Stranger Things
Created by: The Duffer Brothers
Stars: Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven / El), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna / Henry Creel / One), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vicky Dunne), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Robert Akers), Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay), Joe Chrest (Ted Wheeler), Sherman Augustus (Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan), Clayton Royal Johnson (Andy), Hunter Romanillos (Chance)
Season 5 – Episode 1
Episode title: Chapter One: The Crawl
Director: The Duffer Brothers
Original release date: November 26, 2025
Episode plot: While hiding in the Upside Down in 1983, Will is caught by Vecna and infected. In 1987, 18 months after Vecna tore a rift through Hawkins, the United States military has the city under quarantine while keeping the town square off limits due to the opening of a portal to the Upside Down. The military has created a base camp within the Upside Down while still on the hunt for Eleven, who trains in hiding with Hopper and Joyce. Now high school seniors, Will, Lucas, and Mike lay low during the military occupation, though Dustin continues to honor Eddie, to the provocation of school bullies. Steve, Robin, Jonathan, and Nancy work at a local radio station, where they relay coded messages to the group about opportunities to sneak Hopper into the Upside Down by stowing away on military caravans, ventures they call “crawls”, in order to scout out Vecna’s possible hideout. After pranking a bully at school, Dustin is viciously beaten at Eddie’s grave, causing him to miss the next “crawl”, which goes awry when a Demogorgon attacks the military caravan, forcing Hopper to take shelter within the Upside Down. Will telepathically witnesses the attack and sees the Demogorgon head towards the Wheeler residence just as it tears open a portal in the bedroom of Mike and Nancy’s younger sister Holly.
* * *
Stranger Things – S05E01 – Chapter One: The Crawl | Transcript
This video is the opening sequence for Stranger Things Season 5, titled “The Crawl.” It acts as a flashback to November 3, 1983, the night Will Byers went missing in Season 1, revealing what happened to him in the Upside Down.
The scene opens in the Upside Down version of the Castle Byers fort. It is dark, cold, and covered in the characteristic floating spores of the dimension. A young Will Byers (digitally de-aged) is curled up, terrified and shivering.
To comfort himself, Will sings the lyrics to his favorite song, The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”
Should I stay, or should I go now?
Should I stay, or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay, it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay, or should I go?
The silence is broken by the sound of a monster. A Demogorgon approaches and smashes through the wooden walls of Castle Byers.
Will raises the rifle he took from his house and fires at the creature but misses or fails to stop it. He scrambles out of the fort and sprints through the dark, twisted forest of the Upside Down.
In a desperate attempt to escape, Will climbs a tree to get off the ground. He attempts to jump to another tree but loses his grip, falling hard to the ground. The fall leaves him injured or knocked unconscious, allowing the Demogorgon to capture him.
The scene cuts to Will being dragged by the Demogorgon into a large, ominous building in the Upside Down (the Hawkins Library?). He is then pinned against a wall, restrained by slithering, wet vines that tighten around his wrists and body.
Vecna (Henry Creel/001) emerges from the shadows. Unlike the mindless predation of the Demogorgon, Vecna approaches Will with calm, sinister purpose.
Vecna speaks in a deep, gravelly voice:
At long last. We can begin.
Vecna uses his powers to guide a sharp, fleshy tendril toward Will’s face. He forces it down Will’s throat, pumping a mysterious substance/particle into him, establishing the psychic connection that plagues Will throughout the series.
Vecna gently touches Will’s cheek and delivers the chilling final line of the clip:
You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William. Such beautiful things.
This scene recontextualizes the entire series, confirming that Will’s survival was not luck, but part of Vecna’s design from the very beginning.
[synth theme music playing]
[mysterious music playing]
[water spattering outside]
NOVEMBER 3rd, 1987
[Karen Wheeler] Holly. [distorted] Holly! Holly! I’ve been calling you.
[Holly] I’m sorry.
[Karen] Could you round up the troops?
[bright, lively synth music playing]
[Holly] Breakfast!
