[Holly and Max reach Max's portal]
Holly, wait. You can't come with me.
What? W-what do you mean?
This way leads to me, to my body. Not yours. You have to find your own way.
How? I don't have Kate Bush. I don't even know who Kate Bush is.
But you don't need Kate Bush to get out of here. Turns out, I don't either. Music isn't the only way back. You just need something that connects you to the real world, to home. Something powerful, meaningful. Lucas, when- when he took my hand, in the hospital. I could feel it, right here. But then I could also feel it in here.
But I don't have a boyfriend.
You don't need a boyfriend. You just need something that's special to you. Something that makes you feel... safe. Something that brings you strength, something that gives you hope.
[reaching for her necklace] Holly the Heroic.
She's here with you now. But she's also with you in the real world. Wherever you are, all you have to do is follow her home.
Just... try and remember what it is that she means to you.
She doesn't mean anything important. She's just a toy.
If she's just a toy, why do you always carry her with you?
Mike. He said that she had divine powers and that she never gets scared, and so if I ever got scared, I could just... become her. But I keep trying, and it never works. No matter what I do, I'm still me. The girl who needs a stupid night-light. When my mom was attacked, I couldn't save her, I couldn't even save myself. I just stood there. And then when Henry attacked you... I stood there again. There's nothing heroic about that.
There was nothing that you could do in those moments, Holly. I mean, you're a Wheeler. You're smart. You honestly think that you could've stopped those monsters with a fire poker? [grins] And I think you're leaving a few important things out. The day that we met, you went into the woods even though Henry told you that dangerous monsters lived there. And then you followed me into the cave even though you had no good reason to trust me. And then when I told you to go back to Henry, to go back into danger, you didn't hesitate. And today, when I gave up, you didn't. [crying] I've been here for so long, Holly. So long. And I could never make it out. But you? You found a way through Camazotz. Because of you... I get to see my friends. I get to see Lucas. You saved me, Holly Wheeler. You saved me. So, you see, Holly the Heroic is not just a toy. She's you, Holly. She's you. [they smile at each other, and a portal opens for Holly, back to Vecna's lair]
How did you know that would work?
I didn't. [chuckles] You still have a long journey ahead. I don't know where you're gonna wake up. But I figure Vecna's holding you in the Upside Down. But remember, the Upside Down, it's just like Hawkins. So find your way back to your house and hide there. We will come and find you, okay? [Holly hugs her. Once they pull apart,] I'll see you on the other side.
[Max slowly opens her eyes]
Yes! That's it! That's it!
Yes, Max. Come on, Max. It's me. It's me. I'm right here. I'm right here, Max. [crying] Are you... are you... are you okay? Do you... do you hurt anywhere?
[weak] I c-can't feel... much.
Do you... do you feel this? Do you feel my hand? [holds her hand]
Can you... can you... can you see?
The lights are... are really bright.
VVickie
Hey... you haven't used your eyes, okay, or your muscles for a long time. Okay, your body's just weak, but it just needs to readjust and learn again. [Max cries, as does Lucas] You are going to be okay. You're gonna be okay.
[crying] I knew you were there. I always knew you were still there.
[crying] I saw you. Waiting for me. Playing my... my song.
[shakes her head and chuckles tearfully] Are you? [Lucas nods, and they both laugh and cry, as does Robin] It turns out, that this whole time... I didn't even need it. I just needed you. [Lucas smiles and sobs] Just you. [he hugs her]
I… I… I haven’t told any of you this because… Because I… I don’t… I don’t want you to see me differently. But the truth is… The… The truth is I am. I am different. I just… I just pretended like I wasn’t because… because I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be like everyone else. I wanted to be like my friends and… And I am like you. I’m like you in… in almost every way. We… We like playing D&D late into the night. And we like that old-person smell in Mike’s basement. And we… we like biking to Melvald’s for malted milkshakes. And we like getting lost in the woods, and getting lost in Family Video and arguing about what to rent and settling on Holy Grail for the millionth time. And… And we like Milk Duds in our popcorn with extra butter. And we like drinking Coke with Pop Rocks. And we like bike races and trading comics and NASA and Steve Martin and Lucky Charms and… Literally all the same things. I just… I just… I… I just… I… I… I… I don’t like girls. I mean… I mean I do. Just… Just not like you guys do. And I, uh, I had this… this crush on someone, even though I know… I know they’re not like me. But… But then I realized he’s just my Tammy. And by Tammy, I mean it was never about him. It was… It was about me. And I thought I was finally okay with myself, but… but then today… Today Vecna showed me what would happen if I did this, if I told you guys the truth. He showed me a future, and in this future, some of you are just… are just worried for me. Worried that things will be harder for me. And it just makes me feel like something’s wrong with me. So I… So I push you away. And for the rest of us, we just drift apart more and more and more and more and more until I’m alone. And I know none of that has happened, and Vecna can’t see into the future. But he can see into our minds, and he knows things. And it just felt so real. It felt so real.
Will. You gotta listen to me. That will never ever happen. You’ll never lose me. Ever.
