Hey there.
- Quick! Hold it, Robin! - I got it.
- Get it! - Kill it! Kill it!
Shit!
Yeah! Come on!
Nancy!
Come on! Please!
Nancy, behind you! Watch out!
Oh my God, Nance!
Robin, get it off me!
Got it, got it, got it!
God damn it! Shit!
Let go!
Come here!
- No! - Get it!
- Nancy! - Go to hell!
Come on, come on, come on, you son of a bitch!
I said come on! Let's go!
- Steve! - Jesus Christ.
Jesus H. Christ!
Are you okay?
Well, they took about a pound of flesh.
But other than that,
yeah, never better.
Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?
- What? - It's just that rabies are, like,
my number one greatest fear.
And I think we should get you to a doctor soon
because once symptoms set in, it's too late. You're already dead.
All right. There's not that many.
We can take 'em.
Right?
You were saying?
The woods. Come on.
Great.
More running.
How'd you sleep, Mr. Wallace?
Have you
reconsidered your position?
Where's the girl?
Perhaps you need more time to think.
Let's go.
No, wait, wait. Please. Wait!
Please.
Just don't kill her.
Promise me you won't kill her.
We're running out of time here, Martin. Hawkins is running out of time.
I understand the stakes quite well.
Sometimes I wonder if you really do.
Or maybe you've just done all this
'cause you missed your daddy-daughter time.
I've given you everything you asked for.
I've compromised my principles. I've risked my life, my family's life.
All because you assured me this would work,
that this was the only way.
But I don't see any progress out there, Martin.
You know what I see?
I see a frightened, traumatized little girl.
Good for us.
The truth is, you're regressing, Eleven.
You're going backwards.
Eleven, look at me.
Look at me.
I know you're frightened.
You're terribly frightened by what you've seen.
But it's this very fear that's now holding you back.
If you want Nina to succeed,
you cannot hide from the truth, no matter how frightening it may be.
I saw what I did.
I am a monster.
You speak of monsters,
superheroes.
That's the stuff of myth and fairy tales.
Reality, truth, is rarely so simple.
People are not so easily defined.
Only by facing all of ourselves, the good and the bad,
can we become whole.
What if I don't wanna become whole?
Then that is a choice.
Your choice.
The door is always open.
This place
is not a prison.
This is.
You chose to trust me once.
I'm asking you to trust me again.
Journey with me into the past one last time.
Stop hiding, Eleven.
What have you done?
How much time did you skip?
You wanted progress.
I'm giving it to you.
What exactly were you all doing at the lake?
Uh…
- It's comp... - We were… We were just going for a walk.
A walk?
At 9:00 p.m.?
To the lake.
We were gonna
take a little swim.
Little night swim.
Dusty.
Someone was just murdered there.
Yeah, we… we didn't realize that until we got there.
That's why we didn't swim.
And Nancy, was she with you at this night swim?
- No. - Yes. Uh…
We're not sure.
She was there.
Then she left.
- It's all a little confusing. - That's when you guys came.
Right. Then they dared me to say what I said.
Oh, yeah.
About the killer.
You're lucky you didn't get shot.
Have you had any contact with Eddie?
That psycho… freak killer?
God, no.
- Nope. Absolutely not. - No. We haven't heard from him.
- We barely know the guy. - Who?
Oh, that's a bunch of bull.
- Erica! - I mean, you realize they're lying.
The whole couch is on fire.
- Erica. - Just the facts.
Are you lying to these policemen, Dusty?
- No. - Lying to cops is a crime, son.
- I'm not lying. - The fire is consuming us.
Threaten them with a little jail time. Maybe that'll loosen their lips.
- Okay... - You wanna send our kids to jail?
- We need to take this seriously. - He didn't mean it like that.
- Shut up! - Oh my God.
Shut up!
- Jesus. - Shh.
We're gonna try a more civilized approach.
One at a time.
You first.
- Wait, what? Why me? - Follow me.
I'm not even in Hellfire.
Do I need to cuff you?
Up.
Chop-chop.
Let's go.
Oh… okay.
- That was close. - Yeah.
Too close.
Oh, sh… shit.
Steve?
- Jesus. - I'm fine. I'm fine.
No, no, no. You're not. You're losing blood.
Come on, sit. All right?
All right.
Oh…
Okay.
So the good news is I'm pretty sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies.
But if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms
or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know.
- Robin. - Yeah?