[Mike] Coming! Nance, come on. Let me in, or I’m gonna whiz on the floor right here. … Sorry, Mrs. Byers.
[Joyce] Whiz away.
[Nancy] Wow.
[Mike] Shit.
[Holly] Breakfast!
[Jonathan] [grunts] Shit, dude, we overslept.
[Will] I thought you were setting an alarm.
[Jonathan] I thought you were.
[both groaning]
[overlapping chatter]
[Joyce] It’s not always Jonathan’s fault.
It’s always Jonathan’s…
It wasn’t my fault. I told you…
[Ted] Holly, can you pass the bacon? Holly! Bacon!
[Holly reads the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle]
[overlapping chatter continuing]
[Joyce] You need to just drop it.
[Nancy] Whatever you want. You don’t need it.
You’re crazy, huh?
Karen, do you have any Midol upstairs?
[Karen] Nancy, dishes in the sink.
[Nancy] Be back at 5:00 or 6:00. Let me know if you need me to pick up anything.
Boogie!
[Jonathan] Come on. Hurry up.
[Will] I’m coming.
[Karen] Holly, your jacket. Here. Don’t forget it.
Thank you.
[Karen] Hug.
[Holly] Bye.
[Karen] Bye.
[Joyce] I’m sorry. I can’t help clean up. I’m running late.
[Karen] It’s okay, Joyce, really. I understand.
[Ted] How much longer?
[Karen] What do you want me to do, Ted, huh? Kick ’em to the street?
[Ted] Is that an option?
[Holly] Hey, wait up! Wait up!
[Mike] Come on, we gotta go!
[Holly] The Morning Squawk, Mike, we’re gonna miss it!
[Robin] Good morning, Hawkins! This is WSQK The Squawk!
[Nancy] That’s a new one.
[Robin] It’s looking like a regular day in Hawkins. Fifty-five degrees, low chance of rain, medium chance of arrest, high chance of helicopters. But general banality aside, it’s an exciting day for me, your friend, entertainer, and DJ, Robin Buckley… Nice to meet you! …AKA Rockin’ Robin. And why is it a big day for me, you ask? Well, it’s my 500th broadcast. Yeah, you heard that right, folks. Five-double-O! Which means it’s been even longer since you’ve heard the sultry voice of Jimmy “Fast Hands” Lee. But while Jimmy was fleeing Hawkins even faster than he moves those hands, yours truly was watching slackjawed as the earth split open beneath her feet and coughed up that tsunami of mysterious dandruff. And now, I’m stuck here with you, my fellow quarantine compatriots. And if I can be brutally honest, I couldn’t be happier. Because when you really think about it, why would you want to live anywhere else? I mean, what town on Earth can match our very impressive military-to-civilian ratio?
[whistling]
[Robin] And those free, mandatory medical checkups? I mean, very cool. ‘Cause after we inhaled those springtime snowflakes, who knows what’s wrong with us? Maybe we’re fine, maybe not.
[man coughing on tape]
[Robin] No one knows for sure. After all, this was a “natural phenomenon never before seen by man.” A phenomenon now covered up by a giant metal Band-Aid. Quite the eyesore, but hey, great for sledding. Though seriously, kids, stop sledding on the giant steel Band-Aid. You are going to kill yourselves. Also, the men with guns.
Go, go, go, go, go!
[Robin] They don’t like it, not one bit. While we’re on the subject of things not to do, please steer clear of the Military Access Control Zone, aka the MACZ, or as I like to call it, the Big Mac. I have no idea what’s going on in there, but I have a gut feeling there’s a pretty good reason they’d like you to stay away.But hey, the rest of Hawkins is still there for you to enjoy. Someday soon, they’re gonna let us out of here. In the meantime, be thankful this is your home, study for that test, enjoy that TV dinner, and go on that date. Which, by the way, is exactly what yours truly is doing tonight. That’s right. Rockin’ Robin has a date, ladies and gentlemen.