And you’ll never lose me. [goes to hug him]
[everyone eventually lets go of the hug]
Guess you didn’t need truth serum, huh?
Sorry. This sucks, but you’re gonna have to hug me.
Oh, Max. [goes to hug her]
Just imagine I’m hugging you really tight, okay?
Okay. [lets go of hug] El. I know you’re strong enough to defeat Vecna. But he can retreat to the physical world, and we need to be ready to fight him there too. We have bullets and fire, but none of that helped those soldiers. I need to be there. And I’m ready. I’m ready to show him I’m not afraid anymore.
If I'm alive, then so is Henry. I have to end the cycle.
You will, you will. But not like this. Not with more violence. Not with more pain. There's already been so much pain. From the moment you were born. Your mother was taken from you. Your childhood was taken from you. You've been attacked. Manipulated by terrible people. Life has been so unfair to you, so cruel. But you never let it break you. And I need you to fight, kid. I need you to fight just one last time. Fight for the days on the other side of this. Fight for... for a world beyond Hawkins. Fight for that day that you have a kid of your own, and you give her the life that you never had. For the day you get so angry because she invites some boy over, and she won't keep the door open three inches. I know. I know you don't believe you can have any of this. But I promise you we will find a way to make it real. You will find a way to make it real. Because you have to. Because you deserve it.
You... You have to get out of there! You have to get out!
None of this will ever end, not if I'm still here.
No, no, no. We'll figure something out. We'll figure something out, we'll fight back. We always do.
I need you to talk to the others.
I need you to thank them for me. For being so kind to me. And teaching me what it means to be a friend.
No! Please don't do this. Please don't do this!
Mike, I need you to help them understand my choice.
But I don't-- I don't understand!
I know. But you will. One day, you will. You understand me. Better than anyone. You always have. From the day we met... you've seen me.
Please don't leave me, El. Please don't do this.
I will always be with you. I love you.
[They kiss.]
I just wanted a normal childhood. But that childhood was stolen from me. It was stolen from us. And this past year, if you wanna know the truth, I've been pretty pissed off about it.
But then I thought back to the past six years, and I realized that, even though there was a lot of bad, there was so much good too. There's this game I like to play. It's called Dungeons & Dragons.
[Will cheers]
And in this game, there are two types of chaos classes, chaotic good and chaotic bad. Now, bad chaos brings anarchy, destruction, war. But good chaos can bring innovation, change. And this school... frankly, it needed to change. Because we were so divided into the jocks, the nerds, freaks. And in the chaos, all those walls broke down, and I made new friends. I made friends who were never even supposed to be my friends. And this wasn't just me; I saw this happen with so many others. When you get to know people who are different from you, you begin to learn more about yourself. You change. You grow. I'm a better person now. I'm a better person because of them. Because of my friends. So, I'm not pissed off anymore. But I am worried. Worried, because now that the chaos is over, Principal Higgins and every square like him is gonna do their damnedest to put everything back in order, and I don't want order. Which is why it's hypocritical that I'm wearing this thing. I mean, we look ridiculous. What is this? We look like Roman senators. I mean, it's not who I am. I don't think it's who any of us are. So, honestly, just screw it.
Screw the school. Screw the system. Screw conformity.
Screw everyone and everything trying to hold you back and tear us apart, because this -- this is our year!
[Duncan and Courtney are on a train going back to the daycare]
Our stop's next. Then it's back to the daycare, And-
Sorry Courtney, I've gotten a taste of freedom now, and I'm not going back to the dayca- [Courtney handcuffs Duncan] Seriously? Oh come on!
If you escape from daycare on your own, I am fine with that, but I'm not letting you do it on my watch.
What if I refuse to move? Then how would- [Courtney drags him out of the train]
[Jude, Bridgette, and Duncan call up Leshawna]
Brah, you're missing Giggle Dough Day. Owen ate his. It was awesome.
How are you doing? Are you okay?
Girl, I've been staying up late, rocking my PJs all day, and I just binge watched Power Kitten Ninja Dance Force.
Dude, she just described my perfect day. Being sick kinda rocks.
And, my mom stayed home from work to take care of me. Watch this. Hey, mama! Where's my ice cream! [claps]
You get to eat ice cream too?!
All you can eat, baby! That is, after you get through all the--
Great! Talk soon! Bye bye! Guys, I have the best plan ever. Emergency meeting in the castle, stat!
[the next day, every kid, with the exception of Leshawna, stayed at home]
CChef
Yep. You're the only one here today.
I tried to tell the other kids, you don't get the ice cream until after you get through two days of violent vomiting and diarrhea, but they hung up on me. Whatcha got there?
CChef
Uh, the new Child Educators' Calendar just came out. I think I overdid it a little.
[pounding on the door] Made it. I have perfect attendance. Let me in! I'm not sick. See? I'm totally fine. [pukes and coughs] Just put a little tick on the sheet?
[at home being sick] Worst... [pukes] plan... [pukes] ever! [pukes]
