Stranger Things season four is finally on its way. With the first part scheduled for a May 27th, 2022 release, the fourth season will come to an end with its second volume which is slated for a July 1st, 2022 premiere.
Created by the Duffer brothers, namely Matt and Ross, Stranger Things has become a pop-cultural phenomenon ever since its inception in 2016. With a massive ensemble cast, the show has inculcated a huge cult-like fan following.
The meteoric success of the show can be charted by taking into account the sheer genius of the Duffer brothers as they managed to incorporate every child’s dream sequence into the web of the sci-fi and supernatural, in this beloved and nostalgic ode to the ‘80s. With interdimensional time travel, mysterious portals, a child with telekinetic powers, a despicable monster, ruthless government experiments, evil bureaucracy and dysfunctional families, Stranger Things has it all.
The showrunners did not hold back in evoking a sense of nostalgia via grunge aesthetics, ominous background score and vivid imagery in the fictional sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana where the events take place.
Since Stranger Things season one was released way back in 2016, we wanted to refresh your memories by giving an entire rundown of the first season ahead of the release of the fourth season:
A complete rundown of ‘Stranger Things’ season 1 ahead of season 4
Who were the cast members on Stranger Things season one?
Stranger Things season one had a wide ensemble cast playing a variety of characters. Some of the main characters were played by the following cast members:
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
- David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
- Natalie Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan
- Shannon Purser as Barb
- Matthew Modine as Dr. Brenner
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
- Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove
- Sean Astin as Bob Newby
Read how Best of Netflix ranked some of the main characters from worst to best, here.
How many episodes were there on Stranger Things season one?
Stranger Things season one had 14 episodes.
Where did the events of Stranger Things season one take place?
All the major events in Stranger Things season one take place in the fictional town of Hawkins in Indiana, the United States of America.
Who are the members of the Party in Stranger Things season one?
The film mainly revolves around a few children who are initially seen playing Dungeons & Dragons before looking for their friend. Together, the quartet constitutes the Party, namely Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair.
What happens at the beginning of Stranger Things season one?
The show first sets its ominous premise by showing an unknown creature attacking the Hawkins laboratory. The scene then cuts to the Party members playing their favourite game before Byers cycles hoe. On the way, he is attacked by the creature and mysteriously disappears, leading to the beginning of the conflict in the show.
![Stranger Things - The Vanishing of Will Byers - Netflix [HD]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wYn1uoN2WYc/hqdefault.jpg)
How is Eleven found in Stranger Things season one?
After Will disappears, his friends decide to look for him. Meanwhile, a young girl with a shaved head and no communication skills is seen stealing food and escaping from the officials. Son, the trio encounters Eleven and decides to shelter her in Mike’s basement to prevent the “bad people” from getting to her. Although she is very sceptical of them in the beginning, Eleven later grows to trust those around her, even showcasing her telekinetic powers.
The show later reveals Eleven’s origins through several flashbacks and a progressing narrative, also showing how she developed her telekinetic powers and how the director of the Hawkins Lab, also her father, kept her locked to help her navigate through her powers.
Who else disappears in Stranger Things season one?
Nancy Wheeler’s teenage best friend Barb, too, disappears in Stranger Things season one. Nancy and barb visit Nancy’s boyfriend, Steve’s house for a party.
Barb craves some fresh air after her argument with Nancy and sits by the pool after which she finds herself encountering the beast, and later disappears, being fragged down by the creature, later named the grotesque Demogorgon. Although Nancy begins looking for Barb, the police dismiss her concerns and believe she has simply run away from home.
How does the search continue in Stranger Things season one?
Joyce keeps trying to contact her son Will using various household electrical appliances and lights. Will sends hopeful messages to her. However, when an alleged body is found in the quarry and officials think it belongs to Will, Joyce is crushed inside out but does not give up.
Chief Jim Chopper, too, looks for him. While they initially conclude that Will has eloped to his father’s house, they later realise how sinister the entire ordeal is; Hopper soon begins to investigate the dubious Hawkins laboratory and the director, Dr. Martin Brenner.
Soon, Eleven establishes her connection with Will with a walkie talkie; the Party talks about how Will is trapped in an alternate dimension called the Upside Down.
Eventually, using telekinesis and using salt to harness her powers, Eleven, helped by the Party, Joyce, Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan, manages to find a dead Barb and a dying Will in the Upside Down.
This leads to Joyce and Hopper tushing to Upside Down to save Will while the government officials come in pursuit of the elusive Eleven.
What happens at the end of Stranger Things season one?
After Jonathan and Nancy set an elaborate trap for the Demogorgon, the monster is severely wounded. Meanwhile, the government officials arrive at the school to capture Eleven but the latter kills most of them but later collapses. As Brenner is cradling her, the Demogorgon resurfaces and attacks Brenner while the boys flee along with Eleven.
Eleven later manages to kill the Demogorgon but vanishes while doing so. In the meantime, Joyce and Hopper enter Upside Down and find Will in the monster’s nest. After performing CPR on a dying Will, Hopper manages to save him.
However, the season ends with a grim cliffhanger where he coughs up a grotesque slug while Hopper leaves a box of food for Eleven in the woods, anxiously awaiting her return.
