NOVEMBER 6th, 1983 HAWKINS, INDIANA
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers
occasions. Mike’s older sister Nancy attends a pool
a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying
party accompanied by her best friend Barb. While
supernatural forces and one strange little girl. The
alone, Barb is abducted. Meanwhile, police chief Jim
plot begins with Young Will Byers cycling home from
Hopper grows suspicious of the nearby national
a disappointing “Dungeons & Dragons” campaign at
laboratory after he finds a torn piece of hospital
a friend’s house, when a terrifying figure suddenly
gown outside the lab grounds. Hopper researches
appears... Will tries to escape and hide, but he is
Dr. Martin Brenner, the laboratory, and a woman,
abducted...Will’s friends Dustin, Lucas and Mike
who claimed her daughter was taken by scientists.
begin investigating his disappearance; while looking
Eventually, Eleven proves Will is still alive by
for Will in the local forest, the boys find a girl with a
manipulating several radios using her psychokinetic
shaved head in a hospital gown, who they let stay in
abilities to project the sound of Will’s voice. Putting
Mike’s basement. They learn her name is Eleven and
piece by piece, Jonathan and Nancy learn about
that she has psychokinetic abilities. Will’s mother
the Demogorgon and team up to learn more about
Joyce becomes transfixed by supernatural events
the creature. After all characters connect and pull
affecting the house electricity - she’s convinced
together their knowledge on the supernatural events,
Will is communicating with her. As these strange
they search for a hypothetical Gate to the other
events continue, she witnesses the same monster
world in hopes to find Will and Barb, which they’ve
that took Will, which threatens her on numerous
now nicknamed the Upside Down.
A year after Will’s disappearance, things are
discovery: there are baby demogorgons hatching
seemingly back to normal in Hawkins, but there’s
in the woods and Dustin unknowingly takes one
a palpable darkness that’s hiding just beneath the
in to raise as a new pet. At the same time, Hopper
surface. Despite being reunited with his friends
discovers that the Nether rift has spread underneath
and family, Will is still grappling the physical and
Hawkins, infecting the town with a labyrinth of
emotional ramifications of being trapped in the
tunnels revealing a new creature much bigger and
upside down. He’s having strange dreams that are
darker than anyone could have imagined. And lastly,
feeling more and more like reality -- haunting him
in a shocking twist, Eleven is revealed to be alive
even when he doesn’t sleep. Mike is devastated by
and under the care of Hopper in a secret cabin in
the loss of Eleven and although there’s a cool new
the woods. She embarks upon a journey to find the
girl in a town, Max, whom Lucas and Dustin adopt
truth about her mother and confront the demons
into the group, Mike refuses to have her as any sort
from her past including meeting a young girl named
of replacement. Hopper is suspicious of Brenner’s
“Eight” -- a fellow lab child of Brenner’s experiments.
successor at the lab as secrets still seem to loom
All of these stories converge by season’s end, as
heavy even under new management and Nancy,
our characters fight to save Will’s soul and rescue
no longer just the girl next door, is guilt ridden and
Hawkins from being sucked into the Upside Down
haunted by the death of her best friend Barb. As
for good.
Will’s episodes intensify, the kids make a shocking
Character Clans
D&D STATS: CLASS: Dwarven Cleric | STRENGTH: +2 | AGILITY: +1 | INTELLIGENCE: +2 | WISDOM: +2 | CHARISMA: +5
Played by
Gaten Matarazzo (S1, S2)
Level (Age):
12 years old (S1), 13 years old (S2)
Alias
Dusty, Compass Genius
Occupation
Student at Hawkins Middle School
Personality Traits
Wonderfully observant and intelligent, he’s equal parts protector and negotiator. Often skeptical, slightly paranoid, and always funny.
Unique Feature
Has cleidocranial dysplasia, a genetic disorder leaving him with no front teeth until S2.
Proficiencies
Compass genius, master cyclist, Dig Dug expert, Dragon’s Lair apprentice, dog whispering
Allies and Organizations
Hawkins AV Club, The Party, House Henderson
Family
Claudia Henderson (mother), Mr. Henderson (absentee father), Mews (RIP kitty), D’artagnan aka Dart (demo dog)
Played by
Caleb McLaughlin (S1, S2)
Level (Age):
12 years old (S1), 13 years old (S2)
Alias
Stalker (by Max)
Occupation
Student at Hawkins Middle School
Personality Traits
Always hesitant and rational, he’s the party’s brutal realist. Comes off as defensive but is really sweet-natured.
