What do you think? Where were you this morning?! I missed first period!
I figured Jonathan would take you.
What are you talking about?
Jesus, you really can't handle your alcohol. Uh... you remember going to Tina's party last night, right?
I... remember dancing, and... spilling some punch, you got mad at me because I was drunk and then you took me home.
No. Yeah, see, that's where your mind gets a little fuzzy. That was your other boyfriend, that was-- that was Jonathan.
It's pretty simple, Nancy; you were just telling it like it is.
Um... apparently, uh, we killed Barb, and, uh, I don't care, 'cause I'm "bullshit" and, and our whole relationship is "bullshit". And, uh, pretty much everything's just bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. Oh, yeah, also... you don't love me.
I was drunk, Steve! I don't remember any of that!
So that makes everything you said just what, just bullshit too?!
CClassmate
Harrington! Dude, we need you, man; that douchebag's killing us! Let's go!
Steve stares at Nancy; when she doesn't answer, he walks away]
I think that you're bullshit.
[Dustin shows Mike, Will, Lucas and Max the "pollywog" he found]
His name is D'Artagnan. pPicks it up] Cute, right?
And he was in your trash?
Foraging for food. You wanna hold him?
I don't want to. [Dustin drops Dart into her hands] Oh, God, he's slimy!
[She passes Dart to Lucas]
Ugh, he's like a living booger! [Passes Dart to Will]
Oh, God, ugh! [Passes Dart to Mike, who stares at it]
[Grins] My question exactly. At first, I thought it was some type of pollywog.
It's another word for tadpole. Tadpole is the larval stage of a toad.
I-I know what a tadpole is.
Alright, then you know that most tadpoles are aquatic, right? Well, Dart, he isn't, he doesn't need water.
Yeah, but aren't there non-aquatic pollywogs?
Terrestrial pollywogs? Yep, two to be exact. Indirana Semiplamata and the Adenomera Andreae. One's from India, one's from South America. So how did one end up in my trash?
Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?
Did you guys see that? It looks like something is... moving inside it.
[He shines a lamp directly on Dart, who flinches and shrieks, startling them]
Whoa. [He grabs Dart as it tries to escape] It's okay, it's okay, I got you, little guy. I know you don't like that, it's okay. [Looks up] And there's another thing. Reptiles, they're cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right? They love heat, the sun. Dart hates it, it hurts him.
So, if he's not a pollywog, or a reptile...
Then I've discovered a new species.
[As he strokes Dart, Will has flashbacks of the larvae he coughed up last year, as well as the noises from his visions of the Upside Down, which sound just like Dart]
I'm- I'm sorry if I overstepped anything.
Okay. I mean, I... I like you so much. Not just you, everything that comes with you. Your family, your boys. And, I hope it's not wishful thinking, but... I kinda feel like I'm breaking through with them. I mean, not so much Jonathan, he's a tough cookie to crack, but...
With Will, like... I dunno, I feel like we're... connecting.
[Smiles] He likes you, too.
Good. Oh, there was... something else I was gonna mention. It's not a big deal at all, but... I just noticed this morning that my JVC was a little dinged up.
Yeah. It still works fine and everything, I just... I went back and watched the tape, and... there were some older kids picking on Will.
[Angrily] Who were they? Were they the Zimmerman brothers again?
Um, I don't know. They were wearing masks or sorta makeup, and... maybe. They were the right age.
I'll kill them. I swear to God, I will... I will kill them.
[Smiles] That's what I love about you: you punch back. I was never really one to put up a fight. I struggled a lot, like Will, when I was a kid. With bullies. [Sighs] It's the ones like us, that don't punch back, that people really take advantage of, you know? They rub your nose it it just a little bit more. I don't know why they do that. Maybe it makes 'em feel... powerful. I don't know. But, hey! Look at me now: I get to date Joyce Byers. Ha! [Joyce laughs] Are you kidding me? I get to date... see, it all works out in the end, doesn't it?
Grass, crops, trees. Everything in this area is either dead or dying, and that's a radius of over three miles. And it all leads back to here. [Taps a map showing Hawkins Lab]
See, these patterns here are really pretty. I like the design; it's almost psychedelic.
This is a joke to you, huh?
No, it's not a joke. I just, I don't understand what this has to do with me, Chief Hopper.
Whatever is happening, is spreading from this place, from this lab.
That's impossible. It's... the last burn, it was two days ago. It's contained.
A leak? A leak? [Chuckles, shakes his head] No, no, it...
I don't know, man, you're the scientist!