I kinda wanna punch you.
Sense of humor's still intact. That's a good sign.
Yeah.
Okay.
- You ready? - Yeah.
Just do it.
Sorry.
It's okay.
Too tight?
- No, that's good. - All right.
Okay.
Thanks.
Yeah.
So, uh,
this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?
Pretty much.
Wait, watch out for the vines.
It's all a hive mind.
It's all a what?
All the creepy crawlies around here.
They're, like, one or something.
Step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna.
Shit.
But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people?
As far as I understand it, yeah.
So, theoretically, we could go to the police station
and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need
to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate.
I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin.
But guns, yeah, sure.
Well, we don't have to go all the way downtown for guns.
I have guns in my bedroom.
You,
Nancy Wheeler,
have guns, plural,
in your bedroom?
Full of surprises, isn't she?
A Russian Makarov and a revolver.
Yeah, you almost shot me with that one.
You almost deserved it.
For your modesty, dude.
Oh my god!
So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me.
Yeah, me too.
So what are we waiting for?
You know,
what we are to attempt is quite mad.
Even by your standards, American.
Yeah?
You got odds for us this time?
I think…
A thousand to one?
Even if we somehow kill this beast, we still must escape.
We fail there,
I don't think they will be so kind as to throw us back in a cell.
They will shoot us on sight.
We'd die as monster slayers.
You'll be a legend.
But still a traitor. You forgot traitor.
Monster slayer trumps traitor.
I bet Mikhail will be proud of his pops, at least.
Mikhail?
- Mmm. - No.
I can't do nothing right with him anymore, it seems.
He will say,
"Papa, I bet that bald American did most of the monster slaying."
He's that age, huh?
Yeah, he is that age.
It is same for you, American?
With your new daughter?
The last time I was with El, she wanted just about nothing to do with me.
I was just in her way, really.
I think back to the way I was with my dad at that age. I was the same way.
The exact same way.
I think it must be hardwired into us to reject our fathers.
So we can grow and move on.
Become something of our own.
I hope that's what she's doing.
Coming into her own.
But still...
You worry.
To worry for our sons and daughters,
that is natural, isn't it?
Yeah.
But nothing about what El has had to deal with is natural.
That beast,
that monster in there,
it's a part of something that wants to hurt El. To kill her.
I don't understand.
To be honest, neither do I.
All I know is that thing…
That thing shouldn't be here. It shouldn't be alive.
Because it is, it means it still isn't over.
I thought I was put here
to pay for what I've done.
But I might've been put here for some other reason.
Maybe I…
Maybe I can still help El.
Even if it's the last thing I do.
You almost sound religious, American.
Religious? I don't know about that.
But maybe I should give that prayer thing a try.
'Cause if we wanna get out of here, get back to El and Mikhail,
you and me…
We're gonna need a miracle.
Can I help you, comrade?
My name is Yuri Ismaylov.
Hello.
The warden is expecting me.
I have a very special delivery for him.
A rare import from America.
Okay, okay. I'm okay.
Try your best not to blink.
Any more headaches?
Nausea this morning?
How about your memory?
Can you remember what happened now?
Perhaps someone else can help fill in the gaps.
Yes?
Good morning, children.
Good morning, Papa.
Today's lesson is going to be about rules.
Ah, for some of you,
this may seem redundant.
For others, it appears a refresher is required.
Eleven, please step forward.
Last night, your sister Eleven suffered a concussion
during her alone time in the rainbow room.
Now, she claims to not have a memory of what happened.
But injuries of this nature don't simply happen.
Someone did this.
Someone in this room.
Now,
who's going to tell me what happened?
She must've… fallen.
Fallen?
You've seen her, Papa.
She's clumsy.
Stupid.
Eleven, you may step back.
Number Two, please step forward.
Collar him.
Thank you.
You think because you demonstrate some talent
that you're somehow immune to the rules, is that it?
No, Papa.
That the rules don't apply to you in the same way
that they apply to your brothers and sisters?
No, Papa.
Then why did you attack Eleven?
- Did she tell you that? - Are you asking the questions or am I?
Did you attack Eleven?
If she told you that, then… then she's lying.
Papa, please, you have to believe me.
Papa, please.
She's lying...
Now,
shall we try again?
What happened?
It was an accident.
Couldn't we have tried a road, or something just slightly less creepy?
I think we're getting close. We're almost out of here. Don't worry.
