Stranger Things Season 2 Recap: The Mind Flayer & The Rise of Steve Harrington

 Chapter One: MADMAX

• The Rundown: A new girl, Max, arrives and beats the boys' high scores at the arcade. Will experiences "True Sight," seeing a massive shadow monster in the sky. Dustin finds a strange creature in his trash.

• Highlight: The cinematic introduction of the "Mind Flayer" looming over a red-skied Hawkins during Will's vision.

• Cliffhanger: Dustin finds "Dart," a slimy slug-like creature, in his trash can and decides to keep it.

Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak

• The Rundown: It’s Halloween in Hawkins. Eleven is living in secret with Hopper but is desperate to see Mike. Will has another episode while trick-or-treating that leaves him shaken.

• Highlight: Eleven attempting to reach Mike through the "Void" and almost touching his face.

• Cliffhanger: Will is confronted by the towering Shadow Monster on a foggy field while the world turns cold.

Chapter Three: The Pollywog

• The Rundown: Dustin hides Dart at school, but it escapes. Nancy and Jonathan plan to expose the Lab for Barb's death. Will tries to confront the Shadow Monster on Bob’s advice to "stand your ground."

• Highlight: Dart growing from a slug into a reptilian creature and eating Dustin’s cat, Tews.

• Cliffhanger: The Shadow Monster forces its smoke-like essence down Will’s throat in the real world.

Chapter Four: Will the Wise

• The Rundown: Will is now "infected" and sharing a mind with the monster. Hopper discovers the local pumpkin rot is connected to the Lab via a network of underground tunnels.

• Highlight: Will’s manic "scribbling" session that creates a massive, house-wide map of the tunnels under Hawkins.

• Cliffhanger: Hopper gets trapped and tangled in the living vines deep beneath the soil.

Chapter Five: Dig Dug

• The Rundown: Joyce enlists Bob to help solve Will’s map and find Hopper. Nancy and Jonathan find Murray Bauman. Eleven learns about her past and her mother, Terry Ives.

• Highlight: "Bob the Brain" using his map-reading skills to pinpoint Hopper’s exact location in the "vine" tunnels.

• Cliffhanger: Scientists burn the vines to save Hopper, but Will collapses in sympathetic agony because he is "connected."

Chapter Six: The Spy

• The Rundown: Will’s connection to the "Mind Flayer" is used as a trap. Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Max hunt Dart at the junkyard and Steve officially becomes the group's protector.

• Highlight: The "Foggy Junkyard" battle where Steve defends the kids from a pack of "Demodogs."

• Cliffhanger: The Demodogs ignore the trap and head straight for the Lab to attack the scientists.

Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister

• The Rundown: Eleven travels to Chicago to find Kali (Eight), another Lab escapee. She learns to harness her anger to strengthen her powers but realizes her heart is in Hawkins.

• Highlight: Eleven moving a massive, heavy train car with her mind as part of her "training."

• Cliffhanger: Eleven sees a vision of the Lab under attack and chooses to leave her "sister" to save her friends.

Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer

• The Rundown: The Lab is on lockdown as Demodogs swarm the halls. Bob Newby volunteers to reset the breakers so the group can escape the building.

• Highlight: Bob Newby, Superhero. He gets the doors open but is caught by Demodogs at the last second in front of Joyce.

• Cliffhanger: As the group is cornered by the Mind Flayer’s minions at the Byers house, Eleven makes her grand entrance.

Chapter Nine: The Gate

• The Rundown: The group splits: Joyce and Jonathan "burn" the monster out of Will. Steve and the kids distract the dogs in the tunnels. Eleven and Hopper head to the Gate.

• Highlight: Eleven levitating in the elevator, screaming as she uses every ounce of her power to slam the Rift shut.

• Cliffhanger: The "Snow Ball" dance ends happily, but the Mind Flayer is seen looming over the school in the Upside Down.