Proficiencies
Master cyclist, sweet talker, can rock a headband better than most
Allies and Organizations
Hawkins AV Club, The Party, House Sinclair, House Mayfield
Family
Erica (younger sister), Mr & Mrs Sinclair
ACETATE OR 3D
Will Byers Played by Noah Schnapp (S1, S2) Level: 12 years old (S1), 13 years old (S2) Alias: Will the Wise, The Boy Who Came Back to Life, Zombie Boy, The Spy Occupation: Student at Hawkins Middle School Personality Traits: As the party’s visual storyteller, he’s a gifted drawer. Equal parts sensitive, imaginative, wise, and kind. D&D Stats: CLASS: Wizard, “Will the Wise” | STRENGTH: +1 | AGILITY: +2 | INTELLIGENCE: +5 | WISDOM: +4 | CHARISMA: +1 Proficiencies: Expert fort builder, master cyclist, artisan painter, hide and seek pro, spying on the Upside Down Allies and Organizations: Hawkins AV Club, The Party, House Byers Family:
Joyce (Mother), Jonathan (older brother), Lonnie (estranged fa-
Maxine Mayfield Played by Sadie Sink (S1, S2) Level: 13 years old (S2) Alias: MADMAX Occupation: The new kid at Hawkins Middle School Personality Traits: Tough, confident, pretty, and unafraid to speak her mind, she’s a skater with a distrustful demeanor. D&D Stats*: CLASS: Zoomer** | STRENGTH: +4 | AGILITY: +5 | INTELLIGENCE: +4 | WISDOM: +2 | CHARISMA: +2 *not officially in the Party (yet)… absolutely a hero in the campaign. ** “Zoomer” not actual D&D class, true class TBD
Proficiencies: Grand master skater, Dig Dug super-pro, dealing with her uber jerk of a stepbrother Allies and Organizations: Hawkins AV Club, The Party, House Mayfield-Hargrove, House Sinclair Family: Billy (older stepbrother and town bully), Neil Hargrove (stepfather), Susan Hargrove (mother)
Nancy Wheeler Played by Natalia Dyer (S1, S2)
Age: 16 years old (S1), 17 years old (S2) Status: Student at Hawkins High School Traits: The good girl gone bad… then good again… maybe. Intelligent and studious, naive and easily influenced by peer pressure. Surprisingly more curious and determined than many thought. Yearbook Superlative: Most Likely to Sneak Out to Hunt Demons Where You’ll Find Her: Wheeler House, drunk at a party with Steve, drunk at Steve’s house with Barb (then not, oops), with Jonathan Family:
Mike’s older sister
“I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it.”
yers
harlie Heaton (S1, S2)
ars old (S1), 17 years old (S2)
dent at Hawkins High School
n’s introverted and antisocial shutterbug. He’s creative, kind, independent, and y brave.
uperlative: Most Likely Steal Your Girl
Steve Harrington Played by Joe Keery (S1,S2)
Status: Student at Hawkins High School, all around cool guy, kind of a jerk, Nancy Whe er’s boyfriend in S1, protector of kids in S2 Traits: Part of the popular crowd, jock from a wealthy family, a mega jerk in S1 turned good guy with a conscience in S2 Yearbook Superlative: Best Hair Notes: Plays a pivotal role in several showdowns with demogorgons and jerks alike
ll Find Him: The Byers House, dark room, the woods hunting demogorgons. Will’s older brother and the closest thing he has to a father figure
uldn’t like things because people tell you you’re supposed to.”
“ I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I’m actually a pretty damn good babysitter. ”
Joyce Byers Played by Winona Ryder (S1, S2)
Age:
Late 30’s
Status: Single mother of Will and Jonathan Byers Job:
Retail clerk at Melvald’s General Store
Traits: Overworked single mother of two. She’s financially unstable, anxious and determined to find her missing son. Often portrayed as delusional, she just cares deeply about her children. Yearbook Superlative (class of ‘67?): Most Attractive, Best Eyes, most likely to be smoking with Hopper behind the gymnasium Family: Youngest son Will, Oldest son Jonathan, ex-husband Lonnie, Boyfriend (S2) Bob, highschool crush turned most anticipated kiss for S3 HOPPER.
“Maybe I am a mess, maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m out of my mind! … I will keep these lights up until the day I die..”
Jim Hopper Played by David Harbour (S1, S2) Age:
Early 40’s
Job:
Chief of Police for Hawkins Police Department
Traits: Always reserved, this hard living, chain smoking, on-again-off-again drinker is haunted by a troubled past. By S2 he’s cleaned up his act (somewhat) and found new purpose in being a father to El and saving the town, and its inhabitants, from impendin doom. Yearbook Superlative: Most Likely to Leave Town and Never Come Back Affiliations/Residences: Hopper Cabin, Hopper Trailer
Family: Lost his own daughter, Sara, to cancer. Eventually tore his marriage apart and h moved back to Hawkins. Finds redemption in becoming an adoptive father to El in S2
“Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”
The boys (Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will) are a nerdy
They are a tight knight and motley crew of kids–the
band of misfits, aka “The Not-Cool Kids,” who have
kind who will show up to school on Halloween dressed
grown up together in the quiet suburban town of
as Ghostbusters. They share an unbreakable bond
Hawkins, Indiana. Avid (and the only) members of
forged through ordinary and extraordinary experiences
the Hawkins Middle School AV Club, they ride their
that ultimately may be forcing them to grow up just a
bikes in a pack, are never out of touch on their walkie-
little too quickly.
