Spoiler warning: Don’t read on if you haven’t seen all of “Stranger Things” season 2 yet.
If you spent your weekend in the Upside Down binge watching the second season of “Stranger Things,” then we’re guessing you have some questions about what’s next for the heroes of Hawkins. After another battle against evil monsters and the tragic loss of yet another fan-favorite character (R.I.P. Bob!), we have a few questions too. Here are five things we need answers to following the “Stranger Things 2” finale.
1. Can we trust Dr. Sam?
Thanks to Nancy Wheeler (Natalie Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), Barb finally got justice and Hawkins Laboratory has effectively been shut down. That basically leaves Paul Reiser’s Dr. Sam Owens and his co-workers without jobs going into to season three, although we have a feeling that the nefarious government agency will be back in some form.
Considering that Dr. Sam decided to help Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) remain an under-the-radar family in the aftermath of their fight against the Mind Flayer, Reiser’s character seems to be a new, trustworthy companion. However, there’s always a chance that he turns on them next season and puts Eleven back at risk by exposing her to the world.
While we’re hoping Dr. Sam will continue to act like an ally, Hopper and Eleven better keep an eye out just in case.
2. Will we see Eleven’s “sister” again?
Speaking of Eleven, we learned this season that she has a super-powered “sister” named Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) from her early childhood at the lab. After finding Kali and her band of bad-ass friends, Eleven got her own funky, new look, but also learned that she’d rather be a hero than kill her enemies out of revenge, which is why she leaves to help Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and his friends.
Of course, Kali isn’t happy with that decision and, we’re guessing, will return next season to try and seduce her back to their campaign of vengeance. There’s a lot of potential for this sibling showdown, which would be one helluva fight since Kali has the power to cloud people’s minds by making them see things.
However, it’d probably be a better idea to team-up since we know that there’s still a big evil baddie lurking in the shadows.
3. Can they keep the gate closed?
The shadow monster, or Mind Flayer as the boys called it, was stopped from invading the world with his minions in the finale by Eleven. While she showed a new level of power by closing the portal to the Upside Down, as the final moments of the episode shows, that evil is still plotting a way to get out.
Since we didn’t get to see this new monster’s full force in season two, you can bet that he’ll be back to cause mayhem in season three. Eleven and company are definitely going to need some help if that gate breaks open.
4. Will they finally leave Will alone?
If the Mind Flayer does manage to get out, hopefully he won’t terrorize poor Will (Noah Schapp) again. After getting dragged to the Upside Down in season one, the younger Byers returned this season only get possessed by the evil demon and then nearly burnt to a crisp in a heated exorcism of sorts by his mother (Winona Ryder).
Seriously, this kid has been through enough and we don’t think Joyce could take it if Will gets kidnapped or injured again. Leave Will alone!
5. What’s next for Steve?
Joe Keery’s Steve had a pretty rough season. He can’t write a college essay, loses his status as king of the high school, finds out his girlfriend doesn’t love him, oh, and he nearly gets killed by the new bad boy in town.
We wouldn’t blame Steve if he decided to get the heck ouf Hawkins, as he’s already done his fair share of babysitting and monster-slaying. But it looks like he’s become fond of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), offering his new pal ’80s hair tips and questionable advice on talking to women.
Although they are clearly setting up a mentor relationship between Steve and Dustin, there really isn’t much for Keery’s character to do in that small town now that he’s lost control of his life. There’s always a chance that he tries to win Nancy back, but we’re not sure if this love triangle can last another season.