[rubber chicken squawks]
[Robin] And now, who is this lucky someone? Well, don’t be so nosy, kids. They know who they are. That is, if you’re listening, which I hope you are. Because this next one, it’s for you, babe.
[rock music playing over radio]
[static garbling broadcast]
What the hell?
[Robin] Whoa. What’s going on? What the hell? What the hell?
[Steve] I told you to stop thumbing your nose at the military.
[Robin] I was reiterating their goddamn rules, encouraging compliance.
[Steve] Right. No sarcasm there.
[Robin] Said the dingus with the rubber chicken.
[Steve] These are very serious people, Robin.
[Robin] Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
[Steve] Henderson, you copy? Henderson?
[Dustin] Yeah, I copy. God, you sound swell. Let me take a wild guess. You’re not calling to wish me good morning.
[Steve] It’s not exactly a good morning. We’ve got a situation at the Squawk. The signal, it’s… it’s gone all wonky. I think Robin finally pissed ’em off.
[Dustin] Doubtful. She was encouraging compliance.
[Robin] Told you!
[Dustin] The remote radio head’s the more likely culprit.
[Steve] The remote what?
[Dustin] Just read the manual, Steve.
[Steve] C’mon, man, that thing might as well be in Greek.
[Dustin] Then learn Greek! I can’t always be there to solve your problems for you, Steve.
[Steve] Henderson? God! “Learn Greek.” You heard that tone. You heard that, right?
[menacing music playing]
[boy] Watch it.
[Andy] What’d I tell you about that shirt, freak?
Andy asked you a question, freak.
[Andy] You deaf or what? For his sake, I hope he is, because I thought I was pretty damn clear when I said I didn’t wanna see you in that shirt.
[Dustin] You also told me to stop screwing your mom, and that didn’t stop me, did it?
[Andy] Something funny, Henderson?
[Dustin] Let go.
[Andy] Hellfire is over, you hear me?
[Dustin] [emphatically] Let go.
[Andy] Or what? What are you gonna do?
[Dustin] Stop! Andy! Stop!
[Lucas] Hey!
[Andy] Well, well. If it isn’t the traitor.
[Lucas] Remember that time my sister kicked your balls so hard, you limped for a week? Yeah, if you touch Dustin again, I’ll kick ’em so hard they’ll pop like water balloons.
[Mike] I say kick away. Stop this meathead from reproducing and further infecting the world with his unique brand of idiocy.
[Andy] Hope you brought a change of clothes. No one wants to see that shit.
[Lucas] You’ve gotta stop provoking them, man.
[Dustin] Oh, so this is my fault? For what? Wearing a T-shirt?
[Lucas] You know it’s more than a T-shirt.
[Dustin] I can’t be like you and turn the other cheek while they spread their bullshit about Hellfire, about Eddie.
[Mike] Eddie never gave a rat’s ass about what those mouth breathers were saying about him. What he would care about is finding and killing Vecna.
[Dustin] Do you seriously think I don’t care about that, Mike? Really?
[Mike] I think you’re fighting two battles. You need to be fighting one.
[Will] Mike’s right, Dustin. What if you get hurt, like, seriously hurt?
[Lucas] You’re drawing attention. Remember what Hop said. We need to keep our heads down.
[Will] Follow the rules. Blend in.
[Mike] Stay focused on our next crawl.
[Dustin] Do you even hear yourselves right now? Blend in? Follow the rules? That’s not what we’ve ever done.
[Mike] Jesus Christ.
[Dustin] We stay true to ourselves. We’re supposed to stay true to our friends. We stand up for what’s right, no matter the cost.
[Lucas] You’re not listening to us.
[Dustin] No, you’re not.
[Lucas] Dustin!
[Will sighs]
[Lucas] Unbelievable.
[Mike] Let him go.
[focused, determined music playing]
[radar dish humming]
[soldier] Come on. Move, move!
[soldier] You’re a fast little shit, huh?
