Dustin sneaks inside his house and making his shocking discovery. He places this unique looking creature inside his turtle’s aquarium. He decides to name him D’Artagnan.

We continue Eleven’s flashbacks as we find out that Hopper was the one leaving food for her and eventually bringing her to the cabin where the two of them cleaned the place up so they can live there. We also see Hopper taking extra precautions to keep her protected and out of sight. We return to the present where Eleven is still mad at Hopper for being late and wanting to leave the cabin to see Mike.

Eleven is tried of being under house arrest and is wanting to leave the cabin. I can’t say I blame her.

Bob takes Will to school and talks to him about standing up to his greatest fear and how to overcome it. Dustin is exploring the library for material to try and discover whatever he can about his new creature. Max is asking Lucas about Will’s backstory. In science class, Dustin tells the crew that they have to meet up at lunch.

The dead crops are really puzzling Hopper. He looks at the map and notices a pattern. Hopper goes to talk with Dr. Owens and tells him that whatever is happening all leads back to Hawkins Lab. Dr. Owens promises Hopper they will run some tests. They have a deal. Hopper keeps quiet about what happens in the lab and Dr. Owens keeps the unusual out of Hawkins. We all know what this means.

Nancy goes to talk with Steve and has no memory of what she said at the Halloween party. I don’t see them lasting much longer. Jonathan is also trying to help Nancy remember what happened. They both have different “weights on their shoulders” (involving Barb & Will). Nancy has an idea; she calls Barb’s mom and tells her she hasn’t been honest about the night Barb went missing. She wants to meet in person tomorrow and talk. Of course, someone [we can assume at Hawkins Lab] is listening to this entire conversation.

Eleven has finally had it. She wants to communicate with Mike in person. She leaves the cabin and stumbles across a mother and daughter. This jobs another painful flashback where she asks Hopper about her own mother. This makes her sad as all she wants to do is find out where the school is.

Dustin introduces the rest of the crew to D’Artagnan. They can’t quite figure out what he is and Dustin is convinced he has discovered a new species. They decide they are going to show their science teacher Mr. Clarke but Mike and Will quickly derail that plan. Will says he has seen a creature like this. Mike thinks that Will isn’t having flashbacks, but can actually see the Upside Down. They continue to argue about what to do with D’Art (that’s how I’m referring to him) and he is able to escape into the school.

Bob tells Joyce about a VHS tape of kids making fun of Will on Halloween. Joyce watches the tape and is horrified to see the same vision that Will saw, of the shadow monster. She also notices it is the exact same drawing Will did earlier. She also panics when she finds out that AV Club was canceled at school.

The crew has split up to try and find D’Art. Mike wanders into the gym and boys locker room looking. He runs into Max. She confronts him about why he doesn’t like her. He replies with he doesn’t want someone new to the group. He is unaware that Eleven is just feet away from him and she is shocked and hurt to see them together. Her thoughts go to the idea they are flirting as she uses her power to knock Max down. Mike senses something and rushes out to look for Eleven. What episode are Eleven and Mike finally going to reunite?

Will finds D’Art in the bathroom but is quickly taken into the Upside Down courtesy of another episode. He decides to take Bob’s advice and stand up to the shadow monster. The shadow monster surrounds him and shoves a tentacle into Will’s mouth…

Thoughts about this episode:

-Dustin is currently one of my favorite characters this season. His one-liners are hilarious.

-I keep wondering if Billy Hargrove is going to do more this season than do keg stands and drive his car recklessly?

-How long will this deal between Dr. Owens and Hopper last? Also, what is Hopper going to do when he finds out that Eleven has left the cabin?

-Poor Will can’t catch a break this season. What will be next for him after his latest interaction in the Upside Down?

Stranger Things 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.