Some sparkling new spark plugs for Bilbo Baggins.
I'm also giving out free hugs.
You didn't get the turbochargers?
It wasn't a goddamn Christmas list, Murray.
That's exactly what it was. And the fact that Santa Murray scrounged all this up in a single afternoon and smuggled it into what is likely the most heavily secured location outside of the White House, Fort Knox and Area 51 is a goddamn Christmas miracle. So, count your blessings, hang some mistletoe, pucker up, and kiss my jolly ass!
Thank you for the spark plugs.
I'm sorry for scaring you. I haven't seen anyone in... a really long time, so... I guess I got excited. [treating Holly's wound] Good news is, it doesn't look that deep. Not enough for stitches. I bet it stings though, huh? [Holly looks nervous] You can talk to me, you know. I won't bite. You do remember me, right? I've been to your house. Like, a lot.
You're Max. [Max nods] Max Mayfield. You skateboard and never take off your Walkman.
How am I in here when I'm in a coma in Hawkins General? That's a very reasonable question. [they hear a noise and turn] We should get going. It's not safe here, come on. [they walk through the woods]
Well, I can't go far. I came here to meet Henry. Do you know Henry?
Yeah, you could say that.
Well, he left me this note. Here, see? And he told me to meet him right here at the X. Right here. I think he's in trouble with the monsters.
Henry is a lot of things, but in trouble with the monsters is not one of them.
No but look, the note says-
Holly I know what the note says.
Then how do you know he's not in trouble?
Holly, I know what the note says because Henry didn't write it! I did.
I don't... I don't understand.
I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie. I- I just... I had to make sure that you came here.
You're one of them, aren't you?
Do I look like a monster?
Well I don't know. Maybe you're in disguise. You're dressed weird, and you're in a coma.
Okay... Well, would a monster know that your brother tried to get a mohawk until your sister stopped him, saving him from possibly the greatest social humiliation that a freshman has ever experienced at Hawkins High?
What color was this mohawk?
Hot orange. And personally, I think the use of the word "hot" is a bit ironic, but... people say I'm too negative. I just think I'm honest.
Are you positive you didn't?
Turn off the scary movie. Protect your mom, not the other way around. I mean, no offense, I know she's badass and everything but, you know.
Yeah, she's five foot three.
Yeah. And Vecna likes to control the hive mind like a puppet master. So maybe when you tap into the hive, you can pull the strings too.
You're trying to say that I'm evil and hell-bent on destroying the world?
[sarcastic] Totally. No, I'm just saying that, you know, you're like a wizard like him.
[smiling] In D&D Mike, not real life.
True. In real life, you're more like a sorcerer, because your powers don't come from a book of spells. They're innate.
Listen, as far as crazy theories go, I've had crazier. And with Eleven in the Upside Down, we really need some magic up here. [Will playfully shoves him, and Mike walks away. Robin watches meaningfully]
Do you, um, by any chance, remember Tammy Thompson?
Yeah. Isn’t she that terrible singer?
[laughs] Yeah. But in the ninth grade, I thought that she sounded like Whitney goddamn Houston. I mean, the first time I saw her, oh my God, like, time slowed down. It was like a scene from some lameo movie. You know, her hair blew in the wind, and she just looked perfect. So goddamn perfect. And, uh, it was right then and there that I knew she was the one. That with Tammy, I would finally be able to be myself, you know, all of myself. Because there was always this part of me that kind of scared me, you know? But I thought that if Tammy loved me, all of me, you know, I wouldn’t be so scared anymore. And then he showed up, Steve “The Hair” Harrington.
You probably can guess the rest. Tammy fell for him hard. And my entire fantasy life with her, along with the rest of my life, pretty much imploded before my eyes. I mean, my grades plummeted. I got grounded. I had to stay home every weekend doing chores. But then one day, I was cleaning bat shit out of my parents’ garage, and I found this 8millimeter film reel. You know? And it was just from this silly movie that I made in fourth grade, but I got it up on the projector, and all of a sudden, I was looking at this little version of myself. And that little me, I could hardly recognize her. You know, she was so carefree and, like, fearless. She just loved every part of herself. And that’s when it hit me. It was never about Tone-deaf Tammy. It was always just about me. I was looking for answers in somebody else, but… I had all the answers. I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared. Scared of… who I really was. Once I did that, oh, I felt so free. It’s like I could fly, you know? Like, I could finally be…
You've done some stupid shit in the past, but this? Man, this takes the cake.
