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Stranger Things: 11 Things to Remember From Season 1

These tidbits will probably play a big role in Season 2

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Tim Surette

Stranger Thingscame out well over a year ago, and if you're like most people, your Stranger Things knowledge may be a little rusty. If you don't have time for a rewatch, don't fret! We powered through Season 1 just for you, and picked out 11 important things to remember before you dive into Season 2 on Friday, Oct. 27.

1. Will hacked up a slug

After Will (Noah Schnapp) was rescued from the Upside Down, things were pretty great -- but not totally great. The kid was still having some flashes of the Upside Down even though he pretended everything was fine, signaling that his experiences "down under" somehow stuck with him while he was on our plane of existence. The most tangible evidence of this was when Will went to the bathroom and barfed up some disgusting slug into the sink. Remember, he was found with a slimy tentacle jammed down his throat doing who knows what, so maybe there are even more slugs inside him! And where did that slug thing go, anyway?

2. The boys fought a Thessalhydra in Dungeons & Dragons

Season 1 started with the boys fighting a Demogorgon in their role-playing game, and ended with them fighting a creature that was a lot like a Demogorgon in real life. The very end of Season 1 saw the boys fighting a Thessalhydra in their new game of Dungeons & Dragons, and we know that the big monster in Season 2 resembles the multi-headed hydra of D&D lore. Are the boys creating these monsters, or what? Why don't they play a game of Carnivals & Kittens instead? That might solve all their problems!

Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things

Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things

Curtis Baker/Netflix


3. Eleven disappeared

In the final battle with the Demogorgon, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) stepped up and destroyed it using her telekinetic powers. Hooray! But she also dissolved into a million tiny particles, so it wasn't a total victory. Where did she go? Is she back in the Upside Down? We know from trailers that she isn't dead, but we don't know where she is.

4. Hopper was feeding Eleven

One quick snippet at the end of the Season 1 finale showed Chief Hopper (David Harbour) putting something in a lockbox somewhere in the woods. What did he put in there? Eggos, Eleven's favorite nosh. Does Hopper know something we don't know about where Eleven is? Or is he just hoping she'll find it?

5. Steve finished things a hero

Steve (Joe Keery) had some rough patches in Season 1, particularly with the complicated love triangle between him, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). He was a bit of a jerk when we first met him, and later in the season he broke Jonathan's camera after he saw him hanging out with Nancy. But Jonathan kicked some Demogorgon ass when he ran into Nancy and Jonathan fighting it, and at the end he bought Jonathan a new camera and had Nancy give it to him as a Christmas present. Plus his hair is awesome. Don't diss Steve.

Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer; Stranger Things

Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer; Stranger Things

Curtis Baker/Netflix


6. Nancy ended up with Steve

Despite all the progress Jonathan made with Nancy and the obvious attraction between them, Nancy went back to Steve when Season 1 ended. This love triangle is very far from over. And yes, the love triangle is very important to Stranger Things. Dare I say it's the most important thing? (#TeamSteve!)

7. Eleven killed like 20 people

We all like to look at Eleven as this innocent and confused girl, but let's be clear about something: she's really dangerous. She had no problem breaking a bully's arm (and making him pee his pants), and when she could have held some of Dr. Brenner's (Matthew Modine) goons still with her powers to help her friends escape, she chose to crush their heads instead. Just because she's adorable, doesn't mean she won't flatten you. Will she be able to control her emotions in order to keep her powers in check? Or will she murder anyone who gets in her way?

Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown; Stranger Things

Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown; Stranger Things

Curtis Baker/Netflix


8. Mike kissed Eleven

Little Mike (Finn Wolfhard) had a crush on Eleven but never acted on it, even stammering through asking her to a dance at one point when he was unable to explain what "more than liking" someone was. But in the finale, he mustered up the courage and planted one on her lips. Go Mike! However, they were interrupted by Brenner's men and we all know what happened after that. Now that Eleven is gone, how will that affect Mike? We're guessing not well.

9. Dr. Brenner either survived or he didn't

Mean old Dr. Brenner was last seen in the school in a fight with the Demogorgon, and it was a battle that didn't look like was going his way. But we never actually saw Dr. Brenner get ripped to shreds, so did he really die? A newspaper clipping about Hawkins Lab said Brenner issued no comment, implying that he survived. However, that easily could have been the lab making that statement on his behalf to cover up his death. Still, we're guessing he didn't get eaten, but if he survived, how did he do it? And how pissed will he be in Season 2?

10. Joyce went public about Hawkins Labs

The aforementioned newspaper article revealed that Joyce (Winona Ryder) alleged Will was part of a secret experiment conducted by Hawkins Lab, meaning the secret was out. That would also mean the lab should be shut down, and that the portal to the Upside Down would be left unguarded. Or will the lab find a way to cover it up and continue its experiments? With Dr. Brenner's fate unknown, it's hard to tell.

11. Holly is awesome

The youngest of the Wheelers doesn't do a whole lot but sit at the dinner table and look around, but it's hilarious when the show cuts to her to get her reaction about something. This is just a reminder that she's great, and that Stranger Things is about a lot more than interdimensional monsters, it's about strong characterization that even comes out in characters that don't talk. Let's hope that doesn't get lost as Season 2 gets bigger.

Stranger Things returns Friday, Oct. 27 on Netflix.