Exactly. And I'm tellin' ya, there's nothing to worry about.
[Stands up angrily] Yeah. You and your egghead friends go out to every area on this map, and you run your tests, or whatever the hell it is you do, and you see if anything comes up.
[Smirks] All right, so... so you're giving me orders, now? No.
I keep things nice and quiet for you.
And you keep your shit outta my town. That is the deal. I have done my part, now you do yours. Convince me.
Why do you hate me so much?
I don't hate you. How could I hate you, I don't even know you.
Yeah but you don't want me in your party!
[Turns to her] Because you're annoying! Also we don't need another party member. I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin is our bard, Lucas is our ranger, and El's our mage!
She was in our party a long time ago. She moved away, okay? [Starts walking away]
She was a mage? [Skateboards over to him] So what could she do, like magic tricks or something? Well, I could be your zoomer.
That's not even a real thing!
It could be. [Skates around him in a circle] See? Zoomer.
Oh come on, you know you're impressed.
[Eleven walks down a hallway as they continue talking. She stops and peeks into the room. She smiles upon seeing Mike, but frowns when she sees Max, feeling jealous. She tilts her head, using her powers to knock Max off her skateboard]
[To Max] Jesus! Are you alright?
Yeah, I think so. [Mike helps her up, and Eleven's lip trembles]
I don't know, it was just like a magnet or something pulling on my board. I know that sounds crazy.
[Mike thinks for a minute, and then turns in the direction of the door, but Eleven is already gone]
I- I was on the field. And... it all just went blank. And then... you were there.
[Shakes her head] Will... I need you to tell me the truth.
[Joyce brings over a piece of paper with a rough outline of the "Shadow Monster"]
This shape. I saw it on the videotape of Halloween Night. It's the same shape as your drawing. These episodes that you're having, I think Doctor Owens is wrong, I think they're real. But- but I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. So, you have to talk to me! Please. No more secrets, okay? [Will nods] Okay. Did you see this thing again, on the field?
[Will has flashbacks of his encounter with the Shadow Monster]
[Tearfully] I don't... know. It's almost... more like a feeling.
Like the one you had that night at the arcade?
[Crying] I don't... know. It came for me, and...and I tried. I tried to make it go away. But it got me, Mom!
Well, what does that mean?
I felt it... everywhere. Everywhere. I- I still feel it! I just want this to be over!
[Hugs him] It's okay, it's okay, hey. Listen, look, look at me. I will never, ever let anything bad happen to you ever again. Whatever's going on in you, we're gonna fix it. I will fix it. I promise. I'm here.
"Friends don't lie". Isn't that your little bullshit saying? Hey, hey, hey! Don't walk away from ME! Where'd you go on your little field trip, huh? Where? You go see Mike?
[Sadly] He didn't see me.
Yeah, well that mother and her daughter did, and they called the cops. Now, did anyone else see you? Anyone, at all? Come on, I need you to think!
You put us in danger. You realize that, right?
[Angrily] You promised... I'd go! And I never leave! Nothing ever happens!
Yeah, nothing happens and you stay SAFE! [Furiously bangs his right hand on the dressers]
I don't lie, I protect! And I feed, and I teach! And all I ask of you, is that you follow three simple rules! Three rules! And you know what? pPauses temporarily before screaming furiously] You CAN'T EVEN DO THAT! [El then bangs her hands on the dresser, and pause]] You're grounded! You know what that means? It means no Eggos... [he angrily throws a pack of Eggos waffles out of the freezer] ...and no TV for a week!
[Hopper tries to move the TV, but El angrily holds it in place with her powers]
Alright, knock it off, let go. [El shakes her head, and he tries to move it again] Okay, two weeks. [He tries again] Let go! [El angrily shakes her head] A month!
[Sarcastically] Well, congratulations. You just graduated from no TV for a month, to no TV at all!
[He angrily rips the power cord in two]
[Horrified and furious] NO! No, no... no! [She tries to fix it to no avail]
You have got to understand that there are consequences to your actions.
[Furious] YOU are like Papa!
[Hurt and furious] Really? I'm like that psychotic son of a bitch? Well, all right. You wanna go back in the lab? One phone call, I can make that happen.
Yeah, well I'm not so crazy about you, either. You know why? 'Cause you're a brat. You know what that word means? How 'bout that be your word for the day, huh? Brat, why don't we look it up? B-R-A-T. Brat.
[He tosses the dictionary to her, but she angrily slams it into him with her powers in retaliation for the insults and threats]
Hey! What the hell is wrong with you? [El uses her powers to ram the couch into his leg] Ahhh! Hey, HEY!
