Stranger Things, we need answers! *SPOILERS AHEAD*

It has been almost two weeks since the second season of Stranger Things premiered on Netflix. I’ve already done a post on why you should watch the series. In this post, WHICH CONTAINS SPOILERS BY THE WAY!!!!!!!!!, I will be discussing some questions we have been asking throughout the two seasons, which are still unanswered. The answers which are out there may be speculations or fan theories.

Read along!

IS THE MIND FLAYER THE SHOW’S BIG BAD?

Remember the Demogorgon? Well, that was just a taste of what the Upside Down had in store for our heroes. Stranger Things 2 introduced two new creatures: demodogs, which are four-legged Demogorgons; and The Mind Flayer, otherwise known as the Shadow Monster, a giant arachnid-like monster who appears to be the powerful final boss in the Upside Down. The Mind Flayer, named after a Dungeons & Dragons creature with psionic powers, first appeared to Will in visions, or “now-memories,” and it later possessed him, linking them and gradually turning Will Byers into a threat over the course of the season.

Even though the monster is eradicated from Will’s body by the end of the season, thereby allowing Eleven to close the main gate to the Upside Down, it’s not gone for good. In the final moments of the season, The Mind Flyer is seen lurking over Hawkins Middle School in the Upside Down, no doubt plotting the destruction of Hawkins and Eleven.

While it’s unclear if The Mind Flayer is the show’s ultimate Big Bad, it’s almost certainly going to rear its ugly head again in the third season. The Duffer Bros – who are the brains behind this masterpiece – have been candid about their four-season plan, so unless there’s another monster hiding in the Upside Down, it’s safe to assume that The Mind Flayer is the key to all that nonsense. But maybe there are multiple Mind Flayers.

Steve, we think you’re gonna need a bigger bat.

IS THERE STILL A LINK BETWEEN WILL AND THE UPSIDE DOWN?

Since his time in the Upside Down, Will has been experiencing episodes of “True Sight,” a phenomenon where his mind to travel to the Upside Down. This made him vulnerable to The Mind Flayer’s manipulation, but it also turned Will into a spy — he could see what The Mind Flayer could see in his “now-memories.” Now that The Mind Flayer has been “exorcized” from him, does that mean his connection to the other dimension has been broken? Or will those effects from spending so much time in the Upside Down continue to haunt him?

If he learns to control these abilities, they could be a major asset in the battle ahead. Not to mention, it gives Eleven and Will — two characters who have never said a single word to one another — a hell of a compelling storyline in future seasons.

HOW MUCH TIME WILL PASS BETWEEN SEASONS?

The Duffer Brothers have already confirmed that the third season will take place after yet another time jump, and given the one-year jump between the first and second seasons, Season 3 will most likely begin a year after the events of Snow Ball at the end of Stranger Things 2. This means Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and presumably Jane (a.k.a. Eleven) are headed to Hawkins High School. As for the exact month, it would be cool to see them at the beginning of their high-school journey, sometime in late August or early September 1985 — just after the summer release of the highest-grossing film of the year, Back to the Future.

ARE JOYCE AND HOPPER ENDGAME MATERIAL?

That’s kind of obvious right? In Season 1, I bought their platonic relationship. Joyce was far too consumed with her son’s whereabouts and Hopper was still dealing with the emotional trauma of his daughter’s death. But from the very first episode, Joyce and Hopper’s chemistry was palpable. They’ve got all of the prerequisites for an onscreen romance: fire chemistry, shared trauma, and similar sensibilities. Hopper understands Joyce’s particular brand of crazy. Not to mention, Hopper was totally flirting with Joyce in that scene outside of the Snow Ball. But who is Joyce Byers when she’s not worried about her son? We’re (hopefully) going to find out. It would also be yet another way to bring Will and Eleven together.

 

DOES ELEVEN HAVE ANY MORE SIBLINGS OUT THERE?

Stranger Things 2 introduced Eleven’s “sister,” Kali, a fellow Hawkins lab escapee. Kali, or Eight, has the power to cast illusions. Regardless of how you felt about “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister,” it expanded the world of Stranger Things outside of Hawkins, and that’s probably going to set a precedent for what’s coming. If Kali is out there, then who’s to say that Eleven doesn’t have any more super-powered siblings on the run from the government? Kali was also instrumental in helping Eleven harness and strengthen her power. (Think of her as the Yoda to Eleven’s Luke Skywalker. Waddup Star Wars reference?!) If not for her help, Eleven might not have been able to close the gate.

 

IS DR. BRENNER STILL ALIVE?

