Episodes 01

“Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?”

Prior to the events of season 2, in June 1984, Soviet scientists attempt to force open a new gate to the Upside Down. One year later, in Hawkins, the popularity of the new Starcourt Mall has forced many local businesses to close, angering townspeople. Mike Wheeler and Eleven have begun a romantic relationship, much to Jim Hopper’s chagrin; he later threatens Mike into agreeing not to see her. Dustin Henderson returns from summer camp and, with Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and Will Byers’ help, sets up a radio tower to contact his new girlfriend, Suzie, but his friends ditch him, and he instead intercepts a Russian transmission. Will privately senses that the Mind Flayer may still be alive. Rats congregate in a mill and explode into an organic mass. Meanwhile, Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers work as interns for the Hawkins Post, but Nancy experiences sexism by her superiors. On his way to a rendezvous with Karen Wheeler, Billy Hargrove is run off the road by an unseen creature and dragged inside the mill.

Episodes 02

“Chapter Two: The Mall Rats”

Billy escapes the mill after the creature induces a vision of the Upside Down, where he meets a doppelgänger. Tormented by further visions and voices, Billy is guided by the creature into kidnapping his fellow lifeguard Heather Holloway and bringing her to the creature. Nancy and Jonathan investigate the home of Mrs. Driscoll, an elderly woman concerned about rabid rats eating her fertilizer, and they observe one of the rats exploding. Following Hopper’s threat, Mike lies to Eleven, leading her to seek Max’s advice. Eleven and Max bond to distract themselves from Mike and Lucas while shopping at Starcourt; Eleven breaks up with Mike after she realizes his lie. Joyce investigates a strange loss of magnetism among objects at her home and workplace, accidentally standing Hopper up for a date. Dustin reunites with Steve Harrington, who works at the mall’s ice cream parlor with Robin Buckley, a former classmate; all three translate Dustin’s intercepted Russian radio message and determine that it must be a code.

Episodes 03

“Chapter Three: The Case of the Missing Lifeguard”

While having a sleepover with Max, Eleven jokingly uses her powers to spy on Mike, Lucas, and Will. She later spies on a suspicious and strange Billy, who senses her presence. She and Max discover that Heather has gone missing. Nancy and Jonathan find reports of missing fertilizer and strange behavior among rats across town, and they discover Mrs. Driscoll herself eating fertilizer in her home. After his attempts to play Dungeons and Dragons like old times, Will fights with Mike and Lucas as they are upset over Eleven and Max. He retreats to Castle Byers, and upon recalling his childhood memories with his friends, he destroys it. Robin decodes the Russian communication, which leads to a shipment arriving at Starcourt that night; she, Steve, and Dustin spot armed Russian soldiers handling the delivery. Joyce convinces Hopper that the demagnetization stems from an electromagnetic device at the abandoned Hawkins Lab; when they investigate, Hopper is attacked by Grigori, a Russian soldier. Max and Eleven track down Billy and Heather at the home of Heather’s parents. After they leave, Billy and Heather subdue her parents, which Will senses just as Mike and Lucas find him, and he reveals to them that the Mind Flayer is still alive.

Episodes 04

“Chapter Four: The Sauna Test”

Billy and Heather bring her parents to the mill, where they are possessed by the Mind Flayer (now a physical creature composed of flesh from the rats). Hopper recalls Grigori meeting with town mayor Larry Kline; he and Joyce force Kline to reveal that Starcourt Mall is a Russian front for buying abandoned properties across Hawkins. At Starcourt, Dustin, Steve, and Robin, alongside Lucas’ sister Erica, discover that the mall’s loading dock is an elevator, which traps them beneath the mall. Nancy and Jonathan are fired by their boss (Heather’s father) for harassing Mrs. Driscoll; Nancy visits Mrs. Driscoll at the hospital out of suspicion and watches her become possessed by the Mind Flayer. Will reveals his connection with the Mind Flayer to Mike, Lucas, Eleven, and Max, speculating that it has possessed Billy. They devise a plan to trap Billy in the pool’s sauna to confirm he is possessed, but Billy escapes and nearly kills them until Eleven subdues him. Billy returns to the mill, where dozens of townspeople have since been possessed by the Mind Flayer.