[El uses her powers to knock over a bookcase, then storms into her room and slams the door shut]
Hey! Hey! [Furiously bangs on the door] Open this door! Open this damn door!
[Inside, a terrified El sits against the wall, crying]
[Furiously bangs on the door again] You wanna go out in the world?! You better grow up! GROW THE HELL UP!
[El screams, and her powers shatter all the windows, startling Hopper, and she starts sobbing]
"Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind." George Sarton said that. You guys know who George Sarton is? Doesn't really matter. The point is, mistakes have been made, yes.
"Abundant mistakes". But, the men involved in those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to your brother and... Ms. Holland's death, they're gone. They're gone, and for better or for worse, I'm the schmuck they brought in to make things better. But I can't make things better without your help.
You mean, without us shutting up?
[To Jonathan, indicating Nancy] She's tough, this one. You guys been together long?
Wanna see what really killed your friend?
[They enter the chamber holding the portal to the Upside Down]
Teddy, I brought you an audience today. Hope you don't mind.
TTeddy
The more the merrier, sir.
[Gestures at the tendrils coming out of the portal] I call it, "One Hell of a Mistake." Wouldn't you? See, the thing is, we can't seem to... erase our mistake. But we can stop it from spreading. It's like pulling weeds. But, imagine for a moment, if a foreign state, let's say, the Soviets, if they heard about our mistake. Do you think they would even consider that a mistake? What if they tried to replicate that?
[A man with a protective suit and a flamethrower approaches the portal]
The more attention we draw to ourselves, the more... the more people like the Hollands know the truth, the more likely that scenario becomes. You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too... same as those weeds, there. By whatever means necessary.
[The man begins incinerating the tendrils]
So... we understand each other now. Don't we?
SMrs. Sinclair
[Noticing Erica is using too much syrup] That's enough, Erica.
SMr. Sinclair
[Reading his paper] Mm-hm?
LSLucas Sinclair
When Mom's mad at you, how do you make her not mad?
SMrs. Sinclair
[Sits down at the table] Hmm, that's a great question. How do you, hon?
SMr. Sinclair
[Not looking up from his paper] First, I apologize. Then, I get your mother whatever she wants.
SMr. Sinclair
[Folds his paper down and looks at Lucas] ...She's never wrong, Son.
[Bob sees the pictures Will, Mike and Joyce have been laying around the house, depicting Will's visions from the Shadow Monster]
[Startled] ...Huh. Hmm. [To Will] You drew all these, yourself...? [Will and Joyce both nod] Why, exactly?
I, I told you the rules. No questions, okay? [Bob nods] We, we just... need you to help us figure out what- Bob? Bob! Over here! [Bob, Will and Mike follow her to a drawing showing an intersection, which she draws an X on] Where... where this is.
That's the objective. Find the X.
Yeah? What's at the X? Pirate treasure? [Chuckles]
[Gives him a look] Bob? No questions.
Okay. [Pause] Lemme talk to you for just a second. Hang on, guys. [He takes her aside] Joyce, you can talk to me. You know that, right?
...Yeah. What's the problem, exactly?
What's the problem? Joyce... Will doesn't look well. You don't look well. What's going on?
Is this an episode? Is this one of Will's episodes?
I'm sorry. I just, I don't... see how any of this is good for Will, or for you. And even if I wanted to play along, I mean, how could I figure anything out if I don't understand the context of the game? Or... [he notices some of the pictures]
I know that shape. It's Lover's Lake. it's Lover's Lake! I get it. [Turns to another set of pictures] Okay, I get it! That's Lake Jordan. [Moves through the house, Joyce follows as Will and Mike watch] And, if that's Lake Jordan, then you can probably find... [snaps his fingers] Yeah! That's, uh Sattler's Quarry, and then, if you just follow it naturally...it moves to... the Eno River. And there it is! That's the Eno, do you see it? [Joyce frowns] Okay, so the lines aren't roads. But they act like roads. And they act like roads 'cause when you follow 'em, you'll see... they don't go over water. And that's the giveaway. That's the giveaway! [Claps his hands] Ha! Don't you get it? It's not a puzzle. It's a map. It's a map of Hawkins!
[Becky takes Eleven upstairs and shows her the nursery Terry made for her originally; Eleven picks up a teddy bear from the crib]
JIJane Ives/Eleven
[Whispers] Pretty.
