just noticed this morning that my JVC was a little dinged up.

-Your what? -The video camera.

-Oh. -Yeah.

It still works fine and everything. I just...

I went back and watched the tape...

and there were some older kids picking on Will.

-What? -They scared him.

Who were they? Were they the Zimmerman brothers again?

Um, I don't know.

They were wearing masks or sort of makeup and...

Maybe. They were the right age.

I'll kill them.

I swear to God, I will... I will kill them.

That's what I love about you. You punch back.

[chuckles] I was never really one to put up a fight.

I struggled a lot like Will when I was a kid.

With bullies.

[sighs] It's the ones like us, that don't punch back,

that people really take advantage of, you know?

They rub your nose in it, just a little bit more.

I don't know why they do that.

Maybe it makes them feel powerful.

I don't know.

But, hey, look at me now.

I get to date Joyce Byers. Ha!

-[chuckles] -Are you kidding me? I get to date...

It all works out in the end, doesn't it?

Yes, it does.

[Hopper] Grass, crops, trees.

Everything in this area is either dead or dying,

and that's a radius of over three miles.

And it all leads back to here.

See, these patterns here are really pretty. I like the design.

It's almost psychedelic.

-This is a joke to you, huh? -No, it's not a joke. I just...

I don't understand what this has to do with me, Chief Hopper.

Whatever is happening is spreading from this place, from this lab.

That's impossible. It's... The last burn was two days ago.

It's contained.

-What if there's a leak? -A leak? [scoffs]

-I don't know, man. You're the scientist. -Exactly.

And I'm telling you there's nothing to worry about.

-Convince me. -Convince you?

Yeah. You and your egghead friends

go out there to every area on this map and you run your tests,

or whatever the hell it is you do, and you see if anything comes up.

[scoffs] All right, so...

So you're... you're giving me orders now?

No.

-I keep things nice and quiet for you... -Mmm-hmm.

...and you keep your shit out of my town.

That is the deal.

I have done my part, now you do yours.

Convince me.

So, he asked you to take me home?

Yeah.

Yeah, he was upset.

I mean, he was... He was really upset.

But he was still worried about you.

Hey.

You need to cut yourself some slack, okay?

People say stupid things when they're wasted.

Things they don't mean.

Yeah, but that's the thing.

What if I did mean it?

All this time, I've been trying so hard to pretend like everything's fine,

but it's not.

I... I feel like there's this...

I don't know, like this...

Like there's this weight you're carrying around with you.

All the time.

I feel it, too.

Yeah, but it's different for you.

Will came home.

Yeah.

Yeah, he did.

But he's not the same.

I try to be there for him, you know, to help him, but...

[sighs] I don't know.

I mean, maybe...

maybe things just can't go back to the way they were.

Doesn't that make you mad?

Mad?

Yeah, that those... those people who did this,

who ruined so many lives, they just get away with it.

The people responsible for this...

-they're dead. -Do you really believe that?

[rock song playing over headphones]

Your mom's boyfriend.

-He works at RadioShack, right? -Yeah.

Why?

What are you thinking?

Do you wanna skip fourth period?

[woman laughing] Isn't this fun?

[continues laughing]

[continues laughing] Pump your feet.

[Hopper] "I would feel so sad if I thought I was a disappointment to her...

because she didn't live very long after that, you see.

She died of a fever when I was just three months old.

I do wish she'd lived long enough for me to remember calling her mother.

I think it would be so sweet to say 'mother.'"

Do I have a mother?

Yeah, of course you have a mother.

You couldn't really be born without one.

Where is she?

She...

She's not around anymore.

Gone?

Yeah.

I'm sorry about that, kid.

"And, uh, father died four days afterwards from fever, too.

That left me an orphan and folks were at their wits' end,

so Mrs. Thomas said to me, what to do with me.

You see, nobody wanted me even then.

It seems to be my fate."

[woman] Is your mom here?

Sweetie?

School.

Where is school?

The school? It's, uh... it's about a mile that way.

At least.

Where are your parents?

[metal squeaking]

[girl] Look, Mommy, look.

[phone ringing]

RadioShack, Bob Newby speaking. How can I help ya?

Bob, it's Joyce.

Hey, Joyce, how ya doing?

Hey, um... I'm trying to watch your video thingy,

and the tape, it's... it's tiny. It's like it's shrunk.

[chuckles] That's 'cause it's a VHS-C, not a VHS.

You gotta find the RF-P1U with coaxial cable

so you can connect the video ins and outs.

Bob, English.

Right. Sorry. Um...

No, yeah, I did the coaxial things in the back, so I...

This one just goes into the camera itself?

-Yeah. Yeah, exactly. -It's blue. I think it's working.

I was thinking maybe tonight--

-[dial tone] -Joyce?

So you hit T to zoom in, and W zooms back out.

See? Easy-peasy.

[boy 1] Watch it, zombie boy.

[boy 2] Trick or treat, freak.

Boo!

-[boys laughing] -Loser.

[Will] Mike! Mike!

[ringing]

Will, you coming? Let's go show Mr. Clarke.

What?

What?

It's about d'Artagnan.

This is the reason I was late for class.

Pretty neat. These doors function?

Well, yeah, obviously. But it's not about the trap.

It's what's inside.

Now, this very well may change your perception of the world.

Consider my interest piqued.

All right, first, let's just clarify that...

this is my discovery, not yours.

Dustin, Jesus! Just show him!

-I'm just trying to clarify-- -Dustin!

-Okay, fine. -[door opens]

[Mike] Stop!

I'm sorry, Mr. Clarke. It was just a stupid prank.

-What are you doing? -I told him to stop. We need to go.

-[Dustin] Mike! -Right now. Right now!

So, your sister coming or what?

Screw it. That little shit can skate home.

-And don't call her that. -What?

Sister. She's not my sister.

[rock music playing loudly]

[banging on door]

Hello? Hello?

-Guys, come on. Can I come in yet? -[Mike] No!

-I don't understand. -What do you not understand?

Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?

Kind of, but there was no tail.

But then he heard it yesterday. The exact same sound.

-Why didn't you tell us before? -I wasn't sure.

-A coincidence. -[Mike] Or not.

What if when Will was stuck in the Upside Down,

he somehow acquired True Sight?

True Sight?

It gives you the power to see into the ethereal plane.

[sighs] Elaborate.

Maybe these episodes that Will keeps having aren't really flashbacks at all.

Maybe they're real.

Maybe Will can somehow see into the Upside Down.

-So that would mean... -Dart is from the Upside Down.

-[sighs] We have to take him to Hopper. -I agree.

No way. If we take him to Hopper, Dart's good as dead.

-Maybe he should be. -How can you say that?

How can you not? He's from the Upside Down.

Maybe. But even if he is, it doesn't automatically mean that he's bad.

That's like saying just because someone's from the Death Star

-doesn't make them bad. -We have a bond.

A bond? Just because he likes nougat?

No, because he trusts me!

He trusts you?

Yes, I promised I would take care of him.

[Dart screeching]

Guys, what's going on? Come on.

-Don't hurt him. -Only if he attacks.

Just open it already.

Holy shit!

Oh, shit!

No!

[Max] What the...

Oh, shit!

[Lucas] Where'd he go?

-What was that? -Dart!

-What? -You let him escape!

-Why did you attack him? -Come on.

Don't hurt him. Don't you hurt him!

Jonathan?

Uh... Mrs. Wheeler.

-What a pleasant surprise. -Yeah.

-Uh, we have a test tomorrow. -Hmm.

-Oh, did you go shopping? -Oh, uh, yeah. My Walkman broke.

-Aw! -[Jonathan] Bummer.

Anyway, we should go. It's a really big test.

-Yeah. -So...

-Stressful. -Very.

-Bye, Mrs. Wheeler. -Bye! It's good to see you.

[sighs] Okay, are you sure about this?

No.

[phone ringing]

Hello. Marsha speaking.

Hello?

Hello?

Mrs. Holland. Hi, it's, um... it's Nancy.

Nancy?

I, uh...

I need to tell you something. Something about Barb.

About that night. I, uh...

I, uh... I haven't been honest with you.

But I can't tell you here on the phone.

Meet me tomorrow, Forrest Hills Park, 9:00 a.m.

Don't tell anyone.

And don't call me back here. It's dangerous.

[Marsha] Nancy, what is this?

[Nancy] I just need you to trust me. Please.

[Owens] Well, you were right about these pumpkins.

Some nasty stuff.

[chuckling] And the smell... Gee, mother of God.

What exactly do you think is going on--

Well, I told you what I think.

But we'll run the tests, and we'll see what comes up.

In the meantime, I just need you to keep the area clear for us.

I don't think it'll be more than a day or two.

What do you want me to tell people?

I'm sure you'll figure something out.

-[Powell on radio] Hey, Chief, you copy? -Yeah.

Do you remember that Russian girl Murray was going on about the other day?

Yeah, well, now I'm thinking he's not so crazy after all.

Stay where you are. Do not move.

East is clear. No sign of Dart.

Where'd you go, you little bastard?

West is clear, too. Will?

South is clear. Lucas?

Anything?

Excuse me! Mr. Sinclair!

[stammering] Sorry, I was looking for study hall.

Bye.

Nothing here, man.

[objects clattering]

[yells]

-What the hell are you doing? -What are you doing?

-Why are you in here? -Looking for Dart.

-This is the boys' room. -Yeah, so?

So you should go home.

-Why do you hate me so much? -I don't hate you.

-How can I hate you? I don't know you. -But you don't want me in your party.

-Correct. -Why not?

Because you're annoying. Also, we don't need another party member.

I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger,

and El is our mage.

-El? Who's El? -Someone. No one.

Someone or no one?

She was in our party a long time ago. She moved away, okay?

She was a mage?

Well, what could she do? Like, magic tricks or something?

Well, I could be your zoomer.

-That's not even a real thing. -It could be.

-See? Zoomer. -Mind-blowing.

Come on, you know you're impressed.

[Mike] I don't see any tricks. You're just going around in a circle.

[Max] If it's so easy, you try it.

-[Mike] No. -[Max] Why not?

[Mike] I don't know how.

[Max] So, then you admit it's kind of impressive.

[Mike] I think if I spent, like, all day practicing, I could do that.

[Max] I would give you a million bucks if you could.

[Mike] Okay, you're making me dizzy.

-Please just stop. -I'll stop when I join your party.

-Come on, just stop. -It's a simple question. Am I in or out?

[grunts]

Jesus! Are you all right?

Yeah, yeah. I think so.

-What happened? -I don't know.

It was like a magnet or something pulling on my board.

I know that sounds crazy.

-[line ringing] -[sighs] Come on, come on, come on!

[phone ringing]

Hawkins Middle. May I help you?

Yes. Hi, Doris. It's Joyce.

-Uh, Joyce Byers. -[mouthing] Joyce.

Uh, Will has AV Club today. Could you transfer me to Mr. Clarke?

-Mr. Clarke? Huh. You know what? -What?

I just saw him leave for the day. Maybe AV was canceled?

-What? -Would you like me to--

[Dart chittering]

Guys...

-I found him. -[Dustin] Where?

In the bathroom by Mr. Salerno's.

[Mike] Copy that.

It's okay.

I'm not gonna hurt you.

[screeches]

[monster growling]

Hey, buddy.

-Come here. You know I won't hurt you. -[chittering]

It's okay. It's just me.

You're okay.

-[Mike] Let's go. Down here. -[Lucas] We're coming!

Stay low. Keep quiet.

Where's Dart?

-I don't know. Not here. -What?

-[Max] He said by Salerno's, right? -[Dustin] Yeah, maybe Will has him.

Where is Will?

Only this time, I didn't run.

This time, I stood my ground.

[breathing heavily]

[screeching]

I said, "Go away. Go away!"

Go away!

Go away!

Go away!

Go away! Go away!

-Go away! -[screeching]

Easy-peasy, right?

Easy-peasy.

Just like that.

[vehicle approaching]

[tires screeching]

[Dustin and Max] Will!

[Dustin] Will!

-Dustin! -Mrs. Byers?

What's going on? Where's Will?

[pants] The field!

Will. I just found him like this!

I think he's having another episode!

Will! Will! Will!

Sweetie, wake up! It's Mom!

Will!

[choking]

Will, wake up!

Can you hear me?

[choking]

Will, please, just wake up.

Please, wake up!

[choking]

It's Mom!

It's me!

[choking]

[gasps]

[theme music playing]

Okay, that totally freaked me out.

Did that not freak you guys out?

-[Lucas] Two episodes in two days. -It's getting worse.

You think it's True Sight?

What's True Sight?

-[car engine starts] -It's nothing.

[Will] I can't remember.

[sighs] I need you to try.

I... I was on the field and... and then it...

it all just went blank, and... and then you were there.

Will, I need you to tell me the truth.

[stutters] I am.

[sighs]

This shape, I saw it on the video tape from Halloween night.

It's the same shape as... as your drawing.

[Joyce sighs]

These episodes that you're having, I think Dr. Owens is wrong.

I think they're real.

But... but I can't help you if I don't know what's going on.

So, you have to talk to me. Please.

No more secrets, okay?

Okay.

Did... did you see this thing again on the field?

Yes.

What... what is it?

I don't know.

[stammering] It's almost more like a feeling.

Like the one you had that night at the arcade?

Yes.

[stutters] What does it want?

I don't know.

It came for me, and...

[yelling] Go away!

And I tried. I tried to make it go away.

But it got me, Mom.

Well, what does that mean?

[crying] I felt it... everywhere.

Everywhere.

I-- I still feel it.

[sobbing] I just want this to be over.

It's okay. It's okay. Hey.

-Listen. Look, look at me. -[sniffles]

I will never, ever let anything bad happen to you ever again.

Whatever's going on in you, we're gonna fix it. I will fix it.

I promise. I'm here.

[shuddering]

[sighs]

"Friends don't lie." Isn't that your bullshit saying?

Hey, hey! Hey! Don't walk away from me!

Where'd you go on your little field trip, huh?

Where?

Did you go see Mike?

He didn't see me.

Yeah, well, that mother and her daughter did and they called the cops.

Now, did anyone else see you?

Anyone at all?

Come on, I need you to think!

Nobody saw me!

You put us in danger.

You realize that, right?

You promised...

I go!

And I never leave!

Nothing ever happens!

Yeah! Nothing happens and you stay safe!

You lie!

I don't lie! I protect and I feed and I teach!

And all I ask of you is that you follow three simple rules.

Three rules. And you know what?

You can't even do that!

[bangs]

You're grounded.

You know what that means?

It means no Eggos...

And no TV for a week.

All right, knock it off. Let go.

[grunts]

Okay.

Two weeks.

Let go!

-A month! -No!

Well, congratulations.

You just graduated from no TV for a month to no TV at all!

No!

No! No. No!

You have got to understand that there are consequences to your actions.

You are like Papa!

Really?

I'm like that psychotic son of a bitch?

Wow! All right. You wanna go back in the lab?

One phone call. I can make that happen.

I hate you.

Yeah, well, I'm not so crazy about you, either.

You know why? 'Cause you're a brat.

You know what that word means?

How about that be your word for the day, huh? Brat.

Why don't we look it up? B-R-A-T.

Brat.

Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?

[grunts] Hey!

Hey!

Hey! Hey!

Open this door!

Open the damn door!

You wanna go out in the world?

You better grow up!

Grow the hell up!

[screams]

[sobbing]

Mom?

Will?

Hello?

[Mike] Do you like those grapes, Holly?

Hey, Mom, I was thinking about staying the night at Stacey's tonight?

We were gonna have a girl's night.

Romantic comedies, do our nails, gossip...

Sure! That sounds like fun.

-[TV playing indistinctly] -[Nancy] Toast? No?

-Hey. -Hey.

Did you see your mom?

No, she was sleeping. But I left a note.

You don't have to do this, you know.

Stop saying that.

-[line ringing] -[sighs]

-[Florence] Hawkins Police. -Flo, it's Joyce again.

Oh, hi, Joyce. Listen, I gave him your message--

-He's still not there? -No, but--

Did he get any of my messages from yesterday? Did you give--

-Yes, do you wanna talk to-- -No, no, I need Hopper.

Just tell him to call me the second he gets in. Please.

-Thank you. -Bye.

[sighs]

Hey. How you feeling, sleepyhead?

-Any better? -Mmm-mmm.

Same as last night? Still weird?

Yeah.

All right. [sighs]

Hmm.