Eddie.
Eddie. Hey, man. Uh…
Listen, I just, uh…
I just want to say thanks.
For saving my ass back there.
Shit. You saved your own ass, man.
I mean, that was a real Ozzy move you pulled back there.
Ozzy?
When you took a bite out of that bat.
Ozzy Osbourne?
Black Sabbath?
- He bit a bat's head off onstage. - I don't...
- You know? Doesn't matter. - No.
It's very metal, what you did. That's all I'm saying.
Thanks.
Henderson told me you were a badass. Insisted on the matter, in fact.
- Henderson said that? - Oh yeah. Shit.
Kid worships you, dude.
Like, you have no idea. It's kinda annoying, to be honest.
I don't even know why I care what that little shrimp thinks,
but, uh, guess I got a little jealous, Steve.
I guess I couldn't accept the fact that Steve Harrington
was actually
a good dude.
Rich parents, popular, chicks love him. Not a douche?
No way, man. No way. That, like,
flies in the face of all the laws in the universe
and my own personal Munson doctrine.
Still super jealous as hell, by the way.
Which is why I would never have jumped in that lake to save your ass.
Not under any, uh… normal circumstances.
Nope.
Outside of D&D, I am no hero.
I see danger and I just turn heel and run.
Or at least that's what I've learned about myself this week.
- Give yourself a break, man. - See?
The only reason I came in here was 'cause those ladies
came in straight after you.
Now, I was too ashamed to be the one who stayed behind.
But Wheeler right there,
she didn't waste a second.
Not one second.
She just dove right in.
Now, I don't know what happened between you two,
but if I were you,
I would get her back.
'Cause that
was as unambiguous a sign of true love
as these cynical eyes have ever seen.
Goddamn it!
Here we go again.
Second on my list of least favorite things, earthquakes.
Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is.
Nancy!
Where are you going?
Nancy!
Come on.
Steve, do you copy?
Nancy? Robin?
This is Dustin. Where are you?
We've been collared by the law. I repeat, we've been collared by the law.
Do you copy?
Shit!
- Should we get lawyers? - We're not ready for that.
As far as we know, nobody did anything wrong.
But what if they did do something wrong?
- Anything? - Nothing.
- You don't think they went through… - Through Watergate?
Without us? Without a plan? Without weapons?
They wouldn't be that stupid.
Yeah.
They must just be laying low 'cause the law got us.
"The law"?
What is this, Gun smoke?
The Stupid and the Ugly?
Should I round up the posse?
- Saddle the horses? - Erica.
Please, just go away.
Here's the deal.
Either you tell me what's happening
or I tell Dustin what I found under your bed.
Please, no.
Spill your guts, cowpuncher.
- What'd she find? - Nothing.
Is it gross?
- Scale of one to ten. - A hundred.
A hundred?
The serial killer is a dark wizard from the Upside Down.
And we've been looking for him,
but he's in the Upside Down, which we can't reach.
At least we thought we couldn't,
until we found a gate at Lover's Lake.
That was the reason why we were there, but these stupid cops grabbed us.
And if you tell anyone about this,
that's including Mom
and Dad
and Tina…
…especially Tina,
I…
Will smother you
in your sleep.
Do you understand?
Hmm…
Erica?
Do
You
copy?
The smothering in my sleep part, but not much else.
Why would they open up a gate at Lover's Lake?
- What? - The commies.
- The commies didn't. - Then who did?
- Nobody. - So it just opened up for fun?
Erica, you have no idea what you're talking about.
No, she doesn't, yet she raises an essential question.
How did Watergate open up?
Only two gates have opened, so far as we know.
One by El, one by the commies.
But it's not the commies or El this time, so it…
Holy shit.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
"Wait, wait, wait," what?
There's one thing we've never understood.
Which is why Vecna's killing people.
What's his motive?
Killing teens? It always just seemed too random.
Too prosaic.
On top of that, how does the Mind Flayer figure into all this?
Maybe this is it.
This is the answer.
What is the answer?
You sure you just want water?
- We have Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper. - Coke works. Thank you.
Okay, just hear me out.
How did El open the Mother gate?
She contacted the Demogorgon.
With psychic contact. Just like…
- Vecna when he casts his spells. - Exactly.
So, what if, with each kill,
he's not simply killing them,
he's making a powerful psychic connection with his victims?
A connection powerful enough
to rip a hole in the fabric of time and space.