Episodes 05

“Chapter Five: The Flayed”

Hopper and Joyce search one of the abandoned properties, discovering a hidden laboratory. Grigori arrives to kill them, and they narrowly escape with a hostage–a Russian scientist named Alexei–in tow. Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica arrive in a Russian lab underneath Starcourt and hide from Russian soldiers unloading crates from the elevator. Attempting to find a communications room, the group discover a large testing area where scientists try to force open a portal to the Upside Down. As Alexei does not speak English, Hopper and Joyce take him to Murray–the only Russian speaker they know–to translate. Grigori tries to follow them but loses the trail. Nancy and Jonathan regroup with Mike, Lucas, Eleven, Max, and Will and then theorize that Billy and Driscoll are both possessed by the Mind Flayer, who uses them to “flay” (possess) people to create an army. The group decides to visit Mrs. Driscoll at the hospital to learn more but discovers she is missing. They are attacked by Tom and Bruce, who are now part of the Flayed and dissolve into a single organic mass resembling the Mind Flayer after Nancy and Jonathan kill them.

Episodes 06

“Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum”

Eleven, who had just then reconciled with Mike, uses her powers to incapacitate the Tom/Bruce Mind Flayer, forcing it to flee to the mill. In the Russian lab beneath Starcourt, Steve and Robin are captured, drugged, and interrogated, but Dustin and Erica manage to rescue them. With Murray translating, Hopper and Joyce hold Alexei hostage, forcing him to reveal that the Russians are attempting to access the Upside Down and that they are opening a portal beneath Starcourt. Hopper calls Owens to warn the U.S. Government of the threat, but Joyce insists they return to Hawkins immediately, fearing that their kids may be involved. Grigori corners Kline at Hawkins’ Independence Day fair, demanding he step up efforts to find Hopper. Mike argues with Max about relying on Eleven’s powers and inadvertently admits his love for Eleven. To find the Mind Flayer, Eleven uses her powers in an attempt to psychically communicate with Billy, learning of his traumatic childhood and finding the Mind Flayer at the mill. Billy senses Eleven’s presence, giving the Mind Flayer access to her location, and reveals that the Mind Flayer plans to kill her to avenge her closing the gate. The Flayed converge on the mill, dissolving into an organic mass and merging with the Mind Flayer.

Episodes 07

“Chapter Seven: The Bite”

Eleven and the others determine the Mind Flayer is coming for her, since she was the one who previously closed the gate and thus his only threat. Will senses the Mind Flayer approaching. The Mind Flayer attacks the group, and though Eleven defends the others, the Mind Flayer manages to injure her before they flee. Dustin and Erica hide a drugged Steve and Robin in the Starcourt movie theater. Eleven’s group breaks into a supermarket to help treat her wounds and gather more supplies. Dustin contacts them over a walkie-talkie to try to explain the situation before he loses battery power. Eleven uses her powers to find Dustin, and the group take off for the mall. Steve admits that he has feelings for Robin, but she comes out to him as a lesbian. Hopper’s group make their way to the fairgrounds in Hawkins to find the children, where they are spotted by Kline, who alerts the Russians. Grigori fatally shoots Alexei in front of Murray. Murray, Hopper, and Joyce evade several Soviet agents and learn the agents are looking for the children at the mall. Eleven’s group arrive at the mall in time to stop the Russians from shooting Dustin’s group. Exhausted and in pain, Eleven collapses, her wound pulsing.

Episodes 08

“Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt”

Eleven rids herself of the piece of the Mind Flayer embedded in her wound, rendering her powerless. Hopper’s group arrives, and plans are made to take Eleven’s group to safety. Hopper, Joyce, and Murray make their way to the machine, with Dustin and Erica navigating from Dustin’s radio tower. Billy and the Mind Flayer trap Eleven’s group at the mall, but Steve and Robin manage to save Lucas, Will, Nancy, and Jonathan, inadvertently leaving Eleven, Mike, and Max at the mall with Billy pursuing them. Billy attacks the three, knocking out Mike and Max, and bringing a dazed Eleven to the Mind Flayer. The others attack the Mind Flayer with fireworks. As the Mind Flayer and Billy are wounded, Eleven reminds Billy of his mother and his happiest memories with her, freeing him from the Mind Flayer’s control. Billy sacrifices himself to protect Eleven, Max, and Mike. Hopper fights and kills Grigori, getting trapped in the process. Out of time, Joyce is forced to trigger an explosion, closing the gate, with Hopper seemingly being disintegrated in the process. The Mind Flayer’s physical body dies as Dr. Owens arrives with military forces. Three months later, the deaths are covered up, Starcourt is destroyed, and a disgraced Kline is arrested. The Byers family and a still-powerless, mourning Eleven prepare to move out of Hawkins. Eleven confesses her love for Mike, and the two make plans to meet at Thanksgiving. Nancy and Jonathan prepare to begin a long-distance relationship. Max begins mourning Billy. In Kamchatka, Russian guards are instructed to feed a prisoner, but “not the American”,^[a] to a captured Demogorgon.