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Where is Eleven? Your biggest questions from the first episode of ‘Stranger Things’ season two answered

Ready for Halloween, 1984?


Stranger Things season 2 has arrived and we're pumped to binge the entire thing. The first episode answers a lot of questions that have been plaguing us all since the last season ended. Where is Eleven? What was that police chase? It looks like there's plenty of spooky mystery to go around in 1984 Hawkins, Indiana and beyond. We're breaking down how all your favorites are doing and taking a look at the new faces that have arrived. This is the place to have your questions from the first episode of Stranger Things season two answered!

Warning: there will be spoilers about "Chapter One: MADMAX" of Stranger Things so if you want to watch without knowing anything, stop reading now. We'll include some theories about where we think the season will be going along with reactions to what we've seen so far.

Who was the girl from the opening sequence?

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Pittsburgh – October 28, 1984

For a hot second, we weren't sure we'd clicked the right show. We're definitely not in Hawkins anymore. Stranger Things opened with a bizarre police chase. It gave us The Dark Knight vibes a little bit with robbers using Halloween masks. We have no idea what they were after, but things got a whole lot, well, stranger when we learn that one of the five burglars possesses pschyic powers. She manages to throw the police off by making a piece of tunnel appear to fall in front of the squad car. By the time the officers get out of their nearly demolished vehicle, the tunnel is totally fine. The robbers cheer and the woman wipes her nose bleed away and… she's got a "006" on her arm! Does she know Eleven? So many questions and we're only, like, four minutes in.

How's the Byers family doing since Will's return?

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Will (Noah Schnapp) is hardcore struggling since his return. He's suffering from PTSD and keeps having flashes of the Upside Down. Will seems to be getting bullied at school and kids have been leaving "zombie boy" notes in his locker. Ugh, middle school is the worst! It probably doesn't help his image that his mom has to pull him out of class to go have medical tests done, but more on that later.

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Will's mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) has got a new man in her life. Bob Newby (Sean Astin) works at an eletronics shop and seems like a total sweetheart. They're making out in the storage room of Joyce's job like a couple of teenagers. It's cute to see Joyce with a smile on her, but we're still wishing she'd be with Jim Hopper (David Harbour). Unfortunately, Joyce can't stop worrying about Will and rightly so. She knows there's something up with the doctor performing tests on Will and she couldn't be more right!

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Will's older brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) is once again the odd man out. He's trying to connect with his little bro, but it isn't quite working. They both get a kick out of their mom's goofy new boyfriend. In the meantime, Jonathan is still pining away in corner of the high school love triangle with Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).

Why are the Wheeler kids falling apart?

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Mike is having a rough go of it. He's been acting out and getting in trouble with his parents. Mike is definitely still crushing hard on Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). He tries reaching out to her over his walkie talkie, but she's still nowhere to be seen or heard.

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Nancy and Steve are going strong. He's talking about staying home for her senior year and getting a job through his father. It looks like they've been having dinner occasionally with Barb's parents. RIP Barb! Nancy has a mini-meltdown in the bathroom after her BFF's parents tell her they're selling the house and continuing the investigating into Barb's disappearance elsewhere. Back at school, she still won't give up on Jonathan though and tries to get him to come to a Halloween party. The love triangle lives on.

How's Jim Hopper policing Hawkins?

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Everyone's favorite curmudgeon of a sheriff has returned to the more mundane aspects of his job like humoring conspiracy theorists (who might be on to a girl who sounds like Eleven). There's defintely something fishy going on with those pumpkins that rotted over night that he investigates. We bet it won't be long before Hopper is back in action. He's still totally in love with Joyce though, right?

Are Dustin & Lucas still amazing?

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These two are just the hilarious. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is head-over-heels crushing on the new girl in school and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) isn't about to let her go without a fight. You've got to love the banter between these two. We have a feeling it's going to be one of the few comic aspects of what's shaping up to be a dark second season.

Who are the new characters?

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Max aka MADMAX (Sadie Sink) is the new girl at school with a rebel streak. She's already conquered Dustin's high score at the arcade. The boys are already obsessed with her. Dustin and Lucas spot her getting into an intense argument with her older brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery). The skateboarding California girl has set Hawkins abuzz.

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Billy looks like the new resident bad boy in Hawkins, which might end up shaking Nancy and Steve's seemingly solid relationship. We just have to say that 80s hair and baby mustache aren't really working for us.

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Will's new doc, Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) seems like a decent guy…at first. He tries to chat up Will about Halloween candy (and fails). He helps coach Joyce and Hopper through being there for a kid with PTSD. This guy has a major secret though, he's working with scientists exploring/experimenting in the Upside Down. He's definitely a shady character to keep an eye on.

Is this spider-thing the new big bad?

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Will keeps having flashes of the Upside Down. He wakes up one night and steps outside to see everything totally ravaged. We see this spider-like thing in the sky that could take the place of the Demogorgon as this season's big bad beast. Yikes!

Where is Eleven?

FINAL SPOILER ALERT! We're now going to talk about Eleven so if you don't want to know if she appears in the first episode, don't scroll down.

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Just when we gave up hope of seeing Eleven in the first episode, Hopper heads home to find the TV already on and microwave dinner on the table with… a conspicuous Eggo waffle on a separate plate! Eleven has been living with Hopper and it's the absolute best. He's teaching her how to say the time and scolding her on eating desert (waffles, of course) before dinner. Be still our hearts! It's such a joyful to end the first episode.

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Things are only going to get darker from here so we'll take these touching moments where we can get them. We were really into the first episode of Stranger Things and it lived up to expectations. Happy binging for the rest of the season and see you in the Upside Down!