[soldier] It’s not her. Another goddamn burnout, sir.
Get her out of here.
[soldier] Shit!
[Hopper] Twelve minutes, 33 seconds.
[Joyce] It’s a new record. So? How are we feeling?
[Eleven] Okay.
[Joyce] Okay? Come on, that was 12:33!
[Eleven] It’s four seconds too slow. I lost one second on the climb, two seconds at the log.
[Joyce] Hey.
[Eleven] I can make my bus jump sooner. That’ll save me two more seconds. That gets me under 12:30.
[Joyce] El, you have to take it easy on yourself.
[Eleven] You think Henry’s going easy?
[Hopper] You know what I think? I think we still have some more of that waffle mix. And I think we should celebrate this record time with a stack of those. And then maybe we could watch a Miami Vice marathon.
[Eleven] I can beat the time. Reset it.
[Hopper] If you’re tired, you’re gonna injure yourself.
[Eleven] Reset it!
[indistinct radio chatter]
[soldier] Heads up!
[Murray Bauman] Hey, hey. How you doing? Austin Millbarge, ID 4528niner. [chuckles] That’s me.
[Robin] I swear to God, this stupid thing does not exist.
[Jonathan] Can someone try Dustin again?
[Robin] He turned off his walkie.
[Nancy] What’s up with him lately?
[Steve] Don’t get me started.
[Robin] Yeah, please don’t.
[Nancy] Hey!
[Robin] Huh?
[Nancy] Got it.
[Steve] Wait, wait, wait. There it is, yeah. Remote radio head, yeah.
[Robin] And, uh, where exactly are we gonna find this remote thingamajig?
[Robin] I don’t see it.
[Nancy] It’s up there somewhere.
[Robin] It’s gotta be. So, I guess somebody’s gotta climb to the tippy top of this bad boy and… [imitates squeaking]
[Nancy] Without a harness or anything, it seems kind of dangerous.
[Steve] AKA job for good old Steve Harrington.
[Robin] No third person, please.
[Steve] All right.
[Jonathan] I, uh… I actually think this might be a better job for Jonathan Byers. I’m like one quarter monkey, dude.
[Steve] I got this, Byers. Don’t sweat it.
[Robin] Uh, voltage! Unless you wanna fry.
[Steve] Yeah, I know. I’m not an idiot.
[electricity humming]
[humming halts]
[Steve] Whoa, dude, what are you doing?
[Jonathan] I got this, dude. Don’t sweat it.
[Steve] Son of a…
[Nancy sighs]
[Robin] What is it about your presence that brings out their inner Neanderthal? … I thought grocery delivery wasn’t till tomorrow.
[Nancy] Me too.
[Jonathan] Ah, come on. Come on.
[Steve] Shit.
[wind rushing]
[Jonathan] Whoa.
[Steve] Yeah.
[Jonathan] Found ya.
[Steve] Never fails.
[Steve] I fixed it!
Jonathan] I fixed it!
[bird screeches in distance]
[Bauman] All right. Santa’s brought a full sack today. A fresh telemetry tag. Scarcer than hen’s teeth, these things. Enough bullets and shells for Hop to start a small war, if he should so choose. Anyone order a salad? Grenade salad? I hid the grenades under the, uh, lettuce. Okay. Gatorade for El’s battery.
[Steve] Did someone say Gatorade? Let me get one. Thanks.
[Bauman] Sure thing. But I don’t think it’s gonna go too well with… peanut butter!
[Steve] Boppers! God, I missed these things. Thanks.
[Bauman] Don’t worry, Mr. Byers. I got you a present too. I know you’re allergic to jazz, but just give it a whirl. I think you’ll find it quite engaging.
[Jonathan] [clears throat]
[Bauman] And for the station manager, the reason for my premature delivery.
[Nancy] A burn? Tonight? But that’s…
[Bauman] Too soon, I know. Whatever they’re doing in the Upside Down evidently needs serious resources.