Okay, let me see.

Is it a fever?

No. Uh, actually, it's cold.

Do you feel cold?

No. Just a little out of it.

Like I haven't really woken up yet.

You promised no doctor.

And I meant it. No doctor.

You know what?

I'm gonna run you a nice bath and it'll warm you up

and hopefully get you feeling better.

How's that sound? Okay.

Morning, Dart.

Got you some breakfast.

Your favorite.

I gotta go to school,

but I'll be back soon. Sound good?

[chitters]

[Mike] Stop being a baby and do it already!

[Max] This is so disgusting. Is this really necessary?

What the hell's going on?

What do you think? We're looking for Dart.

-Jesus! -[Max] Oh!

[Mike] Ugh!

[grunts]

[Lucas] Well, well, well.

Look who finally decided to show up.

After I drew the short straw. Real convenient.

You stink!

Hi, Max.

Hi.

-Where's Will? -He'll be here.

Are you just gonna stand there?

Or you gonna help?

[Mr. Clarke] All living things, from complex mammals

to single-celled organisms, instinctively respond to danger.

Expose a bacterium to a toxic chemical, and it will flee.

Or deploy some other defense mechanism.

We're very much the same.

When we encounter danger, our hearts start pounding.

[water dripping]

Our palms start to sweat.

These are the signs of the physical and emotional state we call...

fear.

[Hopper] Hey, you reached Jim.

I'm probably doing something incredible right now and I can't...

Mom.

Yeah, sweetie, what is it?

It's too hot.

[sighs] I... I can cool it down a little bit, baby,

-but we gotta get your body temp back up. -No.

What?

He likes it cold.

Hey, kid.

Listen, um...

about last night, I, uh...

I want this place cleaned up by the time I get back

and then maybe I'll consider fixing the TV.

You hear me?

[door opens and closes]

[Florence on radio] Come in, Hop.

Come in, Hop.

Come in, Hop.

[grunts softly] Yeah. Yeah, I'm on my way in,

and, yes, I do know what time it is.

Joyce Byers has called eight times already this morning.

Eight times.

For my sake, please deal with her!

[whistle blows]

[coach] Let's go. Pass it up now. Get open!

[laughs] All right! All right, all right!

King Steve. King Steve, everyone.

I like it. Playing tough today.

Jesus! Do you ever stop talking? Come on!

[laughs] What?

You afraid the coach is gonna bench you now that I'm here? Huh?

[grunts]

You were moving your feet.

Plant them next time, draw a charge.

[whistle blows]

[sniffing]

Don't sweat it, Harrington.

Today's just not your day, man.

Yeah. Not your week.

You and the princess break up for one day,

she's running off with the freak's brother.

[chuckles]

Oh, shit. You don't know.

Jonathan and the princess skipped yesterday. Still haven't shown.

But that must just be a coincidence, right?

[laughs]

Don't take it too hard, man.

A pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about.

Plenty of bitches in the sea.

Am I right?

I'll be sure to leave you some.

[indistinct chatter]

[sighs]

It's 15 past.

Yeah, I know.

Just give him time.

That guy. There.

-What? -He just... just talked to himself.

[children shouting indistinctly]

[child] Duck, duck, duck,

-duck, duck... -[indistinct chatter]

Duck, duck, duck...

Duck, duck, duck...

Duck...

[kids laugh]

Duck, duck...

Goose!

I think we should go.

[stalling]

[gasps]

Trouble with your car, miss? I can give you two a lift if you like.

[Nancy] Jonathan.

You sure you don't need that ride?

Hello?

[Joyce] Leave it open.

Where the hell have you been?

I overslept. What the hell's going on? It's freezing.

Hey! Knock, knock.

We have a visitor.

[Hopper] So this thing, this shadow thing.

You told your mom it likes it like this. It likes it cold?

Yeah.

How do you know that?

I just know.

Does he talk to you?

No. It's like...

I don't have to think.

I just know things now.

Things I never did before.

[Hopper] And, uh...

what else do you know?

[Will] It's hard to explain.

It's like old memories in the back of my head,

only... they're not my memories.

Okay.

I mean, I don't think they're old memories at all. They're...

they're now-memories, happening all at once, now.

Can you describe these now-memories?

I don't know. It's... it's hard to explain.

[Joyce] I know it's hard but can you just... Can you try?

For us?

It's like...

They're growing and spreading...

killing.

The memories?

I don't know.

Oh!

-[crying] I'm sorry. -No, no, no. It's okay, sweetie.

Hey, hey, sweetie...

what if you didn't have to use words?

[phone ringing]

[continues ringing]

[Joyce on answering machine] Hey, you've reached the Byers. We're sorry...

[Lucas] Anything?

We need to talk. AV room. Right now.

Party members only.

Come on, Mike.

No! This is non-negotiable.

-Sorry, Max. -Sorry.

[Mike] Will didn't want me to tell anyone,

but on Halloween night he saw a sort of shadow in the sky.

A shadow?

[stammers] What kind of shadow?

I don't know. But it scared him.

And if Will really has True Sight...

I mean, if he can really see into the Upside Down,

maybe he saw that shadow again yesterday.

-So that's why he was frozen like that? -Maybe.

Can it hurt him?

I mean, if this shadow thing isn't from our world...

I'm not sure. Dustin?

Well, if you're in another plane,

you can't interact with the material plane,

so theoretically, no, the shadow can't hurt him.

Yeah, if that's even what's happening.

This isn't D & D. This is real life.

So what do we do?

We acquire more knowledge.

I'll go to Will's after school. See what's going on.

You guys stay here and find Dart.

Dart? What's he gotta do with this?

Will heard him in the Upside Down.

I don't know how yet, but he's gotta be connected to all this.

He's gotta be.

If we find Dart, maybe we can solve this thing.

Maybe we can help Will.

[sighs]

[blows]

[grunting]

Hey! Hey, assholes!

Let us out of here!

[Owens] Oh!

Not very pleasant in here, is it?

Sorry about that. Hospitality's not our strong suit.

You know, scientists and all.

Yeah. Okay.

You up for a little walk?

-I'm assuming you're behind me. -[door opens]

"Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind."

George Sarton said that.

You guys know who George Sarton is? Doesn't really matter.

The point is, mistakes have been made. Yes.

-Mistakes? -Yes.

You killed Barbara.

Abundant mistakes, but, the men involved with those mistakes,

the ones responsible for what happened to your brother and Miss Holland's death,

they're gone. They're gone, and for better for worse,

I'm the schmuck they brought in to make things better.

But I can't make things better without your help.

You mean without us shutting up?

[sighs] She's tough, this one. You guys been together long?

-We're not together. -Wanna see what really killed your friend?

Teddy, I brought you an audience today. I hope you don't mind.

[Teddy] More the merrier, sir.

[Owens] I'd call it one hell of a mistake.

Wouldn't you?

See, the thing is, we can't seem to erase our mistake...

but we can stop it from spreading.

Like, it's like pulling weeds.

But imagine for a moment if a foreign state,

let's say, the Soviets... If they heard about our mistake...

do you think they would even consider that a mistake?

What if they tried to replicate that?

The more attention we bring to ourselves, the more...

the more people like the Hollands know the truth,

the more likely that scenario becomes.

You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too.

Just, same as those weeds there.

By whatever means necessary.

[screeching]

So, we understand each other now, don't we?

This is more of the same.

Oh, it's nothing. It's just scribbles.

Wait!

-What? What? -Wait.

-Wait. These black lines, see? -[Hopper] What?

Look, they connect.

They connect.

[grunting]

Does this mean anything to you?

No.

[sighs] I mean, is it some sort of maze or a road?

[stammers] I mean, it's sort of forking and branching like... like lightning.

You think it's that storm?

No, the storm he drew was completely different. He used red.

And this is all blue and it has some weird dirt color.

I mean, maybe it's roots.

'Cause remember, he was saying it was spreading and--

Killing.

He said they were killing.

Vines.

He's drawing vines.

[ringing]

Hey, Max. Have you seen Dustin? We're supposed to meet after class.

Max!

Hey, Max! Hey, where you going? Come on! We've gotta go look for Dart.

Yeah, good luck with that.

[Lucas] What is wrong with you?

What is wrong with me? What's wrong with you?

-I don't understand. -No! I don't understand!

You guys act like you want me to be your friend

but then you treat me like garbage!

-That's not true! -Yes, it is!

You go and hide in the AV Club,

keeping secrets like we're in second grade or something.

You know, I thought you guys wanted me in your party.

-We do. But it's... -But what?

[sighs] There... there are just things.

Things we can't tell you, all right? For your own safety.

-My own safety? -Yes!

-Because I'm a girl? -What? No!

Did you keep secrets from El?

How do you know about El?

Did you?

That was different. Trust me. Okay?

That was just... just different.

Okay. You know what? Forget it, okay?

I don't wanna be in your stupid party anyway. I'm out.

Have a nice life.

-Max! -You still stink, by the way!

[sniffs] Oh, shit!

That kid you were talking to, who is he?

[Max] He's no one.

-No one? -This kid from my class.

Why was he talking to you?

It was just about a stupid class assignment.

-Then why're you so upset? -I'm not!

He causing you trouble?

Why do you care?

Because, Max, you're a piece of shit,

but we're family now whether we like it or not,

meaning I'm stuck looking out for you.

-What would I ever do without-- -Hey!

This is serious shit, okay?

I'm older than you.

And something you learn

is that there are a certain type of people in this world that you stay away from,

and that kid, Max...

That kid is one of them.

You stay away from him, you hear me?

Stay away.

[engine starts]

"Ives.

Terry."

Jane.

Papa.

[host on radio] ...President Reagan's...

[stations changing]

[upbeat song playing]

[radio static]

[Terry mumbling indistinctly]

Three to the right. Four to the left.

Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

Four-fifty...

Jane.

Mama?

Mama!

[crying] Mama?

[crying] Mama!

[shrieking] Mama!

Mama...

[sobbing]

Mama!

Hello?

Will!

-Mrs. Byers? -[door unlocks]

-[sighs] Hey. -Hey, Mike.

-Is Will here? -You know what?

Now is not a really good time.

Is he okay?

[sighs]

Yeah. You know, he's... he's just not feeling real well.

He's laying down, so I'll tell him you stopped by, okay?

It's about the shadow monster, isn't it?

Have a nice day.

[engine starts]

-[tape whirring] -[clicks]

[Owens] Doesn't really matter. The point is, mistakes have been made.

-Yes. -[Nancy] Mistakes?

[tape forwarding]

[Owens] The men involved with those mistakes,

the ones responsible for what happened to your brother

and Miss Holland's death, they're gone...

[tape rewinding]

...the ones responsible for what happened to your brother

-and Miss Holland's death, they're gone. -[clicks]

You still wanna do this?

Let's burn that lab to the ground.

[Claudia] Mew-mew, dinner!

Where are you? Mew-mew!

-Hey, Dusty! -Hi, hey. Hey, Mom.

-Everything okay? -Yeah, everything's fine. Yeah.

Dart, I've gotta talk to you, buddy.

It's about my friend, Will. [panting]

I think...

What the hell?

[Dart screeching]

[grunting]

Dart?

[Dart continues grunting]

[screeching]

[Hopper grunting]

[squelching]

[panting]

[grunting]

[air hissing]

[bubbling]

[breathing heavily]

[grunts]

[continues breathing heavily]

Oh, Jesus.

[line ringing]

[creaking]

[Hopper] Hey, you reached Jim.

I'm probably doing something incredible right now, and I can't--

[sighs]

[Will] It's like... It's like I feel what the shadow monster's feeling.

See what he's seeing.

Like in the Upside Down?

Some of him is there.

But some of him is here, too.

-Here, like, in this house? -In this house and...

in me.

It's like... It's like he's reaching into Hawkins more and more.

And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel.

And the more you see these now-memories.

At first I just felt it in the back of my head.

I didn't even really know it was there.

It's like when you have a dream

and you can't remember it unless you think really hard.

It was like that.

But now it's like...

Now I remember. I remember all the time.

Maybe...

-Maybe that's good. -Good?

Just think about it, Will.

You're like a spy now. A superspy.

Spying on the shadow monster.

If you know what he's seeing and feeling...

maybe that's how we can stop him.

Maybe all of this is happening for a reason.

-You really think so? -Yeah. Yeah, I really do.

What if he figures out we're spying on him?

-[sniffles] What if he spies back? -He won't.

How do you know?

We won't let him.

[Hopper breathing heavily]

Ugh!

[breathing heavily]

-[screeching] -[continues breathing heavily]

[hissing]

[spits]

[Hopper coughing]

[continues coughing]

Ugh!

[grunting and coughing]

[theme music playing]

-[man 1] Hey. -[man 2] Hey. Did you get 'em?

[man 1] Yeah.

[both continue speaking indistinctly]

[song playing on stereo]

We'd like a... uh, a room.

We got those.

You want a single or a double?

[both] Double.

[slurping]

Nance...

-Uh, on or off? -Hmm.

-What? -Nothing. Just...

déjà vu.

[chuckles softly]

-Yeah. -[both chuckle softly]

Don't you think it's weird?

What?

How we only seem to hang out when the world's about to end?

It's not going to end.

Feels like it. [sighs]

Still have yours?

-[Jonathan] Yeah. -Mmm...

-Yeah, mine's bigger. -[chuckles]

-Congratulations. -Thanks.

[sighs]

What happened?

What do you mean?

To us?

After everything, you just...

disappeared.

[sighs]

Yeah, Will needed me.

And Steve...

I waited.

Yeah, like, only a month.

[Nancy] I want them off.

[gasping]

Will, what's wrong?

[Will] Mom?

Mom?

-Mom? -[gasps] Yeah?

-I saw him. -You saw who, baby?

Hopper.

I think he's in trouble.

I think he's going to die.

[gasping]

[grunting]

[retches]

[grunting]

[panting]

Shit!

[panting]

[continues panting]

[thud]

[song playing on stereo]

-That's enough, Erica. -Uh-uh.

-Dad? -Mmm-hmm?

When Mom's mad at you, how do you make her not mad?

Hmm. That's a great question. How do you, hon?

[Mr. Sinclair] First, I apologize.

Then, I get your mother whatever she wants.

Even when she's wrong?

She's never wrong, son.

That's right. [chuckles]

-Not hungry? -[Lucas] Not really.

Where you goin'?

To hang out with Dustin.

[softly] Sorry.

[Claudia] Mews!

Mewsy!

Mews!

Mewsy!

Dusty, baby, you're sure she's not in your room?

-[sighs] -Uh-huh.

[automated voice] If you'd like to make a call...

Thank you so much, Mr. McCorkle. Thank you so much.

You are a true lifesaver.

-All right, this was great. -[dial tone]

Thank you. All right. Have a good one.

Bye-bye, now. All right. You, too.

All right, great news.

They found her?

No. But they saw her wandering around Loch Nora.

[crying] How did the poor baby get all the way out there?

I don't know. Lost, I guess. But they're gonna look for her.

And I'll stay here, just in case they call again.

And you're gonna go help look? Yeah? Yeah?

Give me hug. Give me a hug. Go get her.

-You're gonna find her. -Okay.

-We can find her. -We can find her.

I love you.

-I love you. -I love you.

-I love you. -All right, go.

All right.

All right, Dart. Breakfast time.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

[panting]

Come on. Come on, I know you're hungry.

-Yes. Yes, yes, yes. -[Dart growling]

Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Dustin panting]

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Dart growls]

Shit!

[Dustin breathing heavily]

[breathing heavily]

[chittering]

[yelling]

[screeching]

-[yelling] -[Dart growling]

[grunting]

-I'm sorry. You ate my cat. -[Dart screeching]

-[brakes squealing] -[man] All right. I think this is it.

-Five-one-five Larrabee, right? -[song playing on stereo]

Yes.

Five-fifteen.

All right, "Five-fifteen." Sure.

Thank you.

Hey.

You apologize to your mama, yeah? Huh?

Must be scared half to death.

How long's it been?

Long time.

[breathing heavily]

[sighs]

[knocks on door]

[Becky] Go away! I'm not interested!

Look, I don't want your Thin Mints, all right, kid?

-Thin Mints? -Or your religious mumbo jumbo.

Whatever you're selling, I ain't buying, okay?

[creaking]

I want to see Mama.

Name a way you occupy your time when you're having a boring day at work.

[buzzer rings]

-[man] Drink coffee. -[host] "Drink coffee," said Mike.