BIBecky Ives
I can get you a real bed and you can stay here with me, if you want. How's that sound? [Eleven nods] I want to help you, but to do that, I need you to talk to me, okay? Doesn't have to be now, doesn't have to be today. But when you're ready. Okay?
JIJane Ives/Eleven
[Turns around] ... Okay.
[One of the hall lights starts to flicker, catching Eleven's attention]
BIBecky Ives
[Noticing] Oh, yeah, that. That happens sometimes. [They come into the hall] Old house, bad wiring. [Another light flickers] Or if you ask my crazy Aunt Shirley, it's... [she notices Eleven following the lights] haunted.
[A series of lights flicker as Eleven comes down the stairs, followed by Becky. Eleven looks around the kitchen until she sees a lamp flickering]
BIBecky Ives
Sweetie, really, it's just the wiring.
JIJane Ives/Eleven]
No. [She turns and heads into the living room, where a lamp is flickering right next to Terry] It's Mama. [She kneels next to her and wipes blood from Terry's nose]
TITerry Ives
Sunflower. Rainbow. Three to the right. Four to the left.
BIBecky Ives
[Following Eleven] I... I don't understand.
JIJane Ives/Eleven
She knows I'm here.
[The TV channel suddenly begins changing rapidly until there is nothing but static]
JIJane Ives/Eleven
She wants to talk.
[Telling Max about their adventure with Eleven] And that was the last we ever saw of her. After that, she was just, gone. I can't believe it's been that long. Feels like yesterday.
[Sarcastically] Yeah, I mean, I bet. Wow.
It's crazy, but... I really liked it.
Yeah. Well, I, I had a few issues.
I just felt it was a little derivative, in parts, but-
What are you talking about?
[Sneers] I just wish it had a little more originality, that's all.
Lucas, come on. Seriously? How gullible do you think I am?
Why would I make this up?
I don't know. To impress me, or something? Or, you're just, like... insane.
Angrily] I tell you all of this! I mean, top-secret stuff! Risking my life! And this is how you react?
[Scoffs] "Risking your life?"
Oh, so this is funny to you?
Yeah. I mean... kind of funny. [Lucas glares at her, she gets up] Stupid... but funny.
Story time's over, isn't it? [She walks back into the Arcade, Lucas follows her]
What's wrong with you? I gave you what you wanted.
I wanted to be a part of the group, not a part of some joke.
You did a good job, okay? You can go tell the others that I believed your lies, if it gets you "experience points" or whatever. [She tries to walk away, but Lucas grabs her arm]
We have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is, "Friends don't lie." Never ever, no matter what.
[Sarcastically] Is that right? [Pulls the "Out of Order" sign off the Dig Dug console and slaps it on his chest] Then how do you explain this?
[Sighs] I had to do that. To protect you-
[Angrily] To protect me from who, exactly?! The big, bad government baddies from Hawkins Lab?!
[Glancing around nervously] Lower your voice-
Or, maybe it was to protect me from the "Demagorgon" from another dimension!
Max, I'm serious, shut up!
Oh, no, no, no! You know what it was? It was Eleven, the girl-
[Clamps his hand over her mouth, leans forward and locks eyes with her] Stop talking. You're going to get us killed. Do you understand?
[Pulls his hand down and stares at him] ... You're serious?
So, what? I'm just supposed to trust you?
Alright, so let me get this straight: you kept something that you knew was probably dangerous in order impress a girl? Who, you you just met?
Alright, that's grossly oversimplifying things
I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug, anyway?
An inter-dimensional slug?! Because it's awesome.
Well, even if she thought it was cool, which she didn't, I- I just... I don't know, I just feel like you're trying way too hard, man.
Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?!
It's not about the hair, man. The key with girls is just... acting like you don't care.
Yeah, exactly. Drives 'em nuts.
You just wait, until uh... until you feel it. [Elbows him]
It's like before it's gonna storm, you know? You can't see it, but you can feel it, this, uh... electricity, you know?
Oh, like in the electromagnetic field, with the clouds in the atmosphere-
No, no, no, no, no. Like a, like a sexual electricity.
You feel that, and then you make your move.
So that's when you kiss her?
No, whoa, whoa! Slow down, Romeo.
Sure, okay, some girls... yeah, they want you to be aggressive, you know? Strong, hot and heavy, like a... I don't know, like a lion. But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy. Like a... like a ninja.
[Shortly] Nancy's different. She's different than the other girls.
Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess.
But... this girl's special too, you know? It's just, like... something about her.
Whoa whoa whoa, hey. You're not falling in love with this girl, are you?
She's only gonna break your heart, and you're way too young for that shit.