[Robin] That’s a lot of cargo.
[Jonathan] I figure a supply drop this big takes two hours, minimum.
[Nancy] Which gives Hopper plenty of time for a crawl.
[Bauman] Maybe tonight’s the night we finally find that bastard and end this.
[bell ringing]
[foreboding music playing]
[Dustin] Hey there, Jake. You up for a little field trip?
[Lucas] I’m telling you, he’s lost his mind. He actually told me he wanted to start Hellfire again.
[Mike] What? When did he say that?
[Lucas] This weekend. He was talking about finding the lost sheep.
[Will] And we thought the shirt was bad.
[Lucas] I’m telling you, he’s lost his damn mind.
[Dustin] Who’s lost his damn mind?
[Will] Uh, the…
[Mike] Andy!
[Will] Andy!
[Lucas] Andy.
[Mike] Andy lost his mind.
[Lucas] Yeah. Like when he came at you this morning.
[Will] Yeah, that was…
[Mike] Messed up.
[Lucas] Yeah. It’s rude.
[Robin] Hey there, friends, this is Rockin’ Robin. Sorry about the abrupt departure. I hope you survived without me. We had some annoying technical difficulties.
[tape deck playing glass shattering, baby crying]
[Robin] But to make it up to you, we have a very special treat that’s sure to turn your day upside down…
[“Upside Down” by Diana Ross playing]
[Lucas] Holy shit. Already?
[Mike] Paper! Give me paper!
[funky disco pop continuing]
[Mike] Come on! Will, hurry up!
♪ You’re giving love instinctively ♪
[Robin] Now, before you start bumping, here’s a few fun facts about the Boss. She was born Diane in the North End of Detroit. Berry Gordy, that’s Gordy with a G, signed her to Motown in 1961. And one is the key number, because between 1964 and ’67, the Supremes had ten songs hit the top of the charts. That’s right, ten. Then in ’78, she tried to make it big in the movies with The Wiz, which was a colossal floparoonie. But, in my personal opinion, I still dig it. Michael Jackson as a scarecrow? Give it a chance. But make sure you bring your supersized popcorn, because this movie has a run time of over two hours. All right, class dismissed. I hope you were taking notes. There will be a test later. Take it away, Diane.
♪ Upside down ♪
[Hopper] Crawl tonight.
[Joyce] Come on.
♪ Inside out ♪
♪ ‘Round and ’round ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ I know you got charm and appeal ♪
♪ You always play the field ♪
♪ I’m crazy to think you’re all mine ♪
♪ As long as the sun continues to shine ♪
♪ There’s a place in my heart for you ♪
♪ That’s the bottom line ♪
[song trails off]
[Nancy] All right. So, assuming Murray’s intel is correct, the supply convoy is set to reach Hawkins at 10:00 sharp. Meaning I want Hopper in the tunnels and en route to MACZ no later than 9:00.
[Mike] Lucas, we’ll take our usual observation post.
[Nancy] Barring unusual traffic, I expect the convoy to reach MACZ at 10:15.
[Mike] Once the burn starts and there’s sufficient cover, we’ll signal Hopper, who’ll make his move.
[Nancy] And now the crawl begins. Hop is now in the Upside Down, traveling at what I hope to be a gentle 30 miles an hour, which will allow…
[Mike] …you and Harrington to follow along in the Rightside Up. Just remember, try and keep the telemetry signal within…
[Dustin] Negative 60 and negative 70 dB. Easy-peasy.
[Nancy] I expect the convoy to take the same route as last month. Main to Cornwallis, one turn. But if you guys hit any red lights…
[Steve] I’ll blow through.
[Nancy] Only if there’s no MPs around. Remember, if you guys get pulled over, we lose Hop, we’re toast.
[Steve] I got it.
[Mike] You’re gonna travel up Cornwallis for about six miles. And as the convoy reaches this Shell station here…
[Nancy] We radio Hop to disembark.
[Mike] Which will drop the old man at the border of G1.