-[bell dings] -Yeah! Five answers will beat it, Lynn.

[Lynn] Visit with other employees.

-[host] "Visit with other employees." -Rainbow.

-[bell dings] -[applause]

-Three to the right. Four to the left. -Mama?

Breathe. Sunflower.

Rainbow.

-Three to the right. Four to the left. -Mama, can you hear me?

Four-fifty. Breathe.

Sunflower.

Rainbow.

Mama? It's me...

Jane.

I'm here now.

Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow. Four-fifty.

Breathe. Sunflower.

-What's wrong with Mama? -Rainbow.

-Four-fifty. -[crying]

[rock song playing on stereo]

[song stops]

[Jonathan] Are you positive this is the right place?

"3833." Yeah.

All right.

[train horn blaring in the distance]

[buzzes]

[Murray] Look at the camera.

-The camera. -[Jonathan] What camera?

[Murray] Not the loudspeaker. Above you, to the right.

[door rattles]

Nancy Wheeler. Jonathan Byers. You two are a long way from home.

Well...

I hope you didn't come all this way to tell me about the bear

in the Harrington kid's backyard.

I've heard that one already.

Take a look. Go ahead, don't be shy.

I followed up on 200 tips,

most bogus, but that's how these things always go, okay?

I know every last step Barbara took that day,

every last person she talked to.

The answer to what happened to your friend, it's up here somewhere.

I assure you that. I just gotta connect the right dots.

Timeline's wrong.

I'm sorry?

Your timeline is wrong.

And the girl with the buzzed hair, she's not Russian. She's from Hawkins Lab.

Her name was Eleven.

You might wanna sit down for this.

-[rock song playing on stereo] -[engine revving]

If you're not out in an hour--

-Walking home. Yeah, yeah, I know. -Hey! Watch the attitude, shitbird.

[tires screeching]

-[indistinct chatter] -[video games beeping]

Sorry about that, Road Warrior.

What happened?

Short circuit in the motherboard. A real bummer.

But fret not. I got another machine up and running in the back.

Hold these.

You better get me that date now, Sinclair.

-I told you I would. -[grunts]

And keep things PG in here, all right?

[door closes]

What is this shit, stalker?

Sorry. I just needed a safe place.

A safe place to what? Be creepy?

Listen. I'm gonna tell you the truth about everything that happened last year.

But if anyone finds out, you could be arrested.

[sighs] Possibly killed.

-Killed? -I need to know.

Do you accept the risk?

-Oh, my God! This... this is so stupid. -Do you accept the risk?

Yeah.

Sure. Fine.

I accept the risk.

Let's hear it.

Last year...

Will didn't get lost in the woods.

He got lost somewhere else.

[thunder rumbling]

Hey, is this where you saw him? [stutters] Is this where you saw Hopper?

I think so. Yeah.

[softly] Okay.

[Mike] Here!

Okay, so... so Hopper is here?

Yeah. Now we just need to find out where here is, right?

Right.

Did he say anything? I mean, before he left?

[sighs] Uh, some... something about vines?

-[car approaching] -Hopper.

Surprise. I would've called, but you said not to clog up the line.

You know, I... We're fine, we don't need anything.

When I was sick as a kid, and I was sick all the time as a kid,

nothing made me feel better than focusing on these brain teasers.

Those are great. Ah...

I could teach him how to play.

-You know, he's sleeping. -[thunder rumbling]

Okay.

I could wait with you?

[sighs] Listen, it's just not a good time.

But, um, you know what? I'll call you, okay?

Thank you.

-You sure? -Yeah.

Well, have him call me. They don't call me Bob the Brain for nothing.

[chuckles]

[gasps] Bob!

That's my name.

Huh.

Hmm.

-You drew all these yourself? -[Joyce] Mmm-hmm.

-Why, exactly? -I... I told you the rules.

-No questions, okay? -Yeah.

We... we just need you to help us figure out what...

Bob? Bob?

Over here.

Where... where this is.

That's the objective. Find the X.

Yeah? What's at the X? Pirate treasure? [chuckles]

Bob, no questions.

Okay.

-[sighs and clicks tongue] -[Joyce clears throat]

Let me talk to you for a second. Hang on, guys.

Joyce, you can talk to me. You know that, right?

[stammers] Yeah. What's the problem, exactly?

What's the problem?

Joyce, [sighs] Will doesn't look well.

You don't look well.

What's going on?

Nothing. Nothing.

Is this an episode? Is this one of Will's episodes?

No. No! No. [scoffs]

[stutters] I'm sorry. I just... I don't...

see how any of this is good for Will, or for you.

And even if I wanted to play along, I mean, how could I figure anything out

if I don't understand the context of the game?

[thunder rumbling]

-Or... -What?

-What is it? -I know that shape.

It's Lovers' Lake.

It's Lovers' Lake. I get it.

Okay, I get. That's Lake Jordan.

And if that's Lake Jordan, then you can probably find...

Yeah, that's, uh, Sattler's quarry.

And if you just follow it naturally...

it moves to...

the Eno River.

And there it is. That's the Eno, do you see it?

Okay, so the lines aren't roads.

But they act like roads.

And they act like roads 'cause when you follow 'em, you'll see...

they don't go over water.

And that's the giveaway. That's the giveaway. Ha!

Don't you get it? It's not a puzzle,

it's a map.

It's a map of Hawkins.

[Bob laughs]

Right, Will?

[squealing]

[radio static]

[Hopper] Does anybody copy?

Look, if anybody copies, this is Jim Hopper, Hawkins' Chief...

[radio static]

[panting]

[Hopper gasps]

[breathing heavily]

[screeching]

[grunts]

[screeching]

[grunting]

[continues grunting]

Guys, this is Dustin again.

Does anyone copy? This is a code red. I repeat, a code red!

I really need someone to pick up here.

Hopper's MIA, and I've got a code red.

Code red!

All right, it's Dustin again.

Seriously, I have a code red.

Could you please shut up?

Erica? Erica, is Lucas there?

-Where is he? -Don’t know. Don't care.

[stutters] Is he with Mike?

Like I said, I don't know and I don't care.

Please tell him it's super important. Please tell him that I have a code--

Code red?

-Yep, code red. Exactly. -Mmm-hmm.

I got a code for you instead.

It's called code shut-your-mouth.

[radio static]

[stutters] Erica?

[Becky] I just need a little help understanding, sweetie, okay?

Can you tell me where you came from?

-Where you've been all this time? -[TV playing indistinctly]

A policeman and a woman came looking for you last year.

Did they find you?

She won't get better...

will she?

They don't think so, no.

[sniffles] But she's not in any pain.

She's just stuck, they think.

Like in a dream.

A long dream.

A good dream?

I hope so.

[Eleven sighs]

Is it the same dream?

[Becky] We don't know.

Sometimes she says different words.

But usually those.

[cries softly]

She always believed that you were out there.

She always believed that you'd come home one day.

Home?

Yeah, home.

[Eleven sniffles]

[door creaking]

Pretty.

I can get you a real bed, and you can stay here with me

if you want.

How's that sound?

I wanna help you, but to really do that, I need you to talk to me, okay?

Doesn't have to be now. Doesn't have to be today.

But when you're ready.

Okay?

Okay.

[Becky] Oh, yeah, that.

That happens sometimes.

Old house, bad wiring...

Or if you ask my crazy aunt Shirley, it's...

haunted.

Sweetie, really, it's just the wiring.

No.

[muttering indistinctly]

It's Mama.

Sunflower. Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

[stutters] I don't understand.

Four-fifty.

She knows I'm here.

[TV channels changing]

She wants to talk.

Rainbow.

-[static hissing] -[Terry speaking indistinctly]

[Bob] All right.

All right. I'm 3.6 inches, what do you got?

I'm not sure. Mrs. Byers?

Hold on.

-Twenty-one feet, four inches. -What about Tippecanoe to Danford Creek?

[sighs and stammers] Danford? Where's Danford?

Dining room.

[sighs] Sixteen feet, ten inches.

What about Danford to Jordan?

Oh, come on. [stuttering] This has gotta be enough.

It's not. It's... it's really not.

Okay. Can't you figure it out?

[stuttering] Well, it's hard. The ratio isn't exactly one-to-one.

I mean, if you're twisting my arm, and you are twisting my arm,

I would say that the X is...

maybe a half mile southeast of Danford?

[sighs] Thank you. Thank you.

What? Are we... we really going?

[Karen] I don't know, Cath.

Maybe if it was Margaret Thatcher, that'd be another story.

[doorbell ringing]

Just a second, Cath.

Ted, can you get that please?

Sorry.

I got it.

Your line has been busy for over two hours, Mr. Wheeler.

-Do you realize this? -Oh, I do realize.

-Is Mike home? -No.

No? Well, where the hell is he?

Karen, where's our son?

Will's!

-Will's. -[sighs] No one's picking up there.

Nancy. What about Nancy?

Karen, where's Nancy?

-[sighs] Ally's! -Ally's.

Our children don't live here anymore. You didn't know that?

-Seriously? -Am I done here?

Son of a bitch. You're really no help at all, you know that?

[Ted] Hey! Language.

Listen...

I've been thinking...

I love you. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry? What the hell am I sorry for?

Steve.

Are those for Mr. or Mrs. Wheeler?

-No. -Good.

-Hey. What the hell? Hey! -Nancy isn't home.

-Where is she? -Doesn't matter.

We have bigger problems than your love life.

Do you still have that bat?

-Bat? What bat? -The one with the nails?

-Why? -I'll explain it on the way.

-Now? -Now!

[grunting]

[panting]

[groaning]

[coughing]

[breathing heavily]

[groans]

Son of a bitch!

[grunting]

[yelling]

Wait. Wait. No, no! No! No!

[grunting]

[yelling]

[muffled screaming]

[Lucas] And that was the last we ever saw of her.

After that, she was just gone.

I can't believe it's been that long. Feels like yesterday.

Yeah. I mean, I bet.

-Wow. -It's crazy.

[sighs] I know.

It's crazy, but...

I really liked it.

-Liked it? -Yeah.

-Well, I mean, I had a few issues. -Issues?

I felt it was a little derivative in parts.

What are you talking about?

I just wish it had a little more originality.

-That's all. -You don't believe me?

Lucas, come on, seriously? How gullible do you think I am?

Why would I make this up?

I don't know. To impress me or something? Or you're just, like, insane.

I tell you all of this. I mean, top-secret stuff.

Risking my life. And this is how you react?

[chuckles] Risking your life?

-Oh, so this is funny to you? -Yeah. I mean...

kind of funny.

Stupid, but funny.

Where are you going?

Story time's over, isn't it?

[indistinct chatter]

What's wrong with you? I gave you what you wanted.

I wanted to be a part of the group, not a part of some joke.

It's not a joke.

You did a good job, okay?

You can go tell the others I believed your lies

if it gets you experience points or whatever.

[sighs]

We have a lot of rules in our party,

but the most important is, "Friends don't lie."

Never ever. No matter what.

Is that right?

Then how do you explain this?

[sighs] I had to do that. To protect you.

To protect me from who, exactly?

The big bad government baddies from Hawkins Lab?

Lower your voice.

Maybe it was to protect me from the Demogorgon from another dimension?

-Max, I'm serious, shut up! -Oh, no, no!

You know what it was? It was Eleven. The girl--

Stop talking.

You're going to get us killed.

Do you understand?

You're serious?

I really wish I wasn't.

Prove it.

I can't.

So what? I'm supposed to just trust you?

Yes.

-[car engine revving] -[tires screeching]

Shit. I gotta go. Um...

Don't follow me out. Okay?

Do you believe me?

[rock song playing on stereo]

The hell I tell you?

I'm not late.

You know what I'm talking about.

-Oh, Lucas? -[scoffs]

-So he has a name now, huh? -[stammers]

It's a small town, okay? We weren't hanging out.

Hmm. Well, you know what happens when you lie.

I'm not lying.

[Owens on tape] What if they try to replicate that?

The more attention we bring to ourselves,

the more people like the Hollands who know the truth,

the more likely that scenario becomes.

You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too.

Just the same as those weeds there. By whatever means necessary.

[tape recorder clicks]

So, is it enough?

The tape recording, is it enough? [stutters] Is it incriminating?

[liquid pouring]

-What are you doing? -Thinking.

With vodka?

It's a central nervous system depressant. So yes, with vodka.

[Nancy] Music? Really?

Yes. It helps me...

-[Jonathan] What? Think? -[sighs heavily]

[jazz song playing]

How long is this gonna take?

Longer if you keep talking.

Is the tape incriminating or not? It's a simple question.

[laughs]

There's nothing simple about it.

Nothing simple about anything you've told me.

You don't believe us, do you?

I believe you, but that's not the problem.

You don't need me to believe you. You need them to believe you.

-Them? -Them.

With a capital "T."

Your priest, your postman, your teacher, the world at large. [scoffs]

They won't believe any of this.

That's why we made the tape.

Oh. That's easy to bury. Easy.

He admits it. You heard it. He admits culpability.

You're being naive, Nancy!

Those people...

[chuckles]

They're not wired like me and you, okay?

They don't spend their lives trying to get a look at what's behind the curtain.

[chuckles] They like the curtain.

It provides them stability, comfort, definition.

This...

this would open the curtain,

and open the curtain behind that curtain, okay?

So the minute someone with an ounce of authority calls bullshit,

everyone will nod their heads and say, "See? Ha! I knew it! It was bullshit."

That is, if you even get their attention at all.

You're saying we did all of this for nothing?

I'm saying, I'm thinking.

Ooh!

[grunts]

[Jonathan] This is ridiculous.

-That's it. That's it! -What's it?

It's just too strong. Too strong.

Better.

Perfect.

We water it down.

-Precisely. -Wait. What?

Your story. We moderate it.

Just like this drink here.

We make it more tolerable.

Perhaps Barbara was exposed to some dangerous toxins.

A leak from the lab. Like Three Mile Island or something.

Something scary but familiar.

Close enough that it hits the man right where it hurts.

And those assholes that killed Barb...

They'll go down.

[takes deep breath]

[Owens] All right, what are we looking at?

[lab technician] This was some of the soil we took yesterday.

Okay. So what is your concern?

Well, we didn't find any signs of contamination.

Uh, nothing hazardous other than some pesticides.

Well, it's a farm.

Right, right. Exactly. But...

Like this?

Yes.

[static hissing]

It's okay if I sit here, right?

Yes.

[stammers] And I won't mess it up or anything?

-No. -Okay.

If you talk to Terry, will you tell her that I love her very much?

And that I'm sorry that I didn't believe--

-Stop talking. -Okay, sorry.

Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

Four-fifty.

Breathe.

Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left. Four-fifty.

-Breathe. -Mama?

-Sunflower. Rainbow. -Mama, it's me...

Three to the right. Four to the left.

-Four-fifty. -Jane.

Breathe. Sunflower.

I'm here now.

Four-fifty.

Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow.

I'm home.

No.

[echoing] Mama!

[Terry sobbing]

[panting and grunting]

[groans]

-Mama! Mama! -[sobbing]

-Oh, my baby! -What do I do?

-Mama, what do I do? Help me! -[Becky] Breathe. Breathe.

Just breathe. Breathe. Just breathe, all right?

They're on their way.

-They're on their way, okay? -Okay.

[gasping]

Stay with us, darling. Stay with us.

[groaning]

[indistinct chatter]

[groaning]

[ventilator hissing]

-[baby crying] -[grunts]

[indistinct chatter]

[monitor beeping]

Hey, there.

[sighs]

Jane?

-Where's Jane? -I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

No, I saw her.

-No, no, she wasn't breathing. -She was crying.

-No. -I heard it. He was there.

-Who was there? -He took her.

[Becky] Don't take it out! Terry!

-Terry! -[Terry] No! No!

-Please don't! -[nurse speaking indistinctly]

[Terry] Three to the right. Four to the left.

[lock clicking]

[sighs]

[indistinct chatter]

Ma'am, can I see your badge?

Stay back. Stay back!

-[gunshot] -[people scream]

[alarm blaring]

Jane? Jane?

Jane... No!

No! No! She's my child! No!

She's my child!

No! No.

No.

[grunting]

[sobbing] No. No. No.

Ah!

Four-fifty.

[muffled screaming]

[gasping]

Breathe. They're on their way.

[nurse] Stay with us, darling.