He's opening more gates.
Bingo.
Copy. We're still at the Wheeler house.
- Why would he be opening gates? - To take over the world.
Who do we know that wants to take over the world?
The Mind Flayer.
So if the Demogorgon was just his foot soldier,
Vecna's his five-star general.
A five-star general with the power to open gates.
- Holy shit. - Holy shit.
Holy shit. That was incomprehensible.
You lost me at "Mother gate." Please be kind. Rewind.
Okay, so remember the gate?
Oh, no. I blocked that out.
So what was that giant laser?
Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler.
Come on. I don't want to stay here longer than we have to.
Those aren't guns.
These heels are pointy,
but I was hoping for a deadly projectile.
- I don't understand. - Maybe you left them somewhere else.
There's a six-year-old in the house. I know where I keep my guns.
And also, I threw these away years ago.
Jesus. How many did you make?
You said you wanted to help.
I get that grades are important,
but perhaps studying can wait till we get out?
These are from sophomore chemistry.
And this… this wallpaper, this is old wallpaper.
And this mirror, this went to a yard sale.
And you…
You're not supposed to be here.
No, I gave you to Cousin Joanna two years ago.
What is it?
Nancy? You're freaking me out.
I think the reason that my guns aren't here
is because they don't exist yet.
They don't… exist?
This diary should be full of entries.
It's not.
The last entry is November 6, 1983.
The day Will went missing.
The day the gate opened.
We're in the past.
Dustin! Dustin!
Dustin!
Can you hear me? Dustin!
Du... Hello? Hel… Hello?
- Maybe he really does have rabies. - Hello! Hello?
What are you doing?
Hello!
He's here. Henderson. That little shit, he's here. He's like…
He's in the walls or something. Just listen.
Dustin.
Dustin! Dustin!
Dustin! Dustin! Can you hear me?
That brings us to the question you first raised.
How and why is there a gate at Lover's Lake?
Let's analyze.
What do Eleven and Vecna have in common?
Dustin!
- Dustin? - Dustin!
All right, either this kid can't hear us or he's being a total douche bag.
- Will found a way. - What?
Will.
He found a way to speak to Joyce through the lights.
- Lights? - Yeah.
- The switch. Try the switch. - Okay.
It's not working.
Guys?
You seeing this?
…to open a tear in time and space,
just like the Mother gate.
Whoa.
…are these like the Mother gate…
But a gate nonetheless.
It…
Tickles.
It kinda feels good.
Does anyone know Morse code?
No.
Wait, does SOS count?
Is that…
Is that good?
So our working theory is that Vecna makes remote contact from his attic.
We don't know why. We assume he can do it from anywhere.
- Are you even listening to me? - I'm listening.
It's just…
You said you followed Vecna through lights, right?
Yeah, why?
Because I think he's here.
It's working.
"S."
"O."
"S."
Hey, uh,
remember when I said they wouldn't be stupid enough
to go through Watergate?
Yeah?
I overestimated them.
Warden, beautiful prison you got here.
How about this? Huh?
How about that? Huh?
Huh?
That's what I thought, yeah.
Warden.
So nice to meet you.
Uh, I'm Yuri, of course, but allow me to introduce you to my very...
Shit.
- Murray! - I'm sorry.
What?
Can you please stop playing with that thing?
I am not playing. I am practicing.
Will you please stop trying to talk to me and stay in character?
Remember, you are frightened, scared, confused.
- Yes, I am frightened, scared, and... - Okay. All right. Yes. Good.
Yuri Ismaylov.
At last, we meet.
Comrade Major.
This is the Bauman spy?
He looks different.
Uglier in person, I know.
He also shaved his beard to disguise himself.
Tricky bastard.
Silence, American scum! Enough from you. Enough!
Now this one…
This one I would recognize a continent away.
She was more beautiful in her uniform, but still,
quite striking, isn't she?
Yes, very pleasing to the eyes, comrade.
But not so pleasing to the ears, I am afraid.
Where is he?
What have you done with Hopper, you vile commie pig?
As I said,
unpleasant.
But, I must say,
I, too, am curious.
The other American.
What did you do with him?
I don't know why, but I imagine him on a rack,
in the cold, stretched thin,
birds pecking his eyeballs.
Am I... close?
I have heard stories of Yuri Ismaylov,
the Peanut Butter Smuggler.
And you…
You are not the Yuri I have heard of.
