Benny feeds the girl who calls herself Eleven
A diner owner coaxes a silent, shaven-headed runaway into talking; all she offers is a number on her wrist and one word, so he calls for help.
Eleven
A girl with a shaved head and telekinetic powers who escapes a government lab and finds the boys. Played by Millie Bobby Brown.
98 moments · 2h 16m
Ice cream at Benny's, then Social Services knocks
Benny coaxes a smile out of the girl, then greets the caseworker who drove in fast; something about her voice is off.
The boys interrogate the girl and Mike gives her privacy
Dustin and Lucas pepper the shaven-headed stranger with questions; Mike hands her dry clothes and learns she wants the bathroom door left open.
Eleven shows her tattoo and gets the name El
Alone in the basement, Mike spots the 011 tattoo on her wrist, learns her name, and offers her a shorter one before they say goodnight.
El refuses the doorbell plan: bad people are after her
Mike explains how she should ring the doorbell and play lost; she answers with a single no and, haltingly, tells him who she is running from.
Mike's room tour ends with El pointing at Will
Yoda, a roaring dinosaur, and science fair trophies, then El stops at a photo of the boys and Mike realizes she may know Will.
The closet promise and the memory of Papa
Mike hides El in his closet as his mom comes home and explains what a promise is; the dark brings back a cell and a man she calls Papa.
Karen tells Mike he can talk to her; Mike checks on El
Mike fakes sick and his mom answers with tenderness instead of anger, then he opens the closet to find El shaken and asking if everything is okay.
Lucas pushes El about Will and she slams the door shut
Mike argues El knows what happened to Will; Lucas shouts at her, calls it nuts, and heads for the stairs until the door shuts by itself.
What is friend? The boys explain the spit swear
Over meatloaf in the basement, Dustin blurts out superpowers and El asks a question that leaves the boys defining friendship and promises.
El flips the game board: Will is hiding
With the boys watching, El uses the D&D board to answer where Will is, then shows them what he is hiding from.
Operation Mirkwood: wrist rocket, snacks and a flying Millennium Falcon
Lucas unpacks Vietnam-era gear, Dustin unpacks candy, and the boys try to get Eleven to fly a toy with her mind.
Mike teaches Eleven three-one-five
Before school Mike hides Eleven in the basement and shows her on the clock when to meet the boys at the power lines.
Eleven's flashback: the cat test, the guards, and 'incredible'
Eleven refuses to hurt a cat, is dragged toward solitary, and shows Papa what she can do; back in the present she escapes to meet Mike.
Friends tell the truth: Mike admits Troy tripped him
Eleven asks about Mike's cut, he lies, and she holds him to the rule; mouth breather and knucklehead get explained.
Eleven leads the boys to Will's house and Lucas explodes
At the power lines the search ends at the Byers house; Lucas wants the cops, Mike refuses, then sirens pull them away.
A body comes out of the quarry and Mike turns on Eleven
Hopper watches divers pull a small body from the water; the boys see it on the news and Mike screams at Eleven for lying.
Mike tells Eleven what she did sucks, then Will sings through the walkie
Mike says friends don't lie and Lucas was right about her; then Eleven turns on the walkie and Will's favorite Clash song comes through the static.
Mike insists Will is alive and Eleven is channeling him
Lucas says it was a baby monitor; Mike argues Eleven is channeling Will like Professor X, and the boys plan to get her to Mr. Clarke's Heathkit radio.
Eleven's makeover: pretty, good
The boys put Eleven in a blonde wig and a pink dress to pass her off at school; Mike fumbles out that she looks pretty good, and she repeats it to the mirror.
Eleven becomes Eleanor, Mike's cousin from Sweden
Caught sneaking to the Heathkit, the boys improvise a cover story for Mr. Clarke: Eleven is cousin Eleanor from Sweden, where it is cold. Subzero.
Mike confronts Troy at the assembly and Eleven makes him wet himself
Mike calls out Troy for laughing at Will's memorial; Troy mocks Will as a fairy, then freezes mid-threat and pees his pants in front of the whole gym.
Eleven reaches for Will on the Heathkit as Papa's word test plays
At the ham radio, Eleven closes her eyes; in flashback Brenner has her listen to a stranger and repeat his words. The classroom lights start to flicker.