-[baby crying] -[Terry] Sunflower.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

-Rainbow. Four-fifty. -Breathe.

-[baby crying] -[Terry] Sunflower. Rainbow.

Jane... No!

-Four-fifty. -Breathe.

-Three to the right. Four to the left. -[Becky] Breathe.

-[Terry] Sunflower. Rainbow. -[Becky] Breathe.

-Three to the right. Four to the left. -[Becky] Breathe.

[Terry] Four-fifty. Sunflower. Rainbow.

[gasping]

Sunflower. Rainbow. Three to the right. Four to the left.

Four-fifty. Breathe. Sunflower.

There's nothing. There's nothing here.

-Are... Are we close? -We're in the vicinity.

What's that mean, the vicinity?

It means we're close. I don't know. It's not precise.

But we did all that work.

[Bob] I told you, the scale ratio is not exactly one-to-one. We needed to take--

-Turn right. -What?

-I saw him. -Where?

Not here. In my now-memories.

-[Bob] In your what? -Turn right!

[tires screeching]

[all screaming]

Are you okay?

Superspy.

What's Jim doing here? Joyce?

-Boys, I need you to stay here. -No. Mom, Mom, Mom, it's not safe.

That's why I need you to stay here! Stay here!

Hopper!

-Hey, be careful. -[panting]

Just going down the hole.

Vines.

Give me that.

-The shovel? -Yes, give me the shovel.

[Joyce gasps]

[screeching]

[sighs] I need you to help me get down there.

-Joyce, what are you talking about? -Bob! Now!

[breathing heavily]

Hopper!

Hopper!

-Hopper! -[Bob grunts]

-Joyce, what is going on? Where are we? -[stammers] Bob, are you okay?

-[panting] -Tunnels. Is this Will's map?

Hopper!

Are we in Will's map?

Hopper! Hopper!

[Bob] We're in Will's map.

[Joyce] Hopper!

[Bob] We're actually inside of Will's map.

[Joyce] Hopper!

[Bob] How did he know all this?

[Joyce] Bob!

Over here!

[stammers] It's his.

[sighs] He's gotta be this way.

Come on. [grunts]

Hopper!

Do you see anything? I mean, in your now-memories?

[tires screeching]

[Joyce] Hopper!

Hopper!

What?

This is...

Oh! It's his arm.

[Joyce grunting]

[Bob] It's choking him.

Knife.

-[Joyce] Knife? -It's over there.

[Joyce] Okay.

[all grunting]

Hands!

Hands!

[coughs and grunts]

Cut it...

[screams]

[screeches]

Bastard!

[screams]

[Joyce panting] Oh, my God. Hopper, are you okay?

-Joyce. -Are you okay? Are you okay?

-Hey, Bob. -Hey, Jim.

-[screeches] -[Joyce] Oh, God!

[Joyce screams]

Go! Go! Go! Clear the area!

-Go! -[Hopper] Wait.

[man] Move, now!

[indistinct chatter]

[screeching]

[Will grunting]

[Mike] Will? Will, you okay?

-Will, what's wrong? -[grunting]

[screeching]

[Will screaming]

[synthwave music playing]

[tires screech]

[vehicle doors open and close]

[man] Get him out. Go! Go!

-[Will screaming] -[Joyce] God! Hold on, sweetie!

[Will sobbing]

I'm right here. Just hold on.

[Hopper grunting]

-[Hopper yells] -[devices beeping]

[Will crying]

-Vitals? -Heart rate 220. Temperature's 106.

Will, where does it hurt?

All over. [groaning]

She says he feels like he's burning. Check for burns.

[screaming]

[ER doctor] I don't see anything.

-Where does it hurt the most, Will? -Everywhere! Everywhere!

["Hammer To Fall" playing on stereo]

♪ Here we stand or here we fall ♪

♪ History won't care at all ♪

Wait a sec. How big?

First it was like that. Now he's like this.

I swear to God, man, it's just some little lizard, okay?

-It's not a lizard. -How do you know?

-How do I know if it's not? -How do you know it's not just a lizard?

Because his face opened up and he ate my cat.

♪ We're just waiting For the hammer to fall ♪

♪ While you're waiting For the hammer to fall ♪

I don't hear shit.

He's in there.

All right, listen, kid. I swear, if this is some sort of Halloween prank,

-you're dead. -It's not.

-All right? -It's not a prank.

Get it out of my face.

You got a key for this thing?

Let me see that.

[Dustin] He must be further down there.

I'll stay up here in case he tries to escape.

[sighs]

Steve?

Steve, what's going on down there?

[Steve] Get down here.

Oh, shit.

Oh, shit!

[Dustin grunts]

No way.

No way.

[Dart growls]

[theme music playing]

[vehicles approaching]

[vehicle doors open and close]

[Joyce] That thing, it... it did something to him.

[Owens] Okay. And these now-memories, as you call them,

how long has he been experiencing them?

I told you, since Thursday. Since I found him in the field.

And why wasn't he brought in?

I have been bringing him in, and what have you done?

Nothing. Nothing!

These are new symptoms, Joyce.

No. No, he has been telling you over and over that something's wrong,

and you said it was all in his head.

You said, "Be patient." Those were your words.

I understand that you're upset, okay? I get it.

I would be, too, if I were in your shoes.

But we are all in the same boat here, and I just need you to try--

What? Stay calm? Trust you?

No, I want him transferred to a real hospital.

Well, you know that's not possible.

[doctor] He really will get the best treatment here, Mrs. Byers.

[doctor 2] The very best.

[scoffs]

[stammers] And what are you treating him for, exactly?

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with him?

Can a single person in this room tell me what is wrong with my boy?

What is wrong with my boy?

[Owens on recording] You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too.

Just the same as those weeds there.

By whatever means necessary.

[Murray] Whoo-hoo!

-To taking down the man. -[both] To taking down the man.

[jazz song playing on record player]

[sighs]

Commie bastards sure know how to make a spirit. Am I right?

-Oh, no, no, no. We... we can't. -Yeah, no. No, I've got to drive.

Drive? What, tonight?

Our parents...

Would be proud if they knew what you were up to.

Just tell 'em you're at Tammy's or Dawn's or whoever's,

and take my guest room.

-I mean, do... do you want to stay? -Well, it is pretty late.

Okay. Uh... [stammers] Could I use the sofa?

Okay, I'm confused. What's going on here? A lovers' quarrel?

-No, no. I mean, we're just friends. -Friends. [chuckles]

[laughing]

You've told me a lot of shockers today, but that, that is the first lie.

-It's not a lie. -No?

You're young, attractive.

You've got chemistry, history, plus the real shit, shared trauma.

Trust issues, am I right?

Something to do with your dad.

-What? No, I mean, my dad's-- -An asshole.

Hmm. It is a curse to see so clearly.

You, you're harder to read.

Probably, like everyone,

afraid of what would happen if you accepted yourself for who you really are

and retreated back to the safety of...

-Name? Name? -Steve.

Oh. Steve. We like Steve.

Yes. [chuckles]

-But we don't love Steve. -What?

[stammering] No, we... I mean, I do.

There it is, ladies and germs, the second lie of the evening.

So, how'd I do?

[chuckles] My goodness. You two are adorable, aren't you?

Listen... [sighs]

...there's a pull-out sofa in my study if you want it.

But if I were you,

I'd cut the bullshit and share the damn bed.

[song changes]

Afraid.

[sighs]

Trust issues? [scoffs]

Trust issues.

Retreat?

I don't retreat.

Trust issues? I do not... [grunts]

Oh. Hey.

Hey.

I just, uh...

I... I just wanted to say that...

Oh, no, don't-- I mean-- He's so drunk.

-Wasted. [sighs] -Yeah.

I mean, what? He knows us for a couple of hours, and he's got us all figured out?

Exactly.

God. Okay, yeah. I feel... I'm glad we feel the same way.

Yeah. Yeah, it's fine.

[Nancy] Uh...

So, uh, good night, I guess.

Yeah, um, good night.

[grunts]

[sighs]

[grunts]

[sighs]

[imitates kissing and moaning]

Oh, He-Man, thank you for saving my life. What strong muscles you have.

[imitates kissing]

-[sighs] I knew it. -Hey! They're in love!

No, actually, they're not. They don't even exist on the same planet.

Aren't you too old to be playing with toys?

That... that's not the point. The point is to stay out of my room.

Then tell your little nerdy friend to shut his mouth.

What are you talking about?

"Code red, Lucas. Code red. Code red."

Bunch of nerds.

[shudders]

No, no, no, no, no, no.

[breathing heavily] Dustin!

This is Lucas. Do you copy? Dustin?

-Well, well, well, look who it is. -Sorry, man.

My stupid sister turned it off.

Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again,

he escaped, and I'm pretty sure he's a baby Demogorgon.

-Wait. What? -I'll explain later.

-Meet me and Steve at the old junkyard. -Steve?

And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket.

[Lucas] Steve Harrington?

All right, let's go.

Just be there, stat. Over and out.

[retches]

All right, cowboy, good news.

We're giving you the green light.

How you feeling?

Never better.

All right, well, got a present for ya.

-The hell is that? [sniffles] -Uh, something you should see.

[grunts and sighs]

[Owens] Watch your step.

All living organisms develop defense mechanisms against attack.

They adapt. They find some way to survive.

[indistinct chatter]

[Hopper] Oh, my God.

[Owens] It's pretty impressive, isn't it?

It's been spreading,

growing beneath us like some cancer.

-[Hopper] Why aren't you burning it? -[Owens] There's a complication.

[monitor beeping]

[Joyce] They made me sign, like, a thousand documents.

I mean... [stammering] we all had to. We had to.

I mean, I lost track at a certain point.

They're gonna make you do the same. I'm sure.

Yeah. Well, hey, whatever.

What kind of documents?

Uh, confidentiality,

and there were these official forms saying, like, nothing ever happened,

which is why...

Will got lost in the woods.

[Joyce] Yeah.

Man, I always thought stuff like this happened in movies and comic books.

Certainly not in Hawkins, and certainly not to someone like you.

-Or you. -Yeah.

Bob Newby, superhero. [chuckles softly]

[Bob sighs]

You cold?

Uh, just a little jitters, I guess.

Hey, don't you start worrying about me.

-Okay. -Okay? I'm fine.

I'm fine.

It's not like you didn't warn me. "This is not a normal family."

-Isn't that what you said? -Yeah.

-[chuckles] You weren't kidding. -[sighs]

It kinda makes my idea of moving to Maine sound a little less crazy, right?

Oh, it... it's not crazy at all.

[Will] Mom?

[gasps] Hey.

Is there a doctor? We need a doctor!

-Sweetie, how you feeling? You okay? -Okay, they're on their way.

Hey.

-Who is that? -What?

-What? -[chuckles] It's me, big guy. It's Bob.

Are you a...

doctor?

No. No, it's just me. Just... just Bob.

[exhales heavily]

[sighs]

[sniffles]

So, Jonathan, how was the pull-out?

[spits]

Uh, sorry?

The sofa.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was good.

I bet.

Oops. [chuckles]

Mmm.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we just, um...

We just had some fun girl time.

-[Karen] Will you be back for dinner? -Mmm-hmm.

-Yeah, I'll be home real soon. -Say hey to Ally for me.

Okay. All right. I love you, too, Mom. Bye.

She said Mike's at your brother's house. They just had a sleepover. So...

Oh, okay.

Do you wanna try again?

No. No, it's fine. They're probably just at the matinée or something.

Yeah, I'm sure.

For your travels.

And to water it down.

Got it.

Thank you for everything.

Don't thank me yet. Just keep your eyes on the papers, hmm?

And if you need to reach me again...

don't.

-[door slams] -[lock clattering]

[rock song playing in the distance]

[sighs]

[rock song continues playing on TV]

-[doorbell ringing] -Twenty-one.

Twenty-two.

[doorbell continues ringing]

-Max, are you getting that or what? -Okay!

[Billy] Swear to God, Max!

[doorbell continues ringing]

[exhales heavily]

What are you doing here?

-I have proof. -What?

Proof that what I told you was real. But we have to hurry.

What kind of proof?

[rock song continues playing]

Who the hell were you talking to?

Mormons.

Mormons?

Talkative ones.

Come on, hop on.

Hurry.

This better be good, stalker.

[monitor beeping regularly]

Do you know your name?

Will.

-Your full name? -William Byers.

Do you know... Do you know who I am?

A doctor.

Have we met before?

-I don't remember. -[Owens] Hmm.

You don't remember me?

Okay.

How about, uh... How about this guy here?

Know who that is?

It's all right. Take your time.

That's my friend.

Mike.

What about me, kid? You remember me?

They tell me you helped save me last night. You remember that?

Do you remember anything about last night? About what happened?

I remember they hurt me.

[Will groans]

You mean the doctors?

No. The soldiers.

The soldiers hurt you?

They shouldn't have done that.

It upset him.

[Owens] You say, "Upset him." Is that him?

Okay. Okay, I wanna try something.

It's gonna seem a little odd at first,

but I think it's really gonna help us understand what's going on.

Is that okay?

Okay.

Now, Will, I want you to just let us know if you feel anything. Okay?

[soft screeching]

[beeping regularly]

-Do you feel anything? -[stammers] Little sting.

-[Owens] It stings? Where? -[screeches]

[grunts] My chest.

-Okay, son. -Sweetie...

[Will groans]

-How about now? -It... it burns.

-[screeches] -Ah!

-It burns. -[Owens] Where?

[groans] Everywhere.

That's enough. That's enough!

-[screaming] -Stop! You heard her! That's enough!

That's it! We're done!

-Okay. -[monitor beeping rapidly]

Sweetie... Sweetie. It's okay.

[beeping regularly]

Our best guess right now is it's some kind of virus

which is causing this neurological disorder.

Now, when... when a typical virus attaches itself to its host...

[coughs]

...it duplicates, right? It spreads, essentially hijacking the host.

A virus is alive. It has an intelligence.

[growling]

That's not... That's not unusual.

What is so unusual here,

this virus... the infected hosts seem to be communicating.

[screaming]

It has some sort of a hive intelligence, and it's connecting all the hosts.

-[screeches] -[screaming]

The good news is a virus can be cured.

We... we're gonna continue to run tests.

We're gonna see what we find.

What happens when he can't remember anything?

[stutters] When there's nothing else there?

What happens when my boy is gone?

[crying]

[Steve] All right, so let me get this straight.

You kept something you knew was probably dangerous

in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?

All right, that's grossly oversimplifying things.

I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?

An interdimensional slug? Because it's awesome.

Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I... I just...

I don't know. I just feel like you're trying way too hard.

Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?

It's not about the hair, man.

The key with girls is just... just acting like you don't care.

-Even if you do? -Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts.

-Then what? -You just wait until, uh...

-until you feel it. -Feel what?

It's like before it's gonna storm, you know?

You can't see it, but you can feel it, like this, uh...

electricity, you know?

Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere--

No, no, no, no, no. Like a... Like a sexual electricity.

Oh.

You feel that and then you make your move.

So that's when you kiss her?

-No, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo. -Sorry.

Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive.

You know, strong, hot and heavy, like a...

-I don't know, like a lion. -Mmm.

But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy, like a...

like a ninja.

What type is Nancy?

Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls.

Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess.

Yeah. Yeah, she is.

But this girl's special, too, you know. It's just, like, something about her.

-Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey. -What?

You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?

Uh, no. No.

-Okay, good. Don't. -I won't.

She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit.

Fabergé.

What?

It's Fabergé Organics.

Use the shampoo and conditioner, and when your hair's damp...

It's not wet, okay?

-When it's damp... -Damp.

You do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.

-Farrah Fawcett spray? -Yeah, Farrah Fawcett.

You tell anyone I just told you that and your ass is grass.

You're dead, Henderson. Do you understand?

Yup.

[sighs]

Okay.

-Farrah Fawcett, really? -I mean, she's hot.

[Dustin] Yeah.

[flies buzzing]

[static crackling]

[sighing]

Hey, it's, uh...

[sighs]

It's me.

I know that I've been gone too long, and, uh...

It's-- I just, I want you to know that it's not about you

and it's not about our fight.

Okay?

Something came up, and I will... I will explain it all when I see you.

I just ... I want you to know that I'm not mad.

I'm just sorry.

About everything.

I...

I don't want you to get hurt at all.

And I don't wanna lose you.

[sighs]

[sniffles] Just make sure you heat up some real food. Not just Eggos.

