With Stranger Things season four officially on its way, fans are excited to see what this highly-anticipated season has in store for them. 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 two was released way back in 2017, we wanted to refresh your memories by giving an entire rundown of the second season ahead of the release of the fourth season. Read our complete rundown of Stranger Things season one here.
Here is the complete rundown of Stranger Things season two ahead of the release of season four:
A complete rundown of ‘Stranger Things’ season 2 ahead of season 4
Who were the cast members on Stranger Things season two?
Stranger Things season two 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 two?
Stranger Things season two had nine episodes.
When does Stranger Things season two take place?
Stranger Things season two begins around Halloween 1984 which is nearly a year after Will’s mysterious disappearance in the first season.
Where does Eleven basically disappear at the end of Stranger Things season one?
Towards the end of Stranger Things season one, Eleven fades away. In Stranger Things season two, it is revealed that she hid in the woods after killing the deadly Demogorgon. Eleven uses her powers to survive, stealing jackets and food.
When these crimes come to Hopper’s notice, he uses her favourite snack, Eggos to lure her in. He keeps her in his grandfather’s hunting cabin in the woods, safe from government officials who are pursuing her, and keeps this entire event a secret.
Rightfully frustrated after being alienated for one whole year, Eleven suddenly chances upon the details of her birth mother in his cabin and escapes to find her.
What does Stranger Things season two reveal about Eleven and her birth mother?
A volunteer for the evil Dr Brenner’s Project MKUltra at the Hawkins Lab, Eleven’s mother becomes pregnant with Eleven, fathered by Brenner. Brenner lies to her about a stillbirth while keeping Eleven captive to conduct experiments on her.
When her mother saw through the lie, she tried to rescue her daughter, whom she called Jane, from the clutches of Brenner but ended up succumbing to relentless electroshock therapy that sent her into a catatonic state, trapping her mind in an endless loop of horrifying events surrounding her daughter’s alleged death.
Eleven is rejected by her mother and feels pretty resentful and helpless. However, she finds out from her mother’s memories about the existence of her ‘sister’ Kali, who was called Number Eight.
Who is Kali in Stranger Things season two?
One of Brenner’s experiments, Kali is a dangerous and headstrong character who makes use of her psychic powers to indulge in violence and robbery. She is an outcast and a rebel and stays on the streets. Kali hates the people who destroyed her life and seeks cold, merciless vengeance. Despite her ruthless nature, she has a tender spot for outcasts ignorant of their gifts. She develops a heartwarming, sisterly bond with Eleven and teaches the latter to use her abilities to the best of her advantage to heal her mind from the past trauma.
Kali is manipulative and needs to use the tactic for survival. She ends up manipulating Eleven as it is, according to her, in Eleven’s best interests. However, Eleven, on coming to know the truth, is deeply hurt and abandons Kali and the gang of outcasts trying to seek revenge. Although Kali initially wanted to use Eleven to her advantage, it is shown that she harboured love and care for the latter and genuinely wanted to help her heal by overcoming past trauma.
However, her dubious schemes of making Eleven follow suit along the path of murder and crime as well as the skewed idea of ethics and morality made the two drift apart.
What happens to Will Byers in Stranger Things season two?
After he is saved towards the end of the first season, Will Byers becomes the butt of all jokes. His classmates give him the nasty nickname of ‘zombie boy” since Joyce and Hopper saved a dying Will from the clutches of the Demogorgon. Will soon discovers that something is really wrong with him. He has recurring episodes where he freezes up and apparently sees shadow monsters pervading the sleepy town of Hawkins.
During one such episode, a monster sticks a tentacle down his throat and inhabits his body to use him as a puppet. Infected by the Mind Flayer, Will became a means for the monster to spy on this dimension. Will Byers also began drawing tunnels and other things that the Flayer shows him. The monster also uses Will as bait to lure the Hawkins Lab scientists to a particular location before feeding them to the demodogs.
The slug that Will vomits towards the end of season one turns out to be four vicious yet juvenile demogorgons, also known as demo-dogs who end up killing people and pets. Even Dustin loses his cat to a “pet” demodog. They are eventually killed by Eleven’s telekinetic powers when she closes the interdimensional gate to Upside Down.
Will is later sedated by his friends and family and kept in a shed where his well-wishers try to bring him back by reminding him of his childhood memories, gradually managing to exorcise the monster out of his system.
What happens to Joyce’s boyfriend in Stranger Things season two?
Portrayed by Sean Astin, Bob is Joyce’s boyfriend who is sweet and amicable. He really cares about Joyce and her boys. Although Hopper mocks him, Bob proves himself to be the ultimate hero as he sacrifices himself by volunteering to go on a dangerous mission to retrieve the power, thereby giving Will, Joyce and the others ample time to escape. He is rightfully remembered as a superhero by Will after he is killed by demodogs.
What happens at the end of Stranger Things season two?
Stranger Things season two ended on a pretty exhilarating yet heartwarming note. After Eleven reunites with Mike and the others, she finally closes the breach between the two dimensions, severing the connection between demodogs and the Shadow Monster.
The Mind Flayer finally leaves Will’s body and the entire chaos causes severe damage to the Hawkins Lab, exposing their dirty little secretive experiments of nefarious nature; they are also explicitly blamed for Barb’s death in the last season. While Eleven closes the gate, she has not been able to destroy the Mind Flayer, thus setting the tempo for a gritty season three.
Nancy and Steve break up in the beginning and towards the end of the season, she seems pretty close to Jonathan, as do Joyce and Hopper as they share a “friendly” cigarette.
Dr Owens, now the head of Hawkins Lab after the alleged death of Brenner, hands fake birth certificates to Hopper officially letting him adopt Eleven as his daughter. The latter makes up with Hopper and sees him as a protective and caring adoptive father.