I am…
I am not?
No.
The Yuri I was told of had a screw loose.
And you…
Have many screws loose!
I hope we have not missed the show.
On the contrary, just in time.
This key here will give you access to that weapons locker.
Choose any weapon you like.
Work together or alone.
What… what is happening?
They are being told the rules.
Rules for what?
I could tell you...
but that would spoil the fun, now, wouldn't it?
You wait for the buzzer.
You wait.
You move before the buzzer...
you will be shot.
Is that understood?
Yes.
I'd wish you luck
but it won't help you.
Let us hope your prayers have been heard, American.
You open for something a little more challenging?
Try not to show any emotion as I speak, okay?
Just keep playing the game if you understand.
Two is still in the infirmary recovering.
He's being watched now, but once he is released,
he and the others are going to attempt to kill you.
Right here,
in this room.
And Papa
will allow it to happen.
In fact, he wants it to happen.
He's been planning it for some time now.
Stay calm.
Focus on the game.
There's a reason why Two and the others were able to escape their room last night.
Why the security cameras were turned off.
Why Papa punished Two today.
They don't even realize it,
but he is moving them like pieces on this board here.
Driving them
to do exactly what he wants,
which is…
Why?
You frighten him.
He knows you are more powerful than the others.
And he also knows he can't control you.
That's all he wants.
Control.
I saw all this happening.
That's why I wanted to help you, but I only made things worse.
Helping me…
Made Papa hurt you.
And it is why you must escape.
Today.
But they are watching us.
Closely.
If you want to make it out of here alive, you must do exactly as I say.
Do you understand?
Why do you still help?
Because I believe in you.
It is time you are free from this hell.
Hey!
- I'm sorry! - Sorry, sorry, sorry.
For your understanding.
Come on. Come on.
- Okay, that's it. Go, go, go. - Yeah, okay.
Okay, you guys seeing this?
…seeing this?
Holy shit!
We're not moving it, but we're gonna unplug it. Stand by.
Yank it.
Okay, try it now.
- Try it now. - Okay.
Um… Uh…
"H."
"Hi"!
- Hi! - Hey! Hi.
That worked!
Yes! Yes!
Hi!
Okay. Um…
Um…
"S… T…"
"U…"
- "Stu…" - Stupid? Stupid?
"…C… K."
- "Stuck." - Stuck.
- Yes. - We are.
- They're stuck in the Upside Down. - Okay.
Uh, you can't get back through Watergate?
- What the hell's Watergate? - 'Cause it's in water and it's a gate.
- Oh. - That's cute.
- Right. - Um, no. It's…
That a six?
- "G"? - No, "G."
- Yeah. - "U… A… R."
"Guar"?
Guar…
Guar… Guar…
- "Guard…" - "Guarded."
- "Guarded"? - Okay. Uh, Watergate's guarded.
Perfect. Yes. Yes. Yes.
We think we have a theory that can help with that.
- Yes. - Genius child.
We think Watergate isn't the only gate.
That there's a gate at every murder site.
…murder site.
Does anybody understand what he's talking about?
- No. - No idea.
Okay. Seriously?
How many times do I have to be right on the money before you trust me?
Jesus Christ. This kid's gotta get his ego in check.
It's his tone. Right?
- I know. - Okay.
So… So how far is your trailer?
Seven miles.
Nancy?
Uh, I know your house here is, like, weirdly, creepily frozen in time and shit,
but haven't you always had bikes?
So, anything?
Nope. She's sticking to her story.
They went to the lake for a night swim.
Nancy showed up at some point…
Come on!
…same thing she said here on the couch.
Pretty much all she told us.
She stuck to her guns.
Honestly, shouldn't have gone with her first.
She was, like,
kinda mean.
We'll find your daughter, Mrs. Wheeler.
Don't worry.
One of these little brats is gonna squeal. I just know it.
Where are they?
Upstairs.
Moping.
Oh little pigs.
Let Officer Callahan in.
- Let's go. - Careful.
Hey!
Excuse me! No, get back here!
Let's go! Let's go!
- I guess it's just a minor misdemeanor. - Hey! No!
No!
- Lucas! - Dusty!
Dusty!
Lucas, Erica! Get back here!
Dusty!
That's your favorite, isn't it?
How are you feeling today?
Okay.
Are you up for some more lessons?
Good.
I feel dizzy.
Dizzy?
Yes.
And the light.
The light is hurting my head.