“The Lost Sister” also suggested that Dr. Brenner, a.k.a. Papa, a.k.a. the worst person alive, is still out there somewhere, biding his time. Since we didn’t actually see Brenner die in the Season 1 finale, this is entirely plausible — and it makes sense that Kali would be searching for the “man who calls himself [her] father” on her personal crusade to eliminate all of the “bad men” who experimented on her. But if Dr. Brenner really is out there, it’s possible that he’s also building a new army of super-powered kids. His intentions were always shady, so it would be nice to get proper closure between him and Eleven.

 

DOES STEVE GO TO COLLEGE?

As much as I want to see Steve Harrington succeed in life, he’s become so imperative to the show’s success that I don’t want to lose him to college life. Steve seemed to contemplate working with his dad, but that was when he thought he’d be dating Nancy next year. But now that Nancy and Jonathan are dating — or at least making googly-eyes at each other in the Season 2 finale — Steve is a free man (much happiness for us!). Would he stick around in Hawkins for a girl that doesn’t even want him? Probably not. But here’s hoping he’ll stick around to spend more time with Dustin. With Dusty headed for high school, he’s going to need all of the Harrington advice he can get.

 

CAN BILLY JUST, LIKE, GO AWAY?

I understand the Duffers’ desire to have a human antagonist in the form of a chiseled teen sociopath, but Billy is such a cartoonish villain. He’s a walking 1980s stereotype, complete with a curly mullet, tight jeans, and one — just one! — earring. But there’s something even worse about him: he’s mentally, and seemingly physically, abusive towards his step-sister Max, and he hates Lucas for no discernible reason other than he’s black. Not to mention, he’s completely inessential to the plot. He’s irredeemable at this point, but according to actor Dacre Montgomery, we have’t seen the last of Billy. Ugh. Can’t we just give Lucas’s little sister more screen time instead? (PS. I still think he is hot.).

 

WILL DUSTIN CONTINUE THIS HAIR-CARE ROUTINE, OR WAS IT A ONE-TIME THING?

I’m bracing myself for some significant style transformations in Season 3. Don’t get me wrong!: The AV Club will always be a band of nerds, but 1985 was a transgressive year for fashion. It’s only a matter of time before Dustin starts rocking double denim and a pair of Nike Bruins à la Marty McFly. And those curls? They’re in desperate need of a few more spritzes of Farrah Spray.

 

WILL THE BYERS EVER KNOW LIFE WITHOUT THEIR HOME BEING DESTROYED?

Seriously. The gradual destruction of that home is essential to the Stranger Things DNA as much as the Upside Down and Eleven’s affinity for Eggos. First, there was Joyce’s homemade ouija board — and all those holes in the walls, courtesy of the Demogorgon — and in Stranger Things 2, there’s Will’s abstract map of Hawkins, which consumes every room in the house. It wouldn’t be a season of Stranger Things if the Byers home did not get absolutely trashed by the end.

 

WILL THERE BE #JUSTICEFORBOB?

Forget Barb. Sean Astin’s Bob Newby deserved more than to be gruesomely devoured by a pack of demodogs mere feet from salvation. What makes Bob’s death so brutal is that he was just a nice guy who wanted to do the right thing — from giving Will a bit of (bad) advice to going along with Joyce, no questions asked. He was also enthusiastic about everything, adding some much-needed levity to the season. But at least he got to go out a hero, saving Will, Joyce, Hopper, and Mike from being demofood. Let’s pour one out for Bob Newby, founder of the Hawkins Middle School AV Club, puzzle-solver extraordinaire, king of the dad jokes, speaker of BASIC, and all-around good guy. You will be missed.

WERE DUSTIN AND HOPPER INFECTED IN THE TUNNELS?

A whole bunch of characters travel into the Upside Down–esque tunnels in Stranger Things 2, but two of our favorites also ingest a great deal of the funky stuff that’s floating around down there. Hopper spent a great deal of time trapped by those supernatural vines and Dustin swallowed a big chunk of Upside Down ephemera. Given the Duffer brothers’ reverence of Aliens, will these occurrences come back to haunt them? Like Will, might they develop a connection to this other dimension, or worse? If Dustin ends up having the Stranger Things version of a chest-burster, we’ll need years of therapy to deal with it.

ARE THERE OTHER NUMBERS OUT THERE?

While we’re on the subject, are there other people like Kali/Eight and Eleven hiding in the Stranger Things universe? If we’ve met Eight and Eleven, where are the rest? The flashbacks to Eleven’s childhood and the way she connects with Eight certainly implies there could be more kids out there with similar powers. This is the kind of question that may not be answered in Stranger Things 3, but could come up in later seasons — or possibly a spinoff series. Just picture it: Stranger Things 5: Eleven Meets Twelve.

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