You wanna talk to me about dumb shit?! How about chasing after somebody else's girlfriend when the world is ending!
Nancy is a friend. She's a friend, okay? Do you remember what that's like, having friends?
Yeah. I do. I remember what it was like to have a good friend. A real friend who actually believed in me and was actually kind to me--
There we go. That's what this has all been about, really, is Eddie. All your bullshit, pushing everyone away? It's because no one could ever be as perfect as he was.
Well, he wasn't perfect, but at least he knew that, unlike you! He was never fake! He didn't care what other people thought about him. He was just himself. And you know what? He was the smartest, kindest person I have ever met! And he would've solved this in thirty seconds flat.
Well if I'm such a goddamn idiot, how come I'm the one still standing here?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
That night, I told you not to be heroes. I told both of you. What did Eddie do? He charged into a swarm of killer bats.
You can keep telling yourself that, Henderson. But deep down, the reason you're so goddamn pissed is because you know the truth! Eddie wanted to play hero and he made a dumb call and he got himself killed!
[Henry catches Derek and tackles him]
[menacingly] Who gave you this map?
[shakes him] Look at me! [Derek looks afraid] You lie to me again, and I will kill your fool of a father. [forces Derek to see a vision of his father, dead, with his eyes removed. He does the same with his other family members] Your sneak of a mother, and that bitch of a sister too.
Henderson! Dustin! Dustin. Hey. What the hell was that? Was that the shield generator? Did they find it?
I was wrong. I was terribly, catastrophically wrong.
After you left, I found a journal. Brenner’s journal. The key to destroying that wall is in this lab, but it is not a shield generator. It isn’t dark magic. Vecna didn’t make it. Science did. Theoretical physicists call it exotic matter. A single source of energy that is holding that giant wall together, and I think Nancy just shot it.
How is that bad? That’s why we’re here, to get through this wall.
Vecna didn’t make the wall. So he isn’t on the other side, which means Holly and the missing kids aren’t either. Nobody is.
Then what the hell is on the other side of that wall? Why’d it stop? Dustin, what’s on the other side of the wall?
[limping towards Max and Holly] Holly!
Come on! [Holly hyperventilates and they try to run through the labyrinth]
[stopping outside of it] Holly, sweetheart. Stop, or I'll hurt her. [Holly freezes] I know you believe Max is your friend. But she has tricked you, Holly. She has corrupted your mind. She is a liar.
No! No, you're the liar! I saw you! I saw what you really are! You're a monster! A disgusting monster!
Holly! If you don't come back with me right now and rejoin the other children, I will have no choice but to hurt Max. I may even have to kill her.
Then why don't you? Huh? I'm right here! Oh, that's right. You're too scared of a stupid cave, you goddamn coward!
Things have changed, Max. There are now other ways to get to you. And Holly? When your new friend begins to suffer, and she will suffer, you can either return to me and end her suffering, or you can watch your new friend die. Her life is in your hands. [leaves]
[Steve brings out a ladder]
Steve, what the hell are you doing? That's never gonna work. Stop! Stop! Steve, stop! I'm serious! It's not safe! You're gonna fall!
It's unstable! I got it already, okay? [he turns to climb]
No, don't! [grabs him and pulls him back] STOP being an asshole!
I'm not being an asshole! I'm trying to get to them, man!
You're always trying to get yourself killed and I can't let it happen again! [sobbing] Stop being so selfish, please, if you go on there, you're gonna die, and I can't deal with it again. You can't die cause I can't deal with it again. Don't let it happen again. Please. Please don't let it happen again. [hugs him] Not you. [still sobbing into Steve's chest] I'm sorry.
No, no, no... [they watch the ladder collapse as they hold each other]
