What's next for Hawkins, Indiana?
Spoilers follow for the entirety of Stranger Things 2.
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Stranger Things 2 is now out in the world, arriving on Friday (October 27) to answer many of the questions posed by the first season’s ending. That said, it’s also given us a whole lot more to mull over: if you’ve already binged the whole season, here are the questions you’ll be desperate for answers to.
1. Are Hopper and Dustin ‘infected’?
When Hopper descended into the tunnel network beneath the pumpkin fields, he was sprayed by a nasty-looking vine substance, which he inhaled. After breathing it in, he was taken to the Hawkins lab, where he coughed up a nasty looking goo.
Dustin inhaled some of his own in the final episode – when he went with the kids and Steve to light a huge fire in the tunnels – and because the nine episodes of Stranger Things 2 took place over only a few days, there could be lasting effects from this gruesome substance that we have yet to see.
2. Will we see Eight again?
The arrival of Kali (aka Eight) in the first episode of Stranger Things 2 was a huge shock, and her power – the ability to cast illusions – gave us some unforgettable scenes later on in the series. But it’s uncertain whether or not we’ll see her again after Eleven left her and her gang in Pittsburg in the middle of a police chase.
Kali’s main drive appears to be to track down and kill those responsible for her abduction and experience as a test subject in the Hawkins lab. In this sense, her character seems to serve mainly as a counterpoint to Eleven – the latter values friendship and family, rather than revenge – but we still might see Kali return to Hawkins in Stranger Things season 3.
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Netflix’s Stranger Things
3. Are there other test subjects like Kali (Eight) and Jane (Eleven)?
The original Stranger Things said nothing of the test subjects prior to Eleven, suggesting to viewers that they may not have survived their experience at Hawkins lab. The introduction of a second living test subject inevitably raises the question of whether other gifted test subjects escaped – and if they did, where are they, and what are they capable of?
4. Is the shadow monster still around?
After Eleven banished the shadow monster to the Upside Down and closed the gate in the process, it seemed like that chapter of Hawkins history was finally over. But the final shot of the season showed the shadow monster hulking above the Upside-Down version of Hawkins’ middle school – suggesting it’s not finished yet. Will it be the main antagonist of season 3, too, or will we see its power grow into something even more menacing?
David Harbour as Chief Hopper in Netflix’s Stranger Things
5. What will happen to Hawkins lab now?
Hawkins lab has finally been shut down: we saw its furious staff being forced to leave in the final episode of Stranger Things 2. Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) still seems to be in town, though – we saw him give Eleven’s falsified birth certificate to Chief Hopper. It looks like he’ll still be in the picture for season 3, but what will happen to the lab building itself, underneath which the gate to the Upside Down had grown to a gargantuan size? And what will become of the projects the lab was working on?
6. Is Dr. Brenner still alive?
Dr. Brenner – or ‘Papa’ as Eleven calls him – was attacked by the Demagorgon in the final episode of Stranger Things‘ first season and hasn’t been since, except in one of Kali’s illusions. Though this was a trick, Kali suggested to Eleven that he is still alive, and Eleven hasn’t yet tried to look for him in the ‘void’ in the same way that she did with Kali, her mother, and Mike. If he is alive – what is he planning?
Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Netflix’s Stranger Things
7. Is Will finally ok?
Will has been through a lot in the past two seasons of Stranger Things. First, he was abducted by a monster from another dimension; after being rescued he became infected by an evil hivemind and was physically tortured until it let him go. Has it finally lost its grip on him? Or does the final scene of Stranger Things 2 suggest the Mind Flayer is still after him?
The post Stranger Things 2: seven huge questions we’re left with appeared first on NME.