Will's voice: Joyce through the wall, the boys through the radio
Will calls for his mom from a place like home but dark and cold; Joyce tears into the wallpaper while the boys hear him on the Heathkit, until it blows.
The party decodes Will's radio message: the Upside Down
Piecing together 'home, dark, empty', Eleven flips the board and the boys name the Vale of Shadows, a dark echo of Hawkins where Will might be.
Dustin's compasses do not point to true north
Eleven dodges the question of where the gate is, then Dustin grabs every compass: a gate strong enough to bend magnetic north would also point the way.
Is the weirdo acting weird?
On the compass hike Dustin needles Lucas about distance, Mike wonders if Eleven is off, and Lucas asks whether the weirdo can act weirder than normal.
Eleven remembers Papa and the bath
A flashback on the tracks: Brenner tells a younger Eleven they are going farther than ever before, and she quietly agrees to the bath.
The compasses loop back and Lucas accuses Eleven
The setting sun shows the party has walked in a circle; Lucas sees fresh blood on Eleven's nose and calls her a traitor, and she can only say it is not safe.
Mike and Lucas fight until Eleven throws Lucas
Lucas calls Eleven a stray dog and maybe the monster, Mike tackles him, and Eleven ends the brawl with her mind, knocking Lucas out cold.
Papa tells Eleven not to turn away this time
Flashback: Brenner coaches a frightened Eleven in front of observers to reach for the thing that is calling her.
Eleven raids the supermarket for Eggos
A wandering Eleven brushes off a store clerk, loads up on frozen waffles and walks out as the staff shout after her.
Eleven saves Mike at the quarry
Troy holds a knife to Dustin and counts Mike down to the cliff edge; Mike jumps, and Eleven catches him and breaks Troy's arm.
Eleven confesses she opened the gate
Drained after the quarry, Eleven apologises and calls herself the monster; Mike tells her she is the one who saved him.
Lucas's walkie warning: the bad men are coming
A frantic, half-audible call from Lucas reaches Mike's basement: the lab knows about Eleven and is on its way.
Mike spots the fake repairmen and flees
Mike interrupts Karen's phone call to ask about repairs, realises the van outside is the lab, and leaves with a one-line exit.
The bike chase and the flipped van
The boys race through Hawkins on bikes with lab vans closing in, until Eleven sends one flying overhead.
Lucas and Mike make up: friends don't lie
After the chase, Lucas takes back calling Mike a traitor and the party's rule gets said out loud.
Nancy and Hopper radio Mike: We're here
Nancy uses the AV room ham radio to reach her brother; the boys debate a Lando Calrissian trap until Mike finally answers.
Waiting in the bus: shut up about Lando
Dustin paces and panics that the chief set them up, Lucas has had enough of Lando, then headlights appear.
The acrobat and the flea: Eleven tries to find Will
Nancy hugs Mike and notices her dress; the boys explain the Upside Down with a flea and a tightrope; Eleven reaches and comes up empty.
Joyce thanks Eleven before the bath
Fitting the goggles, Joyce tells Eleven she is brave, thanks her for Will, and promises to stay with her the whole time.
Eleven finds Barb in the Upside Down
In the void Eleven calls Barb's name and finds her; she surfaces screaming one word while Joyce holds her, then names Castle Byers.
Eleven reaches Will: Mom is coming
Eleven finds Will in his fort and relays Joyce's message to hold on; she comes out of the water shaking and is told she did good.
Dustin goes hunting for chocolate pudding
The boys argue over whether to stay hidden in the school gym; Dustin's answer is a raid on the lunch lady's secret stash so Eleven can recharge.
Mike asks Eleven to the Snow Ball
Over a cup of pudding, Mike promises Eleven a bed, a family and real food, fumbles the word 'sister', and asks her to a school dance.
The agents storm the school
Lab agents sweep the building and corner the boys in the hallway; the chase ends in silence and Eleven slumps, bleeding and unresponsive.
Papa comes for Eleven and the lights go out
The boys refuse to hand Eleven over, Brenner scoops her up with soothing words, and she answers him with a single word before the monster arrives.
Will is found; Mike promises Eleven the Snow Ball
Joyce and Hopper pull Will out of the thing holding him in the Upside Down while Mike carries a fading Eleven and promises her Eggos and a dance.