talkies, and gather regularly in Mike’s basement to play Dungeons & Dragons –where they may have
As their group expands (Eleven in S1, Max in S2)
accidentally summoned the demogorgon in S1, oops.
and they navigate ever-increasing dangers (packs of Demodogs, Shadow Monsters, secret agents, international conspiracies, etc) their friendship grows stronger. Other-worldly evil doesn’t stand a chance.
Joyce has got a new boyfriend and he’s, well… dependable. An all-around great guy, Bob shows overwhelming support and affection to Joyce and her kids, thrusting him unknowingly into the mysteries of Hawkins.
What started as an innocent meeting in Mirkwood, and quickly became a close friendship, has blossomed into full-blown adolescent love. First kiss? Check. Their debut as a couple comes at the annual Snow Ball dance. First love is so sweet.
Classic 80’s high school romance: he’s a jerky jock, she’s an impressionable good girl, there’s oh so much sneaking around. But when Nancy’s best friend disappears –and Steve hardly notices– this couple drifts apart quickly. Steve eventually realizes he’s an idiot and sets out to make things right… but it might be too late.
Will they? Won’t they? Have they? After Will vanished, Hopper and Joyce (former high school crushes) turn to one another, determined to find answers to the mysteries that have entered their town and are getting way too close to home.
Looking for love throughout the series, Dustin is dismayed when his new-in-town crush, Max, chooses Lucas over him at the Snow Ball dance. Nancy reassures him it’s only a matter of time before the girls start flocking his way… I mean look at that hair!
Love at first sight? Maybe. Lucas gets the feels for Max the second he lays eyes on her sweet skateboard moves. A few dozen stolen glances, awkward moments, and near-death experiences later she makes her feelings known, at the Snow Ball dance.
Nancy & Jonathan: These childhood friends reconnect over their shared mission of finding out what happened to their brother and friend. Their chemistry is palpable, if not angst-ridden, and their bond grows stronger as they get closer to uncovering the truth.
arguing) s hours bonding (and es tl un co d en sp ys bo The es as a backagons. The game serv Dr & ns eo ng Du er ov t of reference returned in po a d an s nt me mo drop for pivotal to often in the series.
So what is this game all about? And why does it play such a big role in these young boys- lives? Let-s take a deep dive..
The Characters: How To Play Played primarily around a table with pencil- paper-
can last multi-sided dice- and a ton of imagination. Games a set hours or days. Each player chooses a character from game gh of archetypes- but crafts their unique persona throu philoplay. Strength- intelligence - even religious deity- and s. sophical alignment are all part of the character trait
In this highly immersive fantasy role playing game –that’s RPG for short– the storyteller (Dungeon Master) and other heroes work together to discover new worlds, solve mysteries, engage in glorious battle, uncover lore, and ultimately collect epic loot.
The Vanishing of Will Byers
The Vale of Shadows
In S1 the group (or Party) ran a ten-hour campaign with Mike- acting as Dungeon Master. When Mike summoned the Demogorgon Will attempted to throw a fireball at it- but failed (didn-t roll a high enough number) and Will-s character was defeated by the Demogorgon. Later that nighton his bike ride home Will vanishes.
The Vale of Shadows: Dustin compares the Upside Down to the Vale of Shadows. While not officially part of D&D canon- The -Vale of Shadows- could be a reference to Shadowfell where- the Mind Flayer- a truly evil creature and master of the Demogorgons dwells.
Bitchin’.
Bitchin’.
Welcome to The 80’s
Watching an episode of Stranger Things is like hopping in a Delorean and taking a trip back in time. From the first glowing frame of the synth-infused opening credit sequence, the 80’s are clearly being recreated in glorious detail. The result? A healthy dose of nostalgia for the era those of us alive then (and even those who weren’t) remember fondly.
From what people were being scared by at the movies, to the books on their nightstands, the music in their walkmans, and the Cold War headlines in their (still tactile) newspapers, the Duffers hardly miss a beat or opportunity for a deep-cut reference to the iconic films, music, and pop culture of the era.
Here are some of our favorite 80’s references from the series. If you want the extended version take a deep dive here.
Film: The Thing, Firestarter, E.T The Extra Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, Poltergeist, The Goonies, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien (ok, ‘79)
Books: comics (X-Men, Fantastic Four), two words – Stephen King
Brands: Eggo waffles, Coca Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Frito-Lays Cheetos
Music: The Clash, Foreigner, The Bangles, Peter Gabriel ...synth, synth, synth.