And I want you to eat all the peas, even if they're mushy and gross. And...

[sighs]

I will be home soon.

[doctor] This is him last week.

And there are the hippocampal abnormalities we had discussed.

Nothing out of line with what we've seen

from others suffering from post-traumatic stress. But...

this is Will from last night.

And as you can see,

there are now abnormalities in the limbic and paralimbic areas.

And this...

is from an hour ago.

-[stutters] I don't hear any suggestions. -We have bigger problems than the boy.

-Do we? -We can't keep delaying the burn.

You're talking about putting... [stammers] putting a Band-Aid on this.

-Right now, a Band-Aid is the best option. -[doctor] It's our only option.

-And if it kills the boy? -Then quite frankly, Sam, it kills him.

Say that to me again.

The rate this is spreading, he'll be lost by the end of the day.

What we do or don't do won't change the outcome.

We have to start the burn.

Where you going?

I'm going to think.

[Joyce] What the hell is taking so long?

[sighs]

Hey... doctors take forever, always. Just try and relax. Just be patient.

-[exhales heavily] -[monitor beeping]

[sighs and stammers] You know, I just...

[stammers] Let me through. Let me through!

-You know we can't do that. -I need to talk to--

-He'll be with you shortly. -You said that an hour ago.

[monitor beeping rapidly]

[indistinct chatter]

-[screeching] -[Mike] Will.

Will? Will?

What's wrong? Are you hurting again?

[shuddering]

Uh...

I saw something.

In your now-memories?

The shadow monster.

I think I know how to stop him.

[Steve sighs]

Oh, yeah. Yeah, this will do.

This will do just fine.

Good call, dude.

[Lucas] I said medium-well!

Who's that?

[Dustin] You told her?

-So what? -"So what?"

-You wanted to tell her, too. -But I didn't, all right?

We agreed not to tell her and to look for Dart.

-Who you conveniently found. -Are you suggesting that I'm lying?

I'm saying you have a creepy little bond with him.

Yeah, that was before he turned into a Demogorgon.

-And you haven't heard from Mike? -No.

-Or Will? -No.

-Hopper? -No! No one is around.

Why do you think I'm with Steve Harrington?

-Something's-- -Wrong. I agree.

Which is why we need as much help as we can get.

[Max grunting]

[Lucas] She didn't believe me anyway.

You probably didn't tell it right.

That must be it.

So, we good?

Hey! Dickheads! How come the only one helping me out is this random girl?

We lose light in 40 minutes. Let's go. Let's go, I said!

-All right, asshole! God! -Okay! Stupid.

What...

What is all of this?

[breathing heavily] I don't know.

Mom?

Will?

I don't shoot Polaroid.

-What? -It's not mine.

Someone else has been here.

Sam, this is ludicrous.

-Just give him a moment, okay? -We don't have time--

Hey, jackass, why don't you do us all a favor and shut up, okay?

[Will] That's it.

That's what? What... what's there, Will?

I don't know.

I just know he doesn't want me to see there.

I think it's important.

[door hisses]

[radar beeping]

Let's see if this kid's a wizard or schizo, Doc.

First door on your right, gentlemen.

-[soldier 1] I'm guessing a ten. -[soldier 2] Let's not overdo it now.

I read four.

Moving in.

[beeping]

[lighter clicking]

So you really fought one of these things before?

And you're, like, totally, 100% sure it wasn't a bear?

Shit. Don't be an idiot. Okay? It wasn't a bear.

Why are you even here if you don't believe us?

Just go home.

Geesh. Someone's cranky. Past your bedtime?

That's good. Just show her you don't care.

I don't.

Why are you winking, Steve? Stop.

-[Max] It's kinda awesome. -[Lucas] Huh?

[Max] The fog, I mean.

Looks like the ocean.

-You miss it? -What?

The ocean. The waves? California?

-Hawkins seems pretty lame, I bet. -No, no, no, it's not that. It's just...

My dad's still there. So...

-Why? -It's this legal term called "divorce."

See, when two married people don't love each other anymore--

Yeah.

My mom and my stepdad,

they wanted a fresh start away from him.

As if... As if he was the problem, which is total bull.

And things...

are just worse now.

My stepbrother's always been a dick,

but now he's just angry... all the time and...

Well, he can't take it out on my mom, so...

So he takes it out on you?

I don't even know why I'm telling you this.

It's just... I know that I can be a jerk like him sometimes,

and I do not want to be like him. Ever.

I guess I'm angry, too, and...

I'm sorry.

Jesus! What's wrong with me?

Hey. You're nothing like your brother, okay?

You're cool and different. And you're super smart.

-And you're, like, totally tubular. -[chuckles]

-Nobody actually says that, you know. -Well, I do now.

And it makes you seem really cool.

I like talking with you, Mad Max.

And I like talking with you, stalker.

[growling]

-You see him? -No.

Lucas, what's going on?

[Lucas] Hold on!

[low growling]

I've got eyes! Ten o'clock! [stutters] Ten o'clock!

There.

-What's he doing? -I don't know.

[low chittering]

-Wait. You sure that's not a dog? -What?

[chittering continues]

He's not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?

Maybe he's not hungry?

Maybe he's sick of cow.

Steve? Steve, what are you doing?

Steve?

[breathing heavily]

Just get ready.

[metal creaking]

[chittering]

[whistling]

Come on, buddy.

[continues whistling]

-What's he doing? -Expanding the menu.

[Steve] Come on, buddy.

Come on, buddy.

Come on. Dinner time.

Human tastes better than cat, I promise.

He's insane.

He's awesome.

Steve, watch out!

A little busy here!

Three o'clock! Three o'clock!

[growling]

Steve!

Steve! Abort! Abort!

[growls]

[growling]

-Steve, run! -Steve, hurry!

Steve, run!

-[clamoring] -Shit!

[Max] Are they rabid or something?

They can't get in! They can't!

-[monsters growling] -[all screaming]

-[Dustin] Shit! -[screeching]

Is anyone there? Mike? Will? God! Anyone!

-[loud banging] -Shit!

We're at the old junkyard, and we are going to die!

[door clattering]

-[Steve grunts] -[loud banging]

[growls]

[screams]

Out of the way! Out of the way! You want some? Come get this!

[screeching]

[growling]

[monsters growling in distance]

-[loud bang] -Jeez.

[low growling]

What happened?

I don't know.

-Steve scared 'em off? -[Steve] No.

No way.

They're going somewhere.

-[tech] Almost there, ladies. -Roger.

-[static] -[radar beeping]

[soldier] All right, stay frosty, boys.

-Wait. That's where I was. -What?

It's that damn graveyard.

[soldier] Sir, there's nothing here.

Looks like your kid's full of shit, Doc.

[low growling]

[soldier] Got some kind of fog moving in now.

[stammers] I'm sorry.

What? What do you mean, sweetie?

[shuddering]

He made me do it.

Who? Who made you do what?

I told you.

They upset him.

They shouldn't have done that.

They shouldn't have upset him.

The spy.

[cries]

The spy!

We've got movement.

You've got company, fellas.

[beeping]

Whoa, whoa!

I need to get through! It's a trap!

It's a trap! I need to warn them. It's a trap!

[overlapping voices over radio]

[soldier] I can't see shit! Where are they? Where are they?

[tech] They're right on you!

-[soldier] Wait, what? -[soldier 2] What was that?

[shadow monster screeches]

-[clamoring] -[automatic gunfire]

-[beeping rapidly] -[automatic gunfire]

Will, sweets, talk to me. You got to help me understand.

It's too late.

[soldiers screaming]

-[shadow monsters growling] -[soldiers screaming]

[static crackling]

[beeping]

You should go now.

[shadow monsters growling]

They're almost here.

[gasps softly]

[screeches]

[ominous music playing]

[Eleven] Mama? It's me. Jane.

I'm home.

[Terry] No.

Breathe.

[Terry] Sunflower.

-[gunshot] -Rainbow.

-Four-fifty. Three to the right... -Breathe.

[Terry] Four to the left. Sunflower.

-Four-fifty. Rainbow. -Breathe.

-Three to the right. Four to the left. -Breathe.

[Terry] Four-fifty. Sunflower. Rainbow.

[gasps]

Breathe. Sunflower. Rainbow.

Three to the right. Four to the left.

-[exhales] -Okay. You okay?

And it just kept repeating?

Repeat?

Like a circle? Just showing you the same image over and over?

She kept showing the girl in the room.

The rainbow room?

What did the girl look like?

-Different. -Different than you?

I think this is why Mama wanted to talk.

To show you the girl?

I think she wants me to find her.

When Terry was looking for you,

she kept these files of other missing kids.

Kids she thought were like you.

Maybe that girl is in here somewhere.

Here.

Does anyone look familiar?

Is that her?

[static crackling]

-Did you find her? -[exhales]

No.

[fire crackling]

Hello?

[gasps and pants]

Becky! Becky, I found her.

[Becky] I just-- I didn't know who else to call.

He gave me this number, and he came here looking for her.

I thought maybe he could help me.

Yeah, Jim Hopper, he came here with some woman named Joyce Byers?

Well, that's a little hard to explain. Uh...

There's another girl, and she's missing, and I think she's in trouble.

I just-- I didn't know who to call.

Thank you, thank you. And you are?

-Florence... -[door opens]

I'm gonna have to call you back.

Jane? Jane?

Jane?

Jane!

Jane!

Jane!

Four-fifty... Breathe. Sunflower...

[theme music playing]

["Runaway" playing]

♪ On the street where you live Girls talk about their social lives ♪

♪ They're made of lipstick Plastic and paint ♪

♪ A touch of sable in their eyes ♪

♪ All your life all you've asked When's your daddy gonna talk to you ♪

♪ But you were living in another world Trying to get a message through ♪

♪ No one heard a single word you said ♪

♪ They should have seen in in your eyes ♪

Watch it, kid.

Mouth breather.

♪ Ooh, she's a little runaway ♪

♪ Daddy's girl learned fast All those things she couldn't say ♪

♪ Ooh, she's a little runaway ♪

[indistinct chatter and chuckling]

They're dead. [laughing]

They're all dead!

They're all dead! [laughing]

They're all dead!

[people speaking indistinctly]

[Dottie] You should do stand-up, Axe. There's a spot a few blocks away.

Hello?

Well, well...

What do we have here?

[Mick scoffs] What is she wearing?

What are those, overalls?

[Dottie] There aren't any cows to milk here, kid.

Go on back to the farm now.

I'm looking for my sister.

Aw... Shirley Temple lost her sister. So sad.

I saw her. Here.

Uh-uh. Hand out of pocket. Slow.

Give me that shit.

-Is that Kali? -Kali?

How did you find us?

-Who else knows you're here? -No one.

So, what then? Poof! You just show up like magic with that picture?

Stay calm. She's just a kid.

A kid who could get us all killed.

If I have to ask again, Shirley, you'll start losing things.

Starting with those pretty little locks of yours. Yeah?

Come on, Axe. Put down the knife.

How did you find us?

-I saw her. -[Mick] Axe!

That's not an answer.

Jesus. Jesus Christ!

[exclaiming]

Get off! Shit! Shit!

[Kali] You're a terrible dancer, Axel.

I told you, stay out of my head.

So, we're threatening little girls now, are we?

-She knows about you. -She had this.

Where did you get this?

Mama.

Your mother gave this to you?

In her dream circle.

[scoffs] Dream circle. I think she's a schizo or something.

-Says she's looking for her sister. -Yeah. Like I said, schizo.

Jesus!

I saw you.

In the rainbow room.

What is your name?

Jane.

Sister.

Sister.

[Kali] And this memory your mother shared...

that is your only memory of me?

[Eleven] Yes.

[Kali] And how long have you been with this policeman?

[Eleven] Three hundred and twenty-seven days.

And this policeman, he thinks

he can work out some sort of deal with these men to set you free?

Yes.

-He says soon. -He's naïve then.

We'll always be monsters to them. Do you understand?

Let me guess. Your policeman, he also stops you from using your gifts?

What you can do is incredible.

It makes you very special, Jane.

Wait.

-Do you have a gift? -Different.

I can make people see, or not see, whatever I choose.

Is that why you made the man with the crazy hair dance?

-Axel is not so fond of spiders, so... -You made him see spiders?

But it doesn't have to be scary.

This butterfly, it isn't real.

I've just convinced your mind it is.

Think of it as a kind of magic.

Are you real?

Yes, I'm real.

[both chuckle]

What's wrong?

Nothing is wrong.

I just feel... whole... now.

Like... a piece of me was missing,

and now it's not.

Does that make sense?

Yes.

I think your mother sent you here for a reason.

I think she somehow knew that we belong together.

I think this is your home.

Home.

Yes. Home.

[man over radio] This is car 13, responding to a 245 at 31 Ashbury.

[man 2 over radio indistinctly] ...suspect under surveillance.

-[clatters] -[Axel] Shit.

How's your white hick sister? You tuck her in real tight?

Yeah, what about a lullaby? Did you sing her one?

-♪ Old MacDonald had a farm ♪ -[laughing] Yeah.

[all] ♪ E-I-E-I-O ♪

♪ And on his farm he had a cow ♪

She found me with only this.

What's that mean?

It means she can find people without moving.

With nothing but an image.

You telling me Shirley's a human radar detector or some shit?

Or some shit, yes.

Come on. No way.

We'll find out soon enough.

I want to do one. Tomorrow.

-You serious, Kal? -We're way too hot right now.

[sing-song] Paranoid.

Realistic. You don't kill their men and expect them to look the other way.

If they find us, they will unleash hell.

So we give in to fear?

She's in pain. She needs this.

We go out tomorrow.

Swear to God, Shirley Temple's gonna get us all killed.

[Hopper] It's me.

I know that I've been gone too long, and, uh...

I just want you to know that it's not because of you.

And it's not because of our fight.

Something came up,

and, uh, I'll explain everything soon.

I just, um...

I want you to know that I'm not-- I'm not mad at you. I...

I'm just sorry.

It's okay. It's only me.

Bad dream?

What time is it?

It's late.

You slept well. Come.

It's time you meet my friends. Properly this time.

We need more money, Kal. I can't keep eating this garbage.

-This is Axel. -The spider hater?

Yes, the spider hater.

This is Dottie, our newest.

Like you, she just left home.

-[Axel] You mean the loony bin. -[Kali] Mick, our eyes, our protector.

This is Funshine, our warrior.

Don't let his size frighten you. Fun's a teddy bear.

Nice to meet you, Miss Jane.

If you're looking for a number, you won't find one.

They're not like us.

No, not in that way. But like us, they're outcasts.

Outcasts?

-Freaks. -Speak for yourself.

Society left them behind, hurt them, discarded them.

We were dead, all of us.

Kali saved us. Here. And here.

Don't get all mushy on us now, Fun.

No, not mushy. True.

Now we help her.

In this life, kid, you roll over or you fight back.

We're all fighters here.

Fight who?

Everyone you see here was in some way responsible

for what happened to us.

You hurt the bad men?

No, we just give 'em a pat on the back.

You kill them?

They're criminals. We simply make them pay for their crimes.

Boom.

Damn, Shirley. What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost.

We can't all be fighters, I guess.

I'm a fighter. I've killed.

These men you killed, did they deserve it?

-They hurt me. -[screaming]

And they still want to hurt you. To hurt us.

We're just making the first move.

Come.

I was just like you once.

I kept my anger inside.

I tried to hide from it, but then that pain festered.

Festered?

It spread.

Until finally I confronted my pain, and I began to heal.

-Do you see that train? -Yes.

I want you to draw it to us.

[metal creaking]

[Eleven] I can't.

Last night you told me you lifted a van once.

Yes.

The bad men were trying to take you again,

and that made you angry.

Good. So, find that anger,

focus on that, not the train, not its weight.

I want you to find something from your life.

Something that angers you.

-[Max laughs] -Now channel it.

Dig deeper. Your whole life you've been lied to...

-Do I have a mother? -She's not around anymore.

...imprisoned.

Don't walk away from me! Grow the hell up!

[screaming]

The bad men took away your home,

your mother...

Jane. [screaming]

They took everything from you.

Papa!

They stole your life, Jane.

I want you to find them.

[screaming]

[Mick whoops] Yeah!

-[all cheering] -Yeah, Jane!

So, how do you feel?

Good.

These are the bad men, as you call them.

The one's we believe are still alive. Do you know any?

Him.

[Dr. Brenner] Four-fifty...