Eleven faces the Demogorgon alone
Rocks from a wrist rocket do nothing, so Eleven gets up, tells the boys to stop, pins the monster to the wall and says goodbye to Mike.
Hopper comes home late to the cabin, and someone is waiting
A reproach about signals and lateness, a rule about dinner before dessert: the episode ends on who Hopper has been keeping secret.
Hopper and Eleven's Halloween compromise
A sheet-ghost at breakfast asks to go trick-or-treating; Hopper says no risks, then offers candy and a scary movie at 5:15. Word of the day: compromise.
Hopper, late, pleads through the cabin door
Hours past 5:15, Hopper arrives with candy and apologies, talks to a locked door about heart attacks and getting fat, and gets no answer.
Day 353: Mike asks for a sign
Mike radios into the dark for the 353rd day, admits a bad day and wishes she were here; somewhere, someone hears her name said back.
Eleven counts 326 days of Hopper saying soon
A triple-decker Eggo breakfast sours when Eleven demands to see Mike; Hopper's promise of soon has reached day 326, and her anger shakes the cabin.
Hopper shows Eleven her new home
Hopper walks Eleven through his grandfather's dusty cabin, admits it takes some imagination, and tells her this is where she lives now.
Cabin cleanup montage to Jim Croce
Hopper drops the needle on a record and he and Eleven sweep, scrub and rebuild the cabin to You Don't Mess Around with Jim.
Hopper lays down the three Don't Be Stupid rules
A trip wire for an alarm, curtains always drawn, a secret knock, never out alone: Hopper's house rules for keeping Eleven hidden.
Eleven asks Hopper if she has a mother
Hopper reads Eleven a bedtime book about an orphan; she asks about her own mother, then remembers wandering alone, asking the way to the school.
Hopper grounds Eleven: no Eggos, no TV
Hopper tears into Eleven for leaving the cabin and nearly being seen; she fires back that nothing ever happens, and he grounds her.
You are like Papa: Eleven and Hopper's fight boils over
The TV punishment escalates by the week, Eleven compares Hopper to Papa, he threatens the lab and calls her a brat, and a door slams between them.
Hopper's awkward morning after and eight missed calls
Hopper tries to say something about last night, settles for ordering a cleanup, then Flo radios that Joyce has been calling all morning.
Eleven finds the Terry Ives file and reaches for Mama
Alone in the cabin, Eleven uncovers Hopper's hidden files with the names Terry Ives and Jane, then enters the void and hears a woman counting.
Eleven arrives at 515 Larrabee to see Mama
Eleven is dropped at the house from her vision, gets shooed off the porch as a door-to-door kid, and says who she came for.
Eleven meets her mother, lost in a loop of words
Terry Ives sits before the TV repeating the same words; Eleven kneels and tells her she is Jane and she is here now.
Becky explains what happened to Eleven's mother
Aunt Becky tells Eleven her mother is stuck in a long dream and always believed her daughter would come home one day.
The lights flicker: Mama knows Eleven is here
Becky blames old wiring, but Eleven follows the flickering lamps to her mother and realizes she wants to talk.
Eleven enters Mama's dream and sees the night she was taken
Sitting in the circle with the TV static, Eleven reaches her mother and relives the birth and the man who took the baby.
Terry storms the lab for Jane and is shocked into the loop
In the memory Terry forces her way into Hawkins Lab, finds her child in the rainbow room and is dragged away; the words of her loop fall into place.
Eleven reads Terry's looped memory and goes hunting for the other girl
In the void Eleven sits through her mother's repeating memory, then she and Becky comb Terry's files of missing kids for the girl from the rainbow room.
Axel's knife meets Eleven's mind in the Chicago warehouse
A gang corners the farm-girl stranger and Axel pulls a knife; Eleven makes him dance, then a girl with the number she has been looking for steps in.
Kali and Jane trade their stories and Kali shows her gift
The two sisters compare lives: 327 days with a policeman, a promised deal, and Kali's belief they will always be monsters, before a butterfly that is not real.
Eleven feels whole for the first time
Lying beside her sister, Eleven says a missing piece of her has finally come back, and Kali tells her this is her home now.
Hopper's radio apology reaches an empty cabin
Over the radio Hopper tells El he is not angry about their fight and that he is sorry; she wakes from a bad dream to Kali, not him.