Objects/Toys: walkie talkies, Star Wars figurines, tube TVs, microwave dinners, cassette tapes, rotary phones, christmas lights, crayola crayons, D&D board game
OTHER NOTABLE LOCATIONS.
The Quarry (S1) Where they find “Will’s” dead body, the plot thickens.
Murray’s Hideout (S2) Where Jonathan and Nancy visit with the Private Investigator hired to investigate Barb’s disappearance. Conspiracy theories are illuminated, dots connected, the truth begins to be uncovered, and so much more…
Mama (Terry) and Aunt Becky’s home (S2) El locates Mama and learns the truth about who she is… or rather once was. Now in a catatonic state El relies on her Aunt Becky’s stories (true?) to try and piece together the past. Finally she reaches out to Mama, connecting with her in the Void.
Kali’s Punk Lair (Chicago) A test subject (‘8’) at Hawkins Lab, Kali has powers and she’s using them for revenge. She and her band of misfit friends have holed up in a warehouse in Chicago looking to evade the police after a crime spree in Pittsburgh. It’s here that Kali shows El what she can really do with her powers.
Is it its own world? Nope. The Upside Down
How was it created? Eleven created the Rift
Where does it lead? Nowhere…. Or
What happens to you there? It’s not good
is a projection of our world, tilted on its axis.
when by bending spacetime and stressing our
somewhere? This, like so much about the
to spend too much time in Limbo, with your
A shadow of a place where everything is
dimension, until bent it outwards… effectively
Upside Down is unclear. While it appears that
cells crying out to split, to die, to live, just...
decayed and foggy and dark. Nether floats
creating a pocket right alongside our own
the Upside Down is not connected to other
frozen like that. Soon you start to decay, to
in the air and nothing feels quite right. It
dimension. That is the Upside Down.
parallel worlds, there is no way to be sure
fall apart. There’s one other problem with
there aren’t doorways to other dimensions
spending time in the Upside Down, one that
doesn’t lead anywhere, it doesn’t have a deep alternate history... it’s just a f’ed-up version of
What are the properties of the Upside Down?
hidden within it. Where are they and where do
the Test Pilot sends into the Rift by Dr. Brenner
here that shouldn’t exist.
The Upside Down isn’t a real, complete
they lead? We just may find out.
learn the hard way: there’s something in there,
dimension. It’s an in between place. While
something nasty.
you’re in there you’re technically not alive – nor are you dead. You are nothing. Your cells just ‘stop’. Limbo.
Rules of the Upside Down
A “Slug-likeâ€? creature that is cute (at first). Fits in the palm of your hand but prefers cold dark places. Grows quickly, with an increasing appetite for small animals (sorry Mews) and eventually humans? Able to form emotional connections‌ maybe.
A seeming hound from hell, this dog-like creature walks on four legs, has thick serpentine skin, and a small gaping hole where a face should be. Hunts in packs and moves quickly, telepathically controlled by to the Shadow Monster.
Gargantuan, spider-like, and terrifying. A 50-story tall being enveloped in a thick, black cloud-like substance. Has the ability to telepathically command an army of Demodogs and Demogorgons to destroy humans.
Thin, tall, predatory humanoid creature with cavernous face hole lined with teeth. Pucker up. Can move between dimensions feeding on other-wordly eggs, humans, and animals.
Later, in his hideout bunker, the truth about the Rift and the Upside
Down is revealed to him. He helps Nancy, Jonathan and their friends shut down Hawkins National Laboratory by leaking ‘watereddown’ evidence to the Chicago SunTimes and forcing the government to cover its tracks. Will Murray’s theories hold true as the stranger journey continues? Will he be silenced? It’s anybody’s guess at this point.
Murray’s Conspiracy Theories
Murray Bauman, a former journalist turned private investigator and eccentric conspiracy theorist, was hired by Barb’s parents (the Hollands) to find out what happened to their daughter. He believes El is a Russian spy with psionic abilities who was sent to invade Hawkins by the CIA, or Russians… or both.
Remember When... Clever to decide whether we’ll include this or not.
FAQ’s Questions that keep us up at night… Does Dart have feelings? If so what does that mean for the rest of the demodogs? What does the Mind Flayer (aka Shadow Monster) want? From Will, from El, from this town? Who is the true hero of the story? Is it Will, Hopper, El, Nancy, Steve? Will Dustin find love in Season 3? The answers ...maybe the Duffers haven’t decided yet.
Is it its own world? Nope. The Upside Down is a projection of our world, tilted on its axis. A shadow of a place where everything is decayed and foggy and dark. Nether floats in the air and nothing feels quite right. It doesn’t lead anywhere, it doesn’t have a deep alternate history... it’s just a f’ed-up version of here that shouldn’t exist.