He hurt Mama.

His name is Ray Caroll. And he did more than hurt your mother.

[electricity crackles]

The bad men like Ray, they know about us.

It's made them hard to track. But maybe not anymore.

[static crackling]

"Gramercy Apartments. Washington and Bethel."

That's gotta be it. Right?

-"Lilburn." Where is that? -About an hour east.

We don't even have a new ride.

So we swap plates. We have plates, right?

-Yeah. -It's risky.

Where's the fun if there's no risk?

We want to give my sister a memorable first day, right?

I'm in. For Miss Jane.

Yeah, sure. Why not? Mick?

Screw it!

["Dead End Justice" playing]

[gun cocks]

Bitchin'.

Bitchin'.

["Dead End Justice" continues playing]

[man] Get off me! Get off me!

["Dead End Justice" continues playing]

What are we doing?

Stocking up.

Hey, your bathroom is leaking.

[man] Oh, shit.

Yes.

Shit.

Okay, contestants, you have a minute and a half,

let's begin your supermarket sweep!

["Dead End Justice" continues playing]

Hey! Put that back, or I'll blow your head off.

-You hear me, freak? -Put the gun down.

Stay back. Stay back.

Darrel, your money is insured.

We're only stealing from the war criminal billionaires who own this place.

-You won't even lose a dime. -I said stay back.

We're on the same side.

-I promise. -Stay back.

-[screams] -[grunts]

-Damn, Shirley. -[police sirens wailing]

Let's go! Go! Go, go, go, go!

Mick! We gotta go, Mick!

We should case the place, stick to the routine. We have time.

We also have her. Can you look?

-He's watching television. -Is he alone?

I saw him. No one else.

-Good enough for me. -Me, too.

Let's do this.

-Keep it running. -Meet you around back.

[screams]

[audience laughing]

Punky, what's the matter?

A nightmare.

I dreamt I was in the doctor's office.

All of a sudden, he's started to give me my shot in my arm.

Then the needle got bigger and bigger and bigger...

[knob clicking]

[Kali] Hello, Ray.

Jesus Christ!

[Funshine] Sit down. Please.

-I said sit. -Please...

Just, please... just take what you want.

[Axel] Oh, we will.

Where's your wallet?

-Bedroom. My bedroom. My jeans. -Come on.

[Dottie] Yes.

[Axel] Got it.

Do you remember us?

What about us? Do you remember us, Ray?

[grunting]

Please. Please.

You hurt Mama.

-[exclaims] -[grunts]

[groans] Wait.

[shakily] Please. Listen...

I just did what he told me to do.

He said she was sick.

You had a choice, Ray.

And you chose to follow a man you knew was evil.

No, wait! No, wait! Wait!

I can help. I can help you find him.

-Find who? -Brenner!

I can take you to him.

Papa is gone.

No, he is alive.

Do not lie to us, Ray.

I'm not lying!

[softly] I swear... [whimpering]

He trusts me.

I'll take you to him.

If he's alive, Jane will find him.

Just as she found you.

Do it, Jane.

-Do it. -Wait.

[choking]

Not too quick.

He wasn't so generous with your mother.

[woman over phone] Sweetie, just stay calm.

[Axel] Oh, shit!

The police are on their way, honey. Okay?

[gasping, coughing]

What's wrong?

-What's wrong? -We got a problem.

[Dottie] Kids in the apartment.

[Ray] Please...

-Did he show your mother mercy? No. -[Ray] Please. No.

-I'm sorry. -He took her from you, without hesitation.

Please don't. Please.

[Axel] We got to go, K. They called the cops.

We finish this first.

-[Axel] Kali! -Jane, now!

[Ray] Please, don't...

Please. Please.

-[gun cocks] -[exclaims]

-[gasps] -[glass shatters]

[police sirens wailing]

[Axel] Kali, we gotta go!

-[Dottie] Shit! -[Axel] Go, go, go!

[Dottie] Shit!

Come on. Get in!

If you wanted to show mercy, that is your choice.

But don't you ever take away mine. Ever.

Do you understand? Do you understand?

[indistinct radio chatter]

[Funshine] I see you, and I raise you ten.

How ya like that?

That was a mistake right there, girl. A mistake.

[Dottie] I think you're full of shit.

[knocking on door]

May I sit?

I was once just like you, you know that?

But that's why I'm hard on you, because I see in you my past mistakes.

They were kids.

Does that excuse that man's sins? Were we not also children?

I remember the day I came to the rainbow room and you were gone.

So, when my gifts were strong enough, I used them to escape.

And I ran.

I ran away as far as I could.

And it was there, far away, that I found a place to hide.

A family.

A home.

Just like you and your policeman.

But they couldn't help me.

So, eventually, I lost them, too.

So, I decided to play the part.

To stop hiding.

To use my gifts against those who hurt us.

You're now faced with the same choice, Jane.

Go back into hiding and hope they don't find you.

Fight, and face them again.

Face who?

The man who calls himself our father.

Papa is dead.

[Dr. Brenner] That man tonight disagreed.

You're not real.

All this time? And you haven't looked for me?

Why?

Because you thought I was dead?

Or because you were afraid of what you might find?

Go away.

You have to confront your pain.

You have a wound, Eleven, a terrible wound.

And it's festering.

Do you remember what that means? Festering?

It means a rot.

And it will grow.

[echoing] Spread.

-Get out of my head. -And eventually, it will kill you.

[screaming] Get out of my head!

[crying]

This isn't a prison, Jane.

You're always free to return to your policeman.

Or stay, and avenge your mother.

Let us heal our wounds together.

-[laughs] Full house. -Screw this. I'm out.

-Out of money, you mean. You are broke! -[laughing]

-You want in, Mick? -[scoffs] Nope.

-Aw, come on! Just one hand. -You're the worst.

[Dottie] How am I the worst?

Because, one hand leads to two hands,

two hands leads to three. Before you know it, I'm as broke as Axel.

-[Dottie] Are you in or out? -[Mick] Out.

Today, tomorrow, the next day.

Maybe we can call you "El." Short for Eleven.

You'd better run! She's our friend, and she's crazy!

[Mike] No, El, you're not the monster.

You saved me, you understand? You saved me.

[Eleven] Compromise?

[Hopper] It's something that's kind of in between. Like halfway happy.

Once we fix it up, it's gonna be nice. Real nice.

This is your new home.

-[grunts] -[beeping]

[echoing] That's where I was. It's a damn graveyard.

I need to get through! I need to get through!

-[Hopper] Whoa! Whoa! -I need to warn them. It's a trap!

I need to get through. It's a trap. I need to tell them it's a trap.

-[Eleven] Mike! -It's a trap! It's a trap!

Mike!

Mike! Mike!

Mike! Mike, where are you?

Mike! Mike!

[loud banging]

[officer] Go, go, go!

Let's go.

[officer] Don't move!

-[Axel] The hell's going on? -They found us!

-Jesus! Jesus Christ! -No, no, no.

Shh...

-[officer 1] Spread left. -[officer 2] Right.

[Funshine] Let's go! Now!

-Hey! Hey! -Jane, come on!

Come on, hurry!

Look out! Look out!

[screaming]

[officer] Get down! Get down!

[Axel] Do something, Kal. Do something!

Jane, get in.

It's a damn graveyard.

-Mike! -It's a trap! It's a trap!

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but I have to go back.

My friends... My friends are in danger.

This isn't time for a talk. We got to go right now!

Your mother sent you here for a reason, remember?

We belong together.

There's nothing for you back there. They cannot save you, Jane.

No.

But I can save them.

Jane. Jane!

Jane!

Jane!

The hell was that? What's wrong with her?

[woman] You all right, sweetie?

You were looking a little forlorn there. You mind if I join you?

Hmm.

[sighs] You are awfully young to be traveling alone, aren't you?

Well, you are quite the chatterbox.

So, where are you headed?

To your parents, I hope?

I'm going to my friends.

I'm going home.

[new wave song playing]

[low growling]

[growling]

Mother of God.

[growling softly]

[snarling]

It's... it's polycarbonate. It can't get through.

[growling]

Mother Mary and Joseph.

[monsters growling]

You sure about that glass?

[alarm blaring]

What the hell?

-We're too late. -What?

We're too late!

What's going on?

We're under attack.

What's going on down there? Does anybody copy?

[man] Hurry!

[alarm continues blaring]

[Owens] Stairs! Stairs!

[elevator bell dings]

[banging on door]

[monsters snarling]

We need to make Will sleep.

-What? -He's a spy. If he knows where we are,

-so does the shadow monster. -He's lying!

He killed those soldiers. He'll kill us, too!

He's lying! He's lying! He's lying! He's lying! He's lying!

[alarm continues blaring]

[elevator bell dings]

[monsters snarling]

Shit!

Those are gunshots!

[Will] He's lying! He's lying!

Okay, Will, Will, listen, listen. Do you know who I am?

Do you know who I am?

You're...

You're... You're Mom.

Hold him down.

No! No! Let go! No! No! Let me go! Let go!

-No, let me go! -[Joyce] I'm sorry.

-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. -Let me go! Let go! Let me go!

No! Let go! Let me go! Let me go!

[alarm continues blaring]

[panting]

[monsters growling]

[banging on door]

We gotta go. We gotta go.

[monster snarls]

[rapid gunfire]

Come on!

[Joyce whimpers]

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

[monsters screeching]

[theme music playing]

[song playing on car radio]

Hey, guys, we're home.

Guys?

Hello?

Max?

[sighs]

[rock music playing]

[Susan knocking on door] Billy?

Yeah, I'm a little bit busy in here, Susan.

[Neil] Open the door. Right now.

What's wrong?

Why don't you tell us?

Because I don't know.

-We can't find Maxine. -And her window's open.

-Where is she? -I don't know.

You don't know? [scoffs]

Look, I'm sure she just, I don't know, went to the arcade or something.

I'm sure she's fine.

[Neil] You were supposed to watch her.

[sighs] I know, Dad. I was.

It's just you guys were three hours late, and, well, I have a date. [sighs]

I'm sorry, okay?

That's why you've been staring at yourself in the mirror

like some faggot instead of watching your sister?

I have been looking after her all week, Dad. Okay?

She wants to run off, then that's her problem, all right?

She's 13 years old. She shouldn't need a full-time babysitter.

-And she's not my sister! -[music stops]

[grunts]

[pants]

What did we talk about?

[Billy groans]

What did we... talk about?

Respect and responsibility.

That is right.

Now, apologize to Susan.

[breathing heavily]

I'm sorry, Susan.

It's okay, Neil, really--

No, it's not okay. Nothing about his behavior is okay.

But he's gonna make up for it.

He's gonna call whatever whore he's seeing tonight

and cancel their date.

And then he's gonna go find his sister.

Like the good, kind, respecting brother that he is.

Isn't that right, Billy?

Isn't that right?

[softly] Yes, sir.

[sighs deeply]

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you.

Yes, sir.

Find Max.

[door closes]

[Lucas] You're positive that was Dart?

[Dustin] Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt.

-He was tiny two days ago. -Well, he's molted three times already.

-Malted? -Molted.

Shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms.

-[Max] When's he gonna molt again? -[Dustin] It's gotta be soon.

When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it.

And so will his friends.

Yeah, and he's gonna eat a lot more than just cats.

Wait, a cat?

-Dart ate a cat? -No, what? No.

What are you talking about? He ate Mews.

Mews? Who's Mews?

-It's Dustin's cat. -Steve!

I knew it! You kept him!

No!

No.

No, I... No, I...

He missed me. He wanted to come home.

-Bullshit! -I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?

-Oh, so now you admit it? -Guys, who cares? We have to go.

I care! You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!

-So did you! -What?

You told a stranger the truth!

[scoffs] A stranger?

You wanted to tell her, too!

-But I didn't, Lucas, okay? -[screeching in distance]

I didn't tell her!

We both broke the rule of law, okay? So we're even. We're even.

No, no! We're not even. Don't even try that.

Your stupid pet could have ate us for dinner!

-[Dustin] That was not my fault! -Guys?

He wasn't gonna eat us.

[Lucas] He was crawling to come say hello?

Guys!

[screeching continues]

[Max] No, no, no. Hey, guys, why are you headed towards the sound?

Hello?

Hello?

[screeching continues]

[Dustin] I don't see him.

[Lucas] It's the lab.

They were going back home.

[growling]

Look, this is us, and this is the nearest exit.

But even if we somehow make it there, there's no way out.

-What do you mean? -The locks are fail secure.

Fail secure?

If there's a power outage, the building goes on lockdown.

Can it be unlocked remotely?

With a computer, sure, but somebody's gotta reset the breakers.

-Where are the breakers? -Breakers are in the basement,

three floors down.

Hey, where are you going?

To reset the breakers.

Okay, then what?

-Then we get out of here. -No, then the power comes back on.

If you wanna unlock the doors, you have to reboot the computer system,

and then override the security codes with a manual input.

Fine, how do I do that?

You can't. Not unless you know BASIC.

I don't know what that means.

-It's a computer programming language. -Teach it to me.

[scoffs] Shall I teach you French while I'm at it, Jim?

How about a little German?

How about you, Doc? You speak BASIC?

No. [sighs]

[scoffs] Okay, I got this.

I got this.

No. Bob.

It's okay.

It's gonna be okay. Remember, Bob Newby, superhero.

[chuckles lightly]

[Hopper grunting]

Okay, grab his walkie.

[Bob grunting and panting]

All right, you know how to use one of these?

[panting] No.

Safety on. Safety off. Point. Squeeze.

Point and squeeze. Okay. Easy-peasy.

If anything happens down there, I want you to come right back up.

Right back here. Listen.

Don't wait for me. As soon as I get those doors open...

-I'm gonna get them out. -Yeah?

I promise.

Okay, well... I'll be in touch.

[Jonathan] Why are the lights off?

[Nancy] Maybe it's closed?

[Jonathan] Security took the night off?

I don't think so.

[Nancy] It's not working?

No! The power's off.

-Jonathan? -What?

[rustling]

I think there's something in the woods.

[whispering] Nancy, stay back.

Hello?

Who's there?

Who's there?

[both] Steve?

-Nancy? -Jonathan.

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here?

We're looking for Mike and Will.

They're not in there, are they? -We're not sure.

Why?

[monsters screeching]

-[air hissing] -[grunts]

[panting]

Keep it together, Bob.

[gasps]

Oh, God.

[panting]

[grunts]

Okay, here we go. [grunts]

[grunts]

He made it.

[indistinct chatter]

-We haven't seen Will-- -I haven't seen him since...

The power's back.

-[Dustin] Let me try. -Hang on--

Let me try, Jonathan!

Son of a bitch! You know what...

-[beeps] -Okay, Bob, can you hear us?

Loud and clear, Doc. Can you hear me back?

[Owens] We hear you.

All right, give me a minute.

[computer beeps]

Open sesame.

[buzzing]

It's open.

Okay.

Hey! I got it! [chuckles]

I got it!

Easy-peasy.

Son of a bitch did it.

Right, I'll meet you outside.

Nice job.

-Hold on a second, Chief. -What's wrong?

West stairwell's not clear anymore.

-What's going on? -We've got some company.

-Where? -The west stairwell.

I got an idea.

What the hell's he doing?

Okay. And splash.

[monster chittering]

Okay. Okay, that worked.

Now, get out of there.

Go! Go!

[grunts]

Wait a second, Chief?

-What? -Take this.

-What are you doing? -Any more surprises, I'll let you know.

-Go. Go! -[sighs]

[panting]

Come on, Bob. Come on.

[Owens] Hey, Bob?

Yeah?

-I'm gonna guide you, okay? -Is there a problem?

No, it's just... It's, uh, getting a little crowded up here,

so we're gonna have to take this slow.

Okay.

All right, just start walking.

Okay, good.

Okay, now, your next right.

Now, keep going, keep going, keep going...

[panting]

Stop!

[panting]

What?

What?

Bob, there's a door on your left, do you see that?

[Bob] Yeah?

-That's a closet. -Okay?

-Yeah, I need you to get in it. -What?

Now! Right now. Get in the closet.

[panting]

[monster growling softly]

[monster growling]

[gasping]

Jesus Christ.

Okay.

How you holding up there, Bob? You all right?

Yeah. Yeah.

You got a pretty clear shot to the front door.

Okay.

You can do this, okay?

You're almost home free, all right, Bob?

[panting]

[thudding]

Run!