Sorry to bother you.
- Everything all right? - Not sure.
She says she's still dizzy. Lights are hurting her.
Hurting who?
Quiet.
Follow me.
Now,
it's going to be a bit scary in here,
but this,
this will lead you out beyond the lab fence to the woods.
But you're too big.
I'm not going with you, Eleven.
I meant what I said when I called this place a prison.
And everyone here is a prisoner, not just you.
Not just your brothers and sisters, but the guards, too, the nurses.
Me.
Here.
Can you feel it?
Your papa calls it Soteria.
It weakens me. It tracks me.
Even if there were another way out, he will find me.
And if he finds me, he will find you.
What if I make it go away?
You helped me.
I help you.
Stay calm.
Stay close.
Stick to the plan.
American!
I enjoy this part...
When they still believe there is hope.
Whatever comes out of there...
hold your ground.
HOLD YOUR GROUND!
What is the American doing?
I don't know.
Find out!
You move so much as an inch, I'll kill you.
What?
Oh, come on!
What is this? Some kind of sick joke?
It's no joke. As I said…
…the Americans are very tricky.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
Tell me that's not out of fluid.
Come on! Come on!
If you wanna live,
then whatever sick, twisted game this is,
you're gonna stop it and you're gonna free our friend.
Then I'm afraid you're going to have to kill me.
Because your friend is already dead.
Come on!
Come on! Oh, come on!
Come on!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
STAY TOGETHER YOU FOOLS!
Order your men to shoot. To kill it!
If I give that order, I will be shot tomorrow and die a traitor.
You want to kill me, do it!
Come on! Come on! Come on!
Ah! Ah!
Get back! Get back!
Get the hell back!
Get back! Get back!
I'll kill him! I'll KILL HIM!
TOSS YOUR GUN! OVER TO ME!
You, open all the doors below.
You understand?
OPEN THE DOORS.
You open all the doors,
that monster will get loose in this prison
and we are all dead.
I will pull this trigger! OPEN THE DOORS!
They would need a battering ram to open that door.
Let the monster feed.
You think I'm playing?
You think I won't do it?
OPEN THE DOOR!
If I open those doors,
I condemn not just myself,
but all of my comrades to death.
In good conscience, I cannot.
I will not.
I gotta hand it to you commies. You're committed.
Stay back!
Back! Back! Get back!
Get away!
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
- What are you doing? - No idea. There's a lot of buttons.
I can't see. I need my glasses. Gimme a second.
Come here. No.
Give me. Mine!
Running out of time here!
I'm trying!
No, no, no. Joyce, we have no idea what these buttons do.
You can't just press away like that.
Get back!
Back! Get back!
Joyce, just relax.
Come on!
American!
That did it! That did it!
Close it, Joyce.
Close it!
For a second, I thought we had your miracle.
But out of one prison into another.
Right here.
That's gotta be a Guinness World Record. Most miles traveled interdimensionally.
- Just inhaled a bunch of that crap. - It's stuck in my throat.
Goddamn.
This is where Chrissy died.
Like, right where she died.
I think there's something in there.
What the hell is that?
No way.
Hi there.
- Hi. - Hi.
Holy shit, this is trippy.
Bada-bada-boom!
Remember, you can't hurt me more than they already have.
Huh.
Who knew something so small could cause so much trouble?
Thank you.
There they are!
- Stop! - Run.
Freeze!
Stop!
Lock it down! Lock it down!
Hey!
Where do you think you're going?
Against the wall.
Both of you. Now.
No.
You don't have to be afraid of them, Eleven.
Not anymore.
Take 'em.
Come.
Wait here. Don't move.
- I'm going to find us a way out. - Wait.
How did you...
Like I said,
we're alike,
you and I.
Those stains are, uh…
- I dunno what those stains are. - Mmm.
Not quite sure how these physics work.
But, uh…
Here goes nothing.
There we go.
And if my theory is correct…
- Huh. Abracadabra. - Holy shit.
All right, pull on it! See if it holds!
This is the craziest shit I've ever seen in my life.
And I've seen some crazy shit.
Guess I'm the guinea pig.
Let's clear the landing pad.
Oh my God!
Oh, thank God.
That was fun.
All right, guess I'll go.
All right.
Easy, easy.
That
was fun.
Shit.
See you on the other side.
On the other side.
Nice.
Nancy.
Hey! Hey!
