It’s been less than a week since Netflix premiered their new original series Stranger Things, and most of us have already watched the entire season. The series, which was an ode to classic ’80s horror films, was heralded by many as The Goonies meets Poltergeist meets The X-Files. It’s absolutely gripping. Everything from the gorgeous cinematography and feel-good themes like friendship and how underdogs prevail to Winona Ryder’s epic facial expressions makes it undeniably binge-worthy.
Now that we’ve basically finished the entire eight episode series in one go, we have so many questions about season two. There’s no word on whether or not Stranger Things is getting a second order, but Matt Duffer, the show’s creator, admitted that if there was a second season, it wouldn’t be “a second season as much as a sequel.” Interesting.
Either way, season one had a satisfying ending that closed some narratives that needed to be resolved, but there’s still so much left out in the open for season two. If Stranger Things gets a second order, here’s what we predict we’ll discover in season two.
Warning: There are obvious spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen Stranger Things, go to Netflix, binge watch immediately, then come back here.
1. Eleven is still alive, but where is she hiding?
In the last episode of season one, Eleven uses every bit of power she has to defeat that crazy monster from The Upside Down. She uses so much of her energy that she and the monster end up dissolving into little, microscopic pieces. We assume she’s dead, but in the very last few minutes of the episode, Hopper leaves a Tupperware of Christmas cookies and some Eggo waffles (Eleven’s favorite food) in a box in the middle of the woods. This is strong evidence that Eleven is still alive, but we’re not exactly sure where she’s hiding.
Because the government is still investigating (we see Hopper get into a suspicious-looking black car with suited men), we know that Eleven is likely hiding on purpose. Whether it’s in a secret underground bunker in the woods or another dimension — we’ll have to wait until season two to find out.
2. What happened to Dr. Brenner?
Dr. Brenner was at the helm of the testing at Hawkins National Laboratory, but in the final episode of season one, he appears to be taken out by the monster from The Upside Down. This opens up a few questions for season two. Brenner was a brilliant villain, but his ultimate mission in the testing was unclear. It certainly appeared from the outside that Brenner’s goal was to destroy the monster from The Upside Down because he was the one who accidentally opened up that worm hole to begin with. If that’s the case, his mission was seemingly accomplished and that narrative is over. But is it really? Brenner seems a lot more sinister than that.
Without Brenner at the helm of the research and with the monster destroyed, Eleven wouldn’t have too much of a reason to remain in hiding — but she is in hiding. Could Brenner have possibly survived or did he train a protegee to continue his secret research?
3. Can Will go in and out of The Upside Down?
In the last few minutes of season one, we discover that Will is hiding the fact that he’s coughing up demon slugs. The creepy tube that was stuffed down his throat in The Upside Down must’ve planted some type of eggs inside of him, but did it also make him a gateway or give him the ability to slip in and out of dimensions like Eleven?
We’ve got one clue: as he’s standing in front of the mirror, the backdrop shifts from the normal, fluorescent lit bathroom sink to the dark blue, dusty atmosphere of The Upside Down. It would appear that part of The Upside Down is still with Will. Whether it’s something he can learn to navigate involuntarily gets sucked back into will probably be addressed in season two.
4. What other bad things are in The Upside Down?
The monster that was nabbing kids throughout the first season seemed like the only monster. When it was finally destroyed by Eleven, everyone thought they were in the clear — that is until Will starts coughing up slugs. There’s so, so much hidden evidence pointing to the fact that the portal to The Upside Down is hiding a lot worse than just a single, child-eating demon.
It’s unlikely to begin with that an entire dimension would be home to just one creature (if you’re a science fiction nerd who thinks about stuff like that). There’s also a little detail you might have missed if you were zoning out during your Netflix binge. When Hopper is in the Upside Down, he stumbles across what appears to be a large egg. This isn’t ever addressed, so you might chalk it up to the weirdness of the Upside Down, but it might mean something more. Will also is coughing up slugs. Could whatever lives in the Upside Down need a human vessel to grow? Either way, it’s clear that something else is out there, and it’s probably not friendly.
5. Does The Upside Down manipulate human memories?
This little tidbit seems vaguely unimportant when it comes to the scope of actual problems the characters on Stranger Things have to deal with, but The Upside Down looks like it totally plays on human memory. It’s unclear what role that fact will play in any upcoming series or if it’s just a cool bonus you get when you decide to dive into another dimension. It’s still worth thinking about.
The Upside Down was vastly empty for Eleven. It was a blank space where a monster lived. We’re led to believe that Eleven has lots of experience diving into this dimension; therefore, she probably knows how to clear her mind enough to only encounter what she wants to. For everyone else, the Upside Down held creepy, slightly-off manifestations of real life. It almost seemed like whoever was in The Upside Down manifested specific things based on their memories.
The Upside Down may have been largely empty for Eleven, but she did find Will hiding in his fort. Did he create the fort with his mind? Why was that there and nothing else? Hopper also found his daughter’s old toy inside the fort. How did that get there? For Hopper and Joyce Beyers, The Upside Down looked very much like real life, only dark and creepy.
It all kind of seems a lot like The Further in the Insidious trilogy, so much so, we have to wonder if Insidious was an inspiration to the writers.
6. Will Nancy and Jonathan get together?
Even though Nancy’s boyfriend Steve was nasty throughout the majority of season one, he learns the error of his ways and reconciles with Nancy. In the last episode, Nancy gives Jonathan a new camera for Christmas to replace the one that Steve had destroyed. After she gives Jonathan the gift, she curls up with Steve on the couch and viewers collectively cringe because Jonathan and Nancy are totally meant to be together. The couple’s chemistry is undeniable, and we’re going to bet that there will be some sort of love story arch involving the pair in season two.
7. Will the government continue their research and how?
As we saw in the last episode, Hopper jumps in an obviously government-owned vehicle which leads us to believe that their research isn’t done yet. With Dr. Brenner having potentially bit the dust, we’re all wonder how the government is going to continue testing. There’s one dead monster, a missing girl, a bunch of people who know way too much and a giant wormhole into another dimension that’s still open.
Season two is certainly going to be a trip. What else do you think season two is going cover?