[monster screeches]

[screams]

[growling]

[monster screeching]

Bob!

-[panting] -Bob.

[screeching]

[screaming]

[screaming]

No!

No!

[Hopper] Go!

No!

Go!

[Joyce] Bob!

-[door buzzing] -Bob!

No!

-What happened? -No!

-[screeching] -[Joyce] No!

-He's gone! He's gone! -[horn honking]

Come on! Get in!

[screeches]

Guys?

[horn honking]

Let's go.

Come on!

Come on, let's go! Let's go! Come on!

[monsters growling]

I'm sorry, bud.

Sorry I wasn't there. I should have been here.

-[Hopper] Sam Owens. Dr. Sam Owens. -[woman] How many people at the lab?

I don't know how many people are there!

I don't know how many people are left alive!

-Have you contacted the police? -I am the police! Chief Jim Hopper!

Is there a number I can reach you at?

Yes, the number that I gave you, yes.

-Okay, yes, I got it. -6767...

-I will be here. -I'll have them contact you.

They didn't believe you, did they?

We'll see.

"We'll see"? We can't just sit here while those things are loose!

We stay here, and we wait for help.

[knocks softly]

[grunts softly]

Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?

Really?

He petitioned the school to start it and everything.

Then he had a fund-raiser for equipment.

Mr. Clarke learned everything from him.

Pretty awesome, right?

[Dustin and Lucas] Yeah.

We can't let him die in vain.

What do you want to do, Mike?

The Chief's right on this.

We can't stop those Demo-dogs on our own.

Demo-dogs?

Demogorgon dogs.

Demo-dogs.

It's like a compound.

It's like a play on words--

Okay.

-I mean, when it was just Dart, maybe... -But there's an army now.

-[Dustin] Precisely. -His army.

What do you mean?

His army.

Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too.

-[Dustin] The shadow monster. -It got Will that day on the field.

The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him.

And so this virus, it's connecting him to the tunnels?

To the tunnels, monsters, the Upside Down, everything.

Whoa. Slow down. Slow down.

Okay, so, the shadow monster's inside everything.

And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will.

-And so does Dart. -Yeah. Like what Mr. Clarke taught us.

-The hive mind. -Hive mind?

A collective consciousness. It's a super-organism.

And this is the thing that controls everything. It's the brain.

Like the mind flayer.

-[Max] The what? -What?

The mind flayer.

What the hell is that?

It's a monster from an unknown dimension.

It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home.

Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions

by taking over their brains using its highly-developed psionic powers.

Oh, my God, none of this is real. This is a kids' game.

No, it's a manual. And it's not for kids.

And unless you know something that we don't,

this is the best metaphor--

Analogy.

Analogy? That's what you're worried about?

Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is.

Okay, so this mind flamer thing--

-Flayer. Mind flayer. -[sighs]

What does it want?

To conquer us, basically.

It believes it's the master race.

[stammers] Like the Germans?

Uh, the Nazis?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Nazis. -Uh...

If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally.

Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself.

It wants to spread, take over other dimensions.

We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it.

That's great. That's great. That's really great. Jesus!

Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that's controlling everything,

then if we kill it...

We kill everything it controls.

-We win. -Theoretically.

Great. So how do you kill this thing? Shoot it with Fireballs or something?

[chuckles] No. No, no Fire-- No Fireballs.

Uh, you summon an undead army, uh, because...

[stammering] ...because zombies, you know, they don't have brains,

and the mind flayer, it... it... It likes brains.

-It's just a game. It's a game. -What the hell are we doing here?

I thought we were waiting for your military backup.

We are!

How are they gonna stop this?

You can't just shoot this with guns.

You don't know that! We don't know anything!

We know it's already killed everybody in that lab.

We know the monsters are gonna molt again.

We know that it's only a matter of time before those tunnels reach this town.

[Joyce] They're right.

We have to kill it.

I want to kill it.

-Me, too. -I--

Me, too, Joyce, okay?

But how do we do that?

We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here.

[Mike] No. But he does.

If anyone knows how to destroy this thing, it's Will.

He's connected to it. He'll know its weakness.

[Max] I thought we couldn't trust him anymore.

That he's a spy for the mind flayer now.

Yeah, but he can't spy if he doesn't know where he is.

Yeah, this'll work.

[grunting]

Hey.

What you did, um, helping the kids...

that was... really cool.

Yeah.

Those little shits are real trouble, you know?

Believe me, I know.

[Dustin] Hey.

I'm... I'm sorry about Dart and all.

I guess I just thought that he was my friend.

I was wrong.

I broke the rule of law,

so if you want your girlfriend to take over my spot in the party, I understand.

She's not my girlfriend.

I saw you two holding hands in the bus, Lucas.

She was just scared.

Maybe, but I could feel it.

Feel what?

The electricity.

[sighs]

I get why El was your mage now.

What?

Lucas. He told me all about her.

Well, he shouldn't have.

And just because you know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our party.

You do know that, right?

Yeah, I know.

I mean, why would you want a stupid zoomer in your party anyway?

I'm just saying, El?

She sounds like she was really awesome.

Yeah, she was.

Until that thing took her.

Just like it took Bob.

You sure this is gonna work?

He knew who I was.

He's still in there.

It's gonna work.

It has to.

-All right, you ready? -[Joyce] Yeah.

[gasps]

If he finds out where we are...

will he send those dogs after us?

He won't find out.

Yeah, but, if he does...

Judgment day.

[grunts] What? What? What is this?

What? What is this?

Why am I tied up?

Will, we just wanna talk to you.

We're not gonna hurt you.

Where am I?

You recognize this?

Do you recognize this?

[Joyce] Hey.

We wanna help you.

But to do that, we have to understand how to kill it.

Why am I tied up?

Why am I tied up?

Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up?

[Hopper] Hey.

Why am I tied up? Why am I tied up?

Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

[screams] Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

Let me go...

Go...

Go...

Do you know what March 22nd is?

It's your birthday.

Your birthday.

When you turned eight, I gave you that huge box of crayons.

Do you remember that?

It was 120 colors.

And all your friends, they got you Star Wars toys,

but all you wanted to do was draw with all your new colors.

And you drew this big spaceship, but it wasn’t from a movie.

[stammers] It was your spaceship.

A rainbow ship is what you called it.

And you must have used every color in the box.

I took that with me to Melvald's

and I put it up and I told everyone who came in,

"My son drew this."

And you were so embarrassed. [chuckles]

But I was so proud.

I was so, so proud.

[breathing shakily]

Do you remember the day Dad left?

We stayed up all night building Castle Byers...

just the way you drew it.

And it took so long because you were so bad at hammering.

[both chuckle]

You'd miss the nail every time.

And then it started raining, but we stayed out there anyway.

We were both sick for like a week after that.

But we just had to finish it, didn't we?

We just had to.

[Mike] Do you remember the first day that we met?

It was... It was the first day of kindergarten.

I knew nobody.

I had no friends and...

[sniffling] I just felt so alone and so scared, but...

I saw you on the swings and you were alone, too.

You were just swinging by yourself.

And I just walked up to you and...

I asked.

I asked if you wanted to be my friend.

And you said yes.

You said yes.

It was the best thing I've ever done.

Will, baby...

if you're in there, just please... please talk to us.

Please, honey, please, can you do that for me?

-Please. I love you so much. -[breathing shakily]

Let me go.

-[Joyce sighs] -[Mike sniffles]

[tapping]

[Dustin] What happened?

[sighs] I think he's talking, just not with words.

[Steve] What is that?

[boys] Morse code.

H-E-R-E.

Here.

Will's still in there. He's talking to us.

["Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" playing]

Do you remember the first time I played you this?

Mom and Dad were both arguing in the next room.

So I played you the mix tape I made you.

And it was the first time you got into music. Real music.

Dash, dot, dash, dot.

-Yeah, got it. -C.

And then the party escaped into the sewers,

and there were those big insect things, and you guys were still on level one.

[beeping]

L.

O.

Then you cast Fog Cloud and you saved us.

You saved the whole party.

-[beeping] -S.

You saw that little girl and she was in the sandbox

and she was crying.

E.

You gave him your Tonka Truck

and I told you we couldn't afford to buy another one.

G.

You said she should have it because she's sad.

"She's sad, Mommy."

A.

-I love you so much. -T.

So, so much.

E.

[all] "Close gate."

[phone ringing]

Shit. Shit.

[telephone continues ringing]

[grunts]

-[sighs] -[Max] Do you think he heard that?

It's just a phone. It could be anywhere. Right?

-Hey. Hey, can you hear me? -[breathing heavily]

[panting]

It knows. It knows where we are.

[Joyce] Oh, shit.

[monsters screeching in distance]

That's not good.

-[Jonathan] They're coming! -What?

-[Hopper] Come on. We gotta go. -[Jonathan] Come on.

-[Hopper] We gotta go. -Okay.

Come on, come on. Let's go. Let's go.

Hey. Hey, get away from the windows!

-Do you know how to use this? -What?

Can you use this?

I can.

[screeching in distance]

[Max] Where are they?

[monsters growling]

[loud thudding]

What are they doing?

[snarling]

[monster groaning]

[monster screeching]

[screeching stops abruptly]

[screeches]

[all scream]

[Dustin] Holy shit.

Is it dead?

[door creaks]

[theme music playing]

Eleven.

Mike. [gasps]

Is that...

I never gave up on you.

I called you every night. Every night for--

353 days.

I heard.

Why didn't you tell me you were there?

-That you were okay? -[Hopper] Because I wouldn't let her.

-The hell is this? Where you been? -Where have you been?

You've been hiding her.

-You've been hiding her this whole time! -Hey!

Let's talk.

Alone.

-Protecting her! Protecting her? -Listen. Listen to me.

The more people know about her, the more danger she's in.

And the more danger you and your family are in--

So I should be thanking you?

I'm not asking you to thank me! I'm asking you to try to understand.

I don't! I don't understand!

That's fine. That's fine! Just do not blame her!

All right? She's upset enough as it is.

I don't blame her! I blame you! I blame you!

That's okay, kid. That's okay.

No! Nothing about this is okay!

-Nothing about this is okay! -Oh, jeez--

You're a stupid, disgusting,

-lying piece of shit! -Okay. All right! Stop it.

-Liar! Liar! Liar! -Stop it. It's okay.

-Stop it! Stop it! -[crying] Liar! Liar!

You're okay, kid. You're okay.

I'm sorry, kid.

-[Lucas] We missed you. -I missed you, too.

[Dustin] We talked about you pretty much every day.

Teeth.

-What? -You have teeth.

Oh. You like these pearls? [purrs]

[Max] Eleven?

Hey. Um, I'm Max.

I've heard a lot about you.

-[sighs] Hey. Hey, sweetheart. -[cries]

[sniffles] Hey.

Can I see him?

[sighs]

He's not doing well.

I know.

I saw.

What else did you see?

You opened this gate before, right?

Yes.

Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?

[roars and screeches]

[theme music playing]

♪ Memories ♪

♪ Light the corners of my mind ♪

[doorbell rings]

♪ Misty water-colored memories ♪

-[doorbell rings] -♪ Of the way we were ♪

Ted! Would you please get that?

[snoring]

[doorbell continues ringing]

-[doorbell continues ringing] -Ted!

♪ Of the smiles we left behind ♪

[doorbell ringing rapidly]

Hold on, please.

-Oh. Hi. -Hi.

I, uh, didn't realize Nancy had a sister.

[chuckles]

What's so funny?

I'm Nancy's mother.

-No. -Yes. [chuckles]

Mrs. Wheeler.

[stammers] Um, I'm sorry, and you are?

Billy. Billy Hargrove.

You must be here for Nancy.

Nancy? No, no, no. Not my type. Uh...

No, actually, I am looking for my little sister Max.

Goes by Maxine.

She's been missing all day, and, uh, to be honest with you,

-I've been worried sick, you know, so... -Oh.

I thought she was at Lucas', but Mrs. Sinclair said your house is the...

the designated hangout, so, you know...

Here I am.

Their driveway is pretty dark this time of night.

So drive slowly.

Always.

And when you see Mike, tell him to come home already, okay?

You're a real lifesaver, you know that?

Anytime.

-♪ Do believe it ♪ -I'll see you later.

♪ Do believe that I'm falling in love ♪

-Hmm. -♪ Do believe it ♪

♪ Do believe that I'm falling in love ♪

♪ Do believe it ♪

♪ Do believe that I'm falling in love ♪

[Hopper sighs] It's not like it was before. It's grown.

A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there.

The place is crawling with those dogs.

Demo-dogs.

-[sighs] I'm sorry, what? -I said, uh, Demo-dogs.

Like Demogorgon and dogs.

You put them together, it sounds pretty badass--

How is this important right now?

It's not. I'm sorry.

I can do it.

You're not hearing me.

I'm hearing you. I can do it.

Even if El can, there's still another problem.

-If the brain dies, the body dies. -I thought that was the whole point.

It is, but if we're really right about this...

I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army...

Will's a part of that army.

Closing the gate will kill him.

-[Joyce] He likes it cold. -[Hopper] What?

It's what Will kept saying to me.

He likes it cold.

We keep giving it what it wants.

If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then...

Then we need to make the host uninhabitable.

[Nancy] So if he likes it cold...

We need to burn it out of him.

We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time.

Yeah, somewhere far away.

Take Denfield, then you'll see a large oak tree.

You're gonna swing a right. That road is gonna dead-end.

And it's about a five-minute walk from there.

[panting] Okay. Denfield to oak tree. Swing a right.

That's it. But it's channel ten, right?

It's channel ten. Listen...

You let me know when that thing is out of him.

You should go with him.

-What? -With Jonathan.

No, I'm... [scoffs] I'm not just gonna leave Mike.

No one's leaving anyone.

I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but...

turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter.

Steve...

It's okay, Nance.

It's okay.

I...

Just be careful, okay? I can't lose you again.

You won't lose me.

Do you promise?

Promise.

El... Come on, let's go. It's time.

[sighs deeply]

Okay.

[engine starts]

So, what, we're just not gonna talk about it, huh?

About what?

Oh, I don't know. I'm just curious, you know,

why all of a sudden you look like some kind of MTV punk.

I'm not mad, kid. I just want to know where you've been.

That's all.

To see Mama.

Okay.

-How'd you get there? -A truck.

A truck?

A big truck.

A big truck? Whose truck was it?

-A man's. -A man's?

A nice man.

Okay. So let me just get this straight in my head.

So a nice man in a big truck,

he drove you to your mama's, and then what?

Your Aunt Becky gave you those clothes and that makeup?

I...

I shouldn't have left.

Mmm-mmm.

No.

No, this isn't on you, kid. I should've been there.

I should never have lied to you about your mom.

Or about when you could leave.

A lot of things I shouldn't have done.

Sometimes I feel like I'm...

[inhales sharply]

Like I'm just some kind of black hole or something. [sighs]

A black hole?

Yeah, it's a... You know, it's this thing in outer space.

It's like, it sucks everything towards it and destroys it.

Sarah had a picture book about outer space. She loved it.

Who's Sarah?

Sarah?

Sarah's my girl.

She's my little girl.

Where is she?

Well, that's kind of the thing, kid. She, uh...

She left us.

-Gone. -Yeah.

The black hole. It got her.

And somehow...

I've just been scared, you know?

I've just been scared that it would take you, too.

I think that's why I get...

so mad.

I'm so sorry.

For everything.

I could be so... so...

Stupid?

[chuckling] Yeah. Stupid.

-[chuckles] -Just really stupid.

I've been stupid, too.

I guess we broke our rule.

[chuckles softly]

I don't hate it, by the way.

This whole...

look.

It's kinda cool.

Bitchin'.

Okay. Sure.

-Bitchin'. -[chuckles and sniffles]

[monster roaring in distance]

All right.

[sighs] It should fit now.

Is this really necessary?

Yes, it is, okay? This is a ground-breaking scientific discovery.

We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog.

All right, all right, all right.

But you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?

Christ. Help me out.

-What am I supposed to do? -Get the door, man.

All right, I got the door.

-Ew. Jesus-- -God--

[panting]

Phew!

Mike, would you just stop already?

You weren't in there, okay, Lucas?

That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs.

-Demo-dogs! -[Lucas] The chief will take care of her.

Like she needs protection.

Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game,

bottom line, you execute it. All right?

Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game.

And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench.

[stammers] So my point is...

Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do.

That's not entirely true.

I mean, these Demo-dogs, they have a hive mind.