Meet the outcasts: Axel, Dottie, Mick and Funshine
Kali introduces her crew and their creed of fighting back against those who hurt them; Eleven learns what they do to the bad men and admits she has killed too.
Kali teaches Eleven to pull a train with her anger
On the rail yard Kali tells Eleven to stop hiding from her pain and channel it; flashes of Hopper and Papa fuel her until the boxcar moves.
Eleven picks the man who hurt Mama out of the photos
Shown pictures of the lab's surviving men, Eleven points to the one she saw in Terry's memory, and Kali names him.
Road trip and a punk makeover for Jane
The gang votes to risk a trip east to the address Eleven found; she gets slicked-back hair and eyeliner and approves in a single word.
The supermarket sweep heist
Kali's crew loots a convenience store under an illusion until the clerk pulls a shotgun; Eleven takes it from him without touching it.
Eleven scopes Ray's apartment and the gang walks in
Blindfolded in the van, Eleven confirms Ray is alone watching TV; minutes later the gang is in his living room telling him to sit down.
Ray begs for his life and claims Papa is alive
Confronted by the two girls he once strapped down, Ray says he only followed orders and swears Brenner is alive and he can lead them to him.
Eleven spares Ray and Kali is furious
Eleven sees Ray's children and lets him go as the cops close in; Kali goes for her gun, and in the van tells Jane never to take her choice away.
Kali's story: escape, a lost family and the choice to fight
On the rooftop Kali tells Eleven how she fled the rainbow room, found and lost a home, and now hunts the man who calls himself their father.
Papa in the dark: the festering wound
Kali conjures Brenner to tell Eleven her wound is rotting and will kill her; Eleven screams him out of her head and Kali leaves the door open to stay or go.
Eleven hears Mike calling from the lab
Sitting with the gang's poker game, Eleven drifts through memories of Mike and Hopper, then sees Mike in danger shouting about a trap.
Police raid the warehouse
Cops storm the hideout; Kali makes a wall appear, the gang shoots its way out, and Eleven flips the police van to clear the exit.
Eleven chooses her friends over her sister
With the van waiting, Eleven tells Kali she has to go back because her friends are in danger, and that she alone can save them.
On the bus: Eleven is going home
A stranger on the night bus asks the quiet girl where she is headed; Eleven answers that she is going to her friends, and home.
Mike confronts Hopper for hiding Eleven for 353 days
Eleven walks back into the Byers house; Mike's joy turns to fury when he learns Hopper kept her hidden all year, and he screams that Hopper is a liar.
Eleven meets Max, sees Will, and agrees to close the gate
Dustin shows off his new teeth, Max introduces herself, and Eleven sees how sick Will is before Hopper asks if she can shut the gate she opened.
Demo-dogs, and why closing the gate could kill Will
Dustin names the Demo-dogs, Eleven insists she can close the gate, Mike realises that would kill Will, and Joyce decides to burn the thing out of him.
Steve the babysitter sends Nancy off; Mike and Eleven promise
Steve tells Nancy to go with Jonathan and owns his new role as babysitter, then Mike makes Eleven promise he won't lose her again.
Hopper and Eleven in the truck: the black hole and Sarah
Driving to the lab, Hopper asks about the punk look, apologises for his lies, and finally tells Eleven about his daughter Sarah. They make up. Bitchin'.
Hopper finds Owens and asks him to give Eleven a normal life
In the wrecked lab, Hopper patches up a wounded Doc Owens, introduces Eleven, and asks him to help her live without being treated like a lab rat.
The Demo-dogs come running and the party scrambles for the rope
Eleven channels her rage at the gate as the horde turns back; the boys sprint through the tunnels and Steve hauls them up the rope one by one.
Eleven closes the gate
Haunted by Papa's words about her wound, Eleven pushes with everything she has and seals the gate while Hopper holds the line; he tells her she did good.
Eleven arrives at the Snow Ball and Mike asks her to dance
Eleven walks into the gym and Mike tells her she looks beautiful; neither knows how to dance, so they decide to figure it out together.
Every Breath You Take: the Snow Ball slow dance
The couples sway to The Police as Mike shows Eleven the steps and the season closes on the Snow Ball dance floor.