Stay with me. Nancy! Hey!
Nancy, wake up.
- Wake up! Nancy! - Vecna.
Do you remember what you did, Nancy?
Or have you already forgotten?
When I kill someone…
…I never forget.
Nancy!
I asked you to wait.
Why do you cry for them, Eleven?
After everything they did to you?
Hmm?
You think you need them, but you don't.
You don't.
Oh, but I know you're just scared.
I was scared once too.
I know
what it's like
to be different.
To be alone
in this world.
I see you've been looking for me, Nancy.
You were so close.
So close to the truth.
How was old, blind, dumb Victor?
Did he miss me?
I've been meaning to check back in,
but I've been busy.
So very busy.
- What'd I tell ya? - Wow.
This is amazing.
It looks like a fairy tale.
A dream.
- Alice, no running. - It's so big!
This is nice.
Yeah.
- Yeah. - Like you,
I didn't fit in with the other children.
Something was wrong with me.
All the teachers and the doctors said I was…
"Broken,"
they said.
My parents
thought a change of scenery, a fresh start in Hawkins,
might just cure me.
It was absurd.
As if the world would be any different here.
But then…
To my surprise, our new home provided
a discovery.
And a new found sense of purpose.
I found a nest of black widows living inside a vent.
Most people fear spiders.
They detest them.
And yet,
I found them endlessly fascinating.
More than that,
I found a great comfort in them.
A kinship.
Like me,
they are solitary creatures.
And deeply misunderstood.
They
are gods of our world.
The most important of all predators.
They immobilize and feed on the weak,
bringing balance and order to an unstable ecosystem.
But the human world was disrupting this harmony.
You see,
humans
are a unique type of pest,
multiplying
and poisoning our world,
all while enforcing a structure of their own.
A deeply unnatural structure.
Where others saw order, I saw a straitjacket.
A cruel, oppressive world
dictated by made-up rules.
Seconds, minutes,
hours, days, weeks, months,
years, decades.
Each life a faded, lesser copy of the one before.
Wake up, eat, work, sleep,
reproduce, and die.
Everyone
is just
waiting.
Waiting
for it all to be over.
All while performing in a silly, terrible play,
day after day.
I could not do that.
I could not close off my mind
and join in the madness.
I could not pretend.
And I realized
I didn't have to.
I could make my own rules.
I could restore balance to a broken world.
A predator…
But for good.
As I practiced, I realized
I could do more than I possibly imagined.
I could reach into others,
into their minds,
their memories.
I became an explorer.
I saw my parents as they truly were.
To the world,
they presented themselves as good, normal people.
But like everything else in this world,
it was all a lie.
A terrible lie.
They had done things, Eleven.
Such awful things.
I showed them who they really were.
I held up a mirror.
My naive father believed
it was a demon cursing them for their sins.
But my mother somehow knew.
Knew it was I who was holding up that mirror,
and she despised me for it.
She called a doctor, an expert.
She wanted him to lock me away, to fix me,
even though it wasn't I who was broken. It was them.
And so she left me with no choice.
No choice but to act.
To break free.
With each life I took, I grew stronger.
More powerful.
They were becoming a part of me.
But I was still a child.
And I did not yet know my limits.
And it nearly killed me.
He was arrested, blamed for the death of my sister and mother,
just as I had planned.
But I was far from free.
I woke up from my coma only to find myself placed in the care of a doctor,
the very doctor I had hoped to escape.
Dr. Martin Brenner.
Papa.
But the truth…
The truth is he did not just want to study me.
He wanted more.
He wanted to control.
When Papa finally realized he could not control me,
he tried to recreate me.
He began a program.
And soon,
others were born.
You were born.
And I am so glad you were, Eleven.
So very glad.
They're not gone, Eleven.
They're still with me.
In here.
You tricked me.
Tricked you?
No, I saved you.
You are a prisoner here,
just like me.
To your papa, you are nothing more than an animal, a monster,
a lab rat to be tamed.
But the truth, Eleven,
the truth is just the opposite.
You are better than they are.
Superior.
That is why you frighten him.
If you come with me,
for the first time in your life, you will be free.
Imagine what we could do together.
We could reshape the world,
remake it however we see fit.
Join me.
No.
He had found his strength in a memory from his past.
Something that made him sad.
But also angry.
Do you have a memory like that?
No! No! Jane!
No! No!
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
Jane.
I love you.
Jane.
It's happening.