When they ran away from the bus, they were called away.

-If we get their attention... -Maybe we can draw them from the lab.

Clear a path to the gate.

Yeah, and then we all die.

That's one point of view.

No, that's not a point of view, man. That's a fact.

I got it!

This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel. So...

Here, right here. This is like a hub.

So you got all the tunnels feeding in here.

Maybe if we set this on fire...

Oh, yeah? That's a no.

-The mind flayer would call away his army. -They'd all come to stop us.

-We circle back to the exit. -Guys.

-By the time they realize we're gone-- -El would be at the gate.

Hey. Hey! Hey! This is not happening.

-But-- -No, no, no, no, no.

No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe,

and that's exactly what I plan on.

We're staying here. On the bench.

And we're waiting for the starting team to do their job.

Does everybody understand?

This isn't a stupid sports game.

I said does everybody understand that?

I need a yes.

[engine revving]

[rock music playing on car radio]

[Max] It's my brother.

He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us.

[tires screech]

[music stops playing]

Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?

Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants.

-[car door slams] -What are you doing here, amigo?

I could ask you the same thing.

Amigo.

Looking for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here.

Huh, that's weird. I don't know her.

Small? Redhead? Bit of a bitch.

Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry, buddy.

[sighs] You know, I don't know, this...

[clicks tongue] This whole situation, Harrington, I don't know.

It's giving me the heebie-jeebies.

Oh, yeah? Why's that?

My 13-year-old sister goes missing all day.

And then I find her with you in a stranger's house.

And you lie to me about it.

[chuckles]

Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what?

I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said.

She's not here.

Then who is that?

[exclaims] Shit! Did he see us?

Oh, shit. Listen--

-I told you to plant your feet. -[groans]

Well, well, well.

Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise.

I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max.

-Billy, go away. -You disobeyed me.

And you know what happens when you disobey me.

-Billy... -I break things. [grunts]

-[indistinct yelling] -Billy! Stop! Billy! Stop!

Get off of me, you--

Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will.

You stay away from her.

Stay away from her! You hear me?

-I said get off me! -[groans]

So dead, Sinclair! You're dead.

No. You are.

-[groans] -[chuckles]

Steve!

[laughing]

Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?

I've been waiting to meet this King Steve

everybody's been telling me so much about.

Get out.

-Yes! Kick his ass, Steve! -[Mike] Get him!

[Dustin] Murder the son of a bitch!

-[Dustin] Now! Now! -[Mike] Get that shithead!

-[laughs] -[Dustin] Kill the son of a bitch!

-[Lucas] Steve! -[Max] Billy!

[Mike] Holy shit!

-Shit! -[Steve groans]

-No one tells me what to do! [grunts] -[groans]

Whoo! Get up!

-[kids yelling] -[Dustin] You're gonna kill him.

[inaudible]

[Billy grunts]

[gasping]

The hell is this?

[echoing] You little shit, what did you do?

What did you do?

[Mike] Shit.

[laughing]

From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?

Screw you.

Say you understand! Say it! Say it!

I understand.

-What? -I understand.

[bat clatters]

Let's get out of here.

It's actually kinda nice.

We'll do it here.

Are you sure this is a good idea?

This thing has had Will long enough.

Let's kill the son of a bitch.

[Hopper grunts]

[monsters growling]

-[snarls] -Papa!

[screams]

All right. You let me do the heavy lifting up front, all right?

You save your strength till we're below.

You okay?

-[tires screeching] -[engine revving]

[liquid sloshing]

Nancy?

-[groaning] -[Dustin] No, don't touch it.

Hey, buddy... [shushing]

It's okay. You put up a good fight.

He kicked your ass, but you put up a fight.

-You're okay. -[groans]

[Lucas] Okay, you're gonna keep straight for a half a mile,

then make a left on Mount Sinai.

[Steve] What's going on?

Oh, my God!

Just relax. She's driven before.

-Yeah, in a parking lot. -That counts.

They were gonna leave you behind.

Oh, my God.

I promised that you'd be cool, okay?

[Steve] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?

Oh, my God. No! Whoa! Stop the car. Slow down.

-I told you he'd freak out. -Stop the car!

Everybody shut up! I'm trying to focus!

Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left.

-What? -Make a left.

-[tires screeching] -[all screaming]

[gasps]

[breathing heavily]

What's happening?

[grunts] It hurts.

[groaning and screaming] It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!

Let me go! Let me go! It hurts!

It hurts! Let me go! Let me go! It hurts!

-Mom. -No!

[screaming]

Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!

[engine revving]

[yells] Hello!

-[Dustin] Whoa! -Incredible.

I told you. Zoomer.

[Steve groans]

Guys.

Oh, no. Guys.

Hey, where do you think you're going?

What are you, deaf? Hello?

We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear.

Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right?

This ends right now!

[Dustin] Steve, you're upset, I get it.

But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance,

and it is our duty to provide that assistance.

Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe.

So, keep us safe.

[sighs]

[Steve grunts]

Holy shit.

[Mike] Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way.

[Dustin] You're pretty sure, or you're certain?

[Mike] I'm 100% sure. Just follow me and you'll know.

[Steve] Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, hey, hey, hey. I don't think so.

[Mike] What?

Any of you little shits die down here, I'm getting the blame. Got it, dipshit?

From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go.

Come on.

Hey, a little hustle.

[alarm blaring]

[Hopper panting]

Stay here.

Oh, shit.

Hey, Doc.

[Owens sighs]

[sighs] Those suckers got you pretty good, huh?

It's okay, don't talk.

Don't talk. I got you. I got you. I got you.

[grunts]

Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to tell you.

This is Eleven. Eleven, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven.

She's been staying with me for about a year

and she's about to save our asses.

Maybe when this is all said and done,

maybe you could help her out, too, you know?

Maybe you could help her lead, like, a normal life.

One where she's not poked and prodded and...

treated like some kind of lab rat, you know?

I don't know, just a thought.

[groans]

But, uh... think about it.

Don't go anywhere.

[chuckles softly]

[Lucas] God.

[Max] What is this place?

[Steve] Guys, come on. Keep moving.

What the hell?

[screaming] Shit!

-Help! Help! Help! -[Mike] Dustin.

[Dustin] Shit!

-[Lucas] Dustin! -[Max] Dustin!

[Steve] What happened?

[whimpers] It's in my mouth! Some got on my mouth! Shit!

[coughing]

I'm okay.

-You serious? -Very funny, man.

-Nice. Very nice. -Jesus, what an idiot.

Hang on. Wait, wait.

[Steve] All right, Wheeler.

I think we found your hub.

[Mike] Drench it.

[screaming]

It's not working. It's not working. Mom, are you listening to me?

-Just wait! -How much longer?

Look... look at him!

-Jonathan, wait! -You're killing him!

[Joyce] Just wait!

-No! -No, leave it!

-You're killing him! -Leave it!

Wait, Jonathan, Jonathan! His neck! His neck!

[choking]

No, no, no, no.

[monster roaring]

Stay here.

[breathing heavily]

[growling]

-[Steve] You ready? -[Mike] Yeah.

-[Lucas] Ready. -[Max] Ready.

[Dustin] Light her up.

[Steve panting] I am in such deep shit.

-[Will grunting] -[Joyce choking]

-[yelps] -[gasping]

All right.

Get the hell out of my son!

[screaming]

[monsters shrieking]

-[Steve] Go, go, go! -[Dustin yelling]

[shrieking]

Let's go, let's go!

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[all growling]

[Will screaming]

[Joyce crying] Will, baby.

Will. Will.

-Please, Will. Will. -Come on, buddy.

-Please. Can you hear me? -Come on.

-Come on. -Please. Will.

[Joyce gasps]

Mom?

-[gasps] -Oh, honey. Oh, God.

[Jonathan] Chief, are you there? Chief, do you copy?

Yeah, I copy.

[panting] Close it.

[Steve] Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Hey, this way!

[Mike grunts]

Help! Help! Help! Help!

[Mike] Help! Help!

-[Steve] Hold on! -[Dustin] Steve, pull him out.

[Lucas] Everybody back! Back!

[Steve grunting]

-[Lucas] You good? -[Dustin] You okay?

-[Steve] Guys, we gotta go! -[Dart growling]

[Dustin] Dart.

[indistinct chatter]

[Dustin] Shh. Stop.

-[Max] Dustin, get back. -[Dustin] Trust me, please.

Hey. It's me, it's me. It's just your friend, it's Dustin.

It's Dustin, all right?

You remember me?

-Will you let us pass? -[snarls]

Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar.

That was a pretty douchey thing to do.

You hungry? Yeah?

-[Lucas] He's insane. -[Mike] Don't.

[Steve] Shut up.

I've got our favorite. See? Nougat.

[grunts]

Look at that. Yummy. Here, all right?

Eat up, buddy. Come on. Come on.

[whispering] Let's go.

There's plenty. I've got more.

[Dart chomping and slurping]

Goodbye, buddy.

Let's go, let's go!

[Kali] I want you to find something from your past,

something that angers you.

Now channel it.

[screams] Papa!

[rumbling]

Jesus!

[monster roaring]

[Max] What was that?

[monster roaring]

[Mike] They're coming.

[Mike] Run! Run!

Let's go! Let's go!

Come on, Mike! Move, Mike!

-[Lucas] There, there! -[Mike] Come on! Let's go.

Go, go, go! Let's go! Come on! Come on!

-[Max grunts] -Come on!

Come on, hurry up! Come on!

[panting]

Come on, come on, come on!

[Max] Lucas, come on. Reach for my hand.

[Lucas] Come on. Pull him.

[monsters shriek]

Oh, shit.

[Steve] Here.

Dustin! Come on!

[Dustin] No!

[gasps]

[monsters growling]

[Dustin] This is...

Eleven.

-[clanging] -[gunfire]

Oh, shit!

[rifle clicks]

You have a wound, Eleven.

A terrible wound.

The gate, I opened it.

-[Dr. Brenner] And it's festering. -[Eleven] I'm the monster.

And it will grow.

-Spread. -[screams]

Papa!

[screaming]

And eventually, it will kill you.

-[screaming] -Jane!

[screaming]

[continues screaming]

[sniffles and cries]

You did good, kid. [sighs]

You did so good.

[Hopper panting]

[police radio chatter]

[police radio chatter]

[reporter] Since the release of the incendiary tape,

the once quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana,

has spent time in a place it never expected.

The national spotlight.

[chuckles]

[reporter] Under mounting pressure, several high-ranking members

from the U.S. Department of Energy

have admitted involvement in the death and cover-up

of Hawkins resident Barbara Holland who died due to exposure

to an experimental chemical asphyxiant,

which had leaked from the grounds of the lab.

We sent our own April Kline to Hawkins to speak to residents,

residents who told us they thought they lived in a safe town.

The kind of town where, they say, nothing ever happens.

Chief-o.

-How's the leg? -Better.

Pretty sure my football career is over.

[both chuckle lightly]

Want some? No way I'm gonna finish it.

No. I'm, uh... on a diet.

Well, you're a better man than me.

-Hey, got a little something for you. -[Hopper sighs]

I thought--

Sometimes I impress even myself.

Still, I'd let things cool off for a while, if I were you.

How long is a while? [sniffles]

Want to be safe? I give it a year.

A year?

What about one night out?

One night?

Yeah. How risky would that be?

What's so important about one night?

♪ Jingle bell, jingle bell Jingle bell rock ♪

♪ Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time ♪

[Joyce] Yeah, you got it. See?

[Will] Mom!

[Joyce laughs] Wow!

♪ Jingle bell, jingle bell Jingle bell rock ♪

♪ Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time ♪

Do you always have to be filming everything?

No, no. Just the good stuff. [chuckles]

Are you sure people still dance like this?

Yeah. It's just what's happening.

Is it what's happening?

Yeah, yeah, it's what's happening.

[camera shutter clicks]

Oh, wait.

All right, that's enough.

-One more, okay? Just one more. -Why?

-You look so handsome. -Mom!

Mike.

-♪ Jingle around the clock ♪ -Hey... wanna dance?

-♪ Mix and a-mingle... ♪ -No.

We should, you know, get out there, like, do our thing... Stop.

♪ Jingle bell, jingle bell Jingle bell rock ♪

-♪ Jingle bells chime ♪ -I love this song.

-♪ In jingle bell time ♪ -You?

Yeah, I love it. But not as much as I love you, Lukey.

-Get out of my room! -[door slams]

-Ow, ow. That hurts. -[song continues]

It's gonna be worth it. Promise.

-♪ To rock the night away ♪ -[Susan sighs]

♪ Jingle bell time is a swell time ♪

-♪ To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh ♪ -See? Pretty.

-Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! -♪ Giddy-up jingle horse... ♪

Where did you see it last?

Right here, where I put it.

What's in there that's so important anyway?

You look fabulous, baby.

-♪ That's the jingle bell ♪ -Got it.

♪ That's the jingle bell.. ♪

-[doorbell rings] -That's your ride. Dusty!

[song ends]

[exhales] Okay.

All right, buddy, here we are.

So, remember, once you get in there...

Pretend like I don't care.

-You don't care. -I don't care.

There you go. You're learning, my friend. You're learning.

-Hey. -What?

Come on. You look great, okay? You look... You look great.

-Okay? Now you're gonna go in there... -Yeah.

-Look like a million bucks. -Yeah.

And you're gonna slay 'em dead.

Like a lion.

[purrs]

Don't do that, okay?

Okay.

Good luck.

[dance music playing]

[exhales]

-Looking very snazzy tonight, sir. -Thank you, my lord.

-Hey, Nance. -Hey.

-What's in this? -Pure fuel.

Holy shit. What happened to you?

-What do you mean, "What happened"? -What?

-Dude. -Your hair.

Is there a bird nesting in there?

What do you mean, "What's wrong"?

There's no bird nesting in here, asshole. Okay?

I worked hard.

[slow romantic song playing]

[exhales]

Max...

Hey.

Um, it's nice, right?

You want to, um...

You want to, like... You know?

Like, just you and me?

Are you trying to ask me to dance, stalker?

No, of course not.

-Unless you want to. -[chuckles]

So smooth. Come on.

[girl] Hey, Zombie Boy.

Do you want to dance?

[stammering] Um... I don't...

-I mean... I mean, yeah. Sure. -Cool.

[exhales] Wish me luck, Mike. I'm going in.

[clicks tongue]

[indistinct chatter]

-[clears throat] Stacy. -He just broke up with Jennifer.

-Plus he's, like, not my type. -[clears throat] Stacy.

Yeah?

[clears throat]

Shall we?

-Um, no, thanks. [chuckles] -[girls laugh]

[exhales]

Oh, my God.

-Hey. -Hey.

-Wanna dance? -What?

Come on. Let's go.

Here. Mmm-hmm.

Closer.

A little closer. Okay.

Now feel the music.

The rhythm.

Start to move to it.

Yeah. There.

-Good? -That's good. Yeah.

Okay.

You know, out of all of my brother's friends,

you're my favorite.

-You've always been my favorite. -Really?

Yeah. [chuckles]

[girls murmuring]

Girls this age are dumb.

But give them a few years, and they'll wise up.

And, uh, you're gonna drive them nuts.

-You think so? -Oh, I know so. [chuckles]

-Hey. -Hey.

Thought I might find you out here.

Will wanted me to give him some space, so...

I'm giving him a few feet. [chuckles]

What do you say?

I'm pretty sure that Mr. Cooper retired in the '70s, so...

we might be okay.

[inhales sharply]

[coughs]

How are you holding up?

-You know. -Yeah.

That feeling never goes away.

It is true what they say, you know.

Every day it does get a little easier.

♪ Every breath you take ♪

♪ Every move you make ♪

♪ Every bond you break Every step you take ♪

♪ I'll be watching you ♪

♪ Every single day ♪

♪ Every word you say ♪

You look beautiful.

Do you wanna dance?

I don't know how.

I don't either.

Do you want to figure it out?

♪ My poor heart aches ♪

♪ With every step you take ♪

Like this.

Yeah, like that.

♪ Every vow you break ♪

♪ Every smile you fake Every claim you stake ♪

♪ I'll be watching you ♪

♪ Since you've gone I been lost without a trace ♪

♪ I dream at night I can only see your face ♪

♪ I look around But it's you I can't replace ♪

♪ I feel so cold And I long for your embrace ♪

♪ I keep crying baby, baby, please ♪

[song fading]

[theme music playing]