Everything to remember from ‘Stranger Things 2’: Recap

Buckle up, Tigers! We’re just one day away from the official reconvening of the Hawkins A.V. Club. 

This Independence Day, Stranger Things 3 returns for another nostalgia-laden look at ’80s mall culture, teenage romance, Mötley Crüe obsession, Banana Boat SPF, puffy pink sleeves, American Kitsch, and Dig Dug.

Oh, and also probably monsters, imminent danger, and certain death. You know. Probably.

Jumping forward to the summer of 1985, this new installment won’t pick up exactly where we left off, but it will most definitely rely on the past two seasons of Hawkins lore to drive its plot home. 

So where were we the last time things got strange? Here’s everything you need to remember from the first two seasons of Stranger Things before diving into the third.

What’s happening in the Upside Down?

The final episode of Stranger Things 2, titled “The Gate,” offered a mostly satisfying conclusion to the action-packed season with only a few unanswered questions left dangling in the Upside Down.

After a long-fought battle against the Mind Flayer, Eleven, with help from Hopper, Joyce, and the rest of the gang, used her telekinesis to successfully close the portal created by Hawkins Lab that connected Earth to the Upside Down. 

Presumably, that means the Mind Flayer/Shadow Monster, its semi-sentient tendrils, the aptly named demodogs, and whatever other horrors the mysterious realm holds are now safely locked in their alternate reality. 

But as the episode’s ominous final shot, showing the Mind Flayer seemingly hovering unseen above the real Hawkins Middle School, revealed, they’re likely not entirely gone. The creatures of the Upside Down’s psychic connection to Earth has yet to be explored in detail, but we’re betting Season 3 will tackle it with one of those helpful “the kids explain with Dungeons and Dragons metaphors” scenes. 

TL;DR: Unlike the Demogorgon of Season 1, The Mind Flayer is gone for now — but not for good. Stay vigilant.

Is Will still possessed? 

The closing of the gate coincided with Will’s recovery from that nasty possession, aided in part by his mother Joyce’s bananas decision to slowly roast him alive with space heaters and blankets. (Look, the Mind Flayer may not like heat, but we’re certainly not fans of barbecued pre-teen. Grab that boy a tank top and a Capri Sun!) 

Luckily, Will was left a little dehydrated, but largely OK! 

Through his possession, we learned that when someone is transported to the Upside Down, they can be consumed, à la Barb — or they can become psychically infected by the Mind Flayer, and consequently start carrying out its bidding on Earth. Hence Will unwittingly luring all those soldiers into that trap last season.

Many will remember that Will was able to covertly communicate with his friends and family using Morse Code to ultimately escape the creature’s clutches. But the next victim of the Mind Flayer — believed by many to be Billy, thanks to a recent trailer — may not be so adeptly skilled. 

What happened to Hawkins Lab?

On the public relations front, thanks to Nancy, Jonathan, and private investigator Murray Bauman, the dangerous experiments going on at Hawkins Lab gained national exposure and led to the facility being shut down.

Whether lab director Dr. Owens (you know, this dude!) is a good guy or a bad guy wasn’t entirely resolved in the finale, but his decision to help Hopper become Eleven’s legal guardian seemed to tip the scales towards good. 

No arrests related to the cover up of Barb’s murder were reported in Stranger Things 2. A fact that still straight-up baffles me.

Where does everyone stand on the relationships front? 

The last scene of Stranger Things 2 was blissfully devoid of demogorgons — but chock-full of raging adolescent hormones. 

At the Hawkins Middle Snow Ball, Mike and Eleven cozied up for a well-deserved, post-world-saving slow dance that crescendoed with a first kiss to “Every Breath You Take” by The Police. It was the perfect middle school-style Happily Ever After, recent peril be damned. 

How the budding romance will play out amidst Hopper’s over-protective parenting (and Eleven’s ongoing struggle to hide from the government) remains to be seen. Suffice it to say, super-powered teenage rebellion is probably a little spicier than just missing curfew. Stay tuned.

Another couple, Max and Lucas, also made their season-long crush official at the Snow Ball. In spite of Billy’s protests, the pair got together in a short, sweet, and direct fashion, fitting of their “feels like this has been here all along” vibe.

Unfortunately, the romantic establishing of Mucas (oof) meant that Dustin officially missed his window to express his feelings for Max. But thanks to Steve, Nancy, and that Farrah Fawcett hairspray, Dustin wasn’t entirely left out in the cold. 

Dancing with Nancy and basking in the glow of her promise that he was her “favorite of Mike’s friends”, Dustin seemed confident, content, and ready to take on the monster of love in the near-ish future.

Meanwhile, Will, who was probably just thankful to be untied from that bed, also got a mysterious pairing at the Snow Ball. Dancing with an unnamed girl who lovingly called him Zombie Boy, Will appeared primed to get a date if he wanted one, but possibly better suited to a long nap. 

And then there’s Nancy and Steve — er, excuse me, Nancy and Jonathan. After a brutal love triangle face-off, Steve lost out on winning Nancy’s heart. Instead, he forged an unlikely BFF-ship with Dustin, wielding a spiked bat and a pair of cleaning gloves to help track down Dustin’s missing demodog/pet, D’Artagnan, and later to help folks fleeing Hawkins Lab.

While Dustin and Steve’s friendship is by far the best relationship to come out of Stranger Things 2, this does mean that heading into Season 3, Steve “The Hair” Harrington is up for grabs romantically. Nancy and Jonathan, meanwhile, are still going strong.

Finally, on the parental side, Joyce is also back on the romantic market after losing her wholesome and heroic boyfriend Bob to a demogorgon attack last season. If Joyce is looking for a new S.O. in Season 3, that could mean great things for Jopper fans. 

Could those lingering looks and bouts of bashful banter between Hop and Joyce finally pay off? Maybe! Probably! Who knows! I’m nervous!

So, what about the rest of the world?

Finally, it’s important to remember that the Stranger Things universe is much bigger than Hawkins. 

While we spent the majority of Season 2 in Indiana, Eleven’s trip to meet her super-powered sister Kali (aka “Eight”) in Pittsburgh last season proved that the experiments of Hawkins Lab have implications reaching beyond the local neighborhood.

Kali’s illusion casting abilities, as seen in a number of face-offs with Pennsylvania police, could be just the tip of the iceberg for former subjects of Dr. Brenner. Logically speaking, it seems probable that at least nine other former subjects are out there, potentially each with powers of their own.

But how Eleven will find those other former subjects remains to be seen. Her mother Terry helped her find Kali — but considering Terry is in a permanent, semi-vegetative state repeating the same phrase ad infinitum, it seems unlikely that she can provide Eleven with any new information.

Diving into the teenage years, Stranger Things 3 is primed to tackle the bigger and badder, ready to take the Hawkins kids everywhere and anywhere, be it Upside Down, Right-Side Up, or you know, Pittsburgh. 

Strap in, Stranger fans. Stranger Things 3 begins streaming July 4 on Netflix.