[Nancy] Where he’ll have two whole hours to search for Vecna, which is ample time. He’s cleared zones much faster. So, all in all, signs point to another successful crawl.
[Jonathan clears throat]
[Nancy] Is there a problem?
[Jonathan] Um… No. No, I mean, I think it’s good.
[Steve] Yeah, yeah, it’s good. It’s really good. It’s just, um…
[Robin] Zone G1 is not that exciting or Vecna-y. What does it have? A Circuit City, a couple of houses, and a…
[Dustin] Big Buy? What are the chances Vecna’s shopping for Lucky Charms?
[Mike] It doesn’t matter. We stick to the plan. We break into the Upside Down the only way we can, through the MACZ gate, under the cover of a burn. Once inside, we search one zone at a time, methodically, until we figure out where he’s been hiding.
[Steve] Unless… he’s already dead. Again, your plan is great. It’s just… This is crawl what? Are we in the 30s now? And not a single baddie in sight? El can’t find him in her bath, and Will hasn’t had his goosies since the shake ‘n’ quake.
[Jonathan] Goosies?
[Steve] And last we saw Vecna, he was roasting like a turkey and pumped full of lead. That was before he fell three stories. So you ever think we’re scouring a battlefield that we already, like, won?
[Jonathan] Have you forgotten what he showed Nancy? Hawkins on fire. Karen, Holly, everyone dead.
[Steve] Yeah, man. He also showed Max her brother walking around with a hole in his chest. That’s what he does. He gets in your head and tries to scare you.
[Nancy] Yeah, but he did a good job because I am scared. And you should be scared too. Because if he’s still out there, he’s planning to end our world, so…
[Mike] We don’t stop looking. Even if it takes 100 more crawls, 1,000. We don’t stop until we’re goddamn sure that wrinkled, nose-less, rotting bastard is dead and gone and never coming back. Everyone in?
[Dustin] I want to see Vecna’s heart on a platter. Just wish I could do it myself. For Eddie.
[Mike] For Eddie.
[all] For Eddie.
[Lucas] On three, “kill Vecna.” One, two, three.
[all] Kill Vecna!
[Lucas whooping]
[Mike] Oh no!
[chilling music playing]
[Mike] Military man.
[Lucas] Wanted to see if you had my back.
[Mike] Yeah, I have your back.
[friends continue laughing]
[chilling music intensifies]
[overlapping voices drowning out laughter]
[disembodied voices overlapping chaotically]
[chaotic audio distortions]
[all] Will! Will! Will!
[Mike] Hey, are you okay?
[Will] Yeah, it’s okay. I’m fine.
[Mike] Was it him? Was it Vecna?
[Will] I don’t know. I just had this crazy feeling, and then the sky was spinning, and… I don’t know. I guess maybe it’s nothing, right? I don’t know. Maybe I just get nervous sometimes before crawls.
[Lucas] Yeah, I… I get nervous too. But the sky doesn’t spin for me. It ever spin for you?
[Mike] Maybe he’s close. Okay. Squawk, six o’clock, not a second later, right?
[Lucas] Six o’clock.
[Mike] Are you okay?
[Will] Yeah.
[Lucas] You sure?
[Dustin] Take it slow.
[Will] Okay, yeah.
[music crescendos, halts]
[metallic groaning]
[girl] I’m just trying to get it started. Ready? Here we go. Come on. I just gotta get this going, and then we’re gonna have lots of fun.
[Derek] Blast off!
[girl] Derek, stop! Come on! Get off! Derek, stop!
[Derek] Hold on tight!
[girl] Go away! Derek!
[Derek] Try not to puke!
[girl] Stop!
[Derek cackling]
[girl] Jerk face!
[Derek] Bite me.
[girl] You okay? Come here. Let’s get you off.
[Holly sputters]
[girl] Oh my… Careful, careful! You okay?
[bell ringing]
[teacher] All right, my dears, playtime’s over. Come on. What is with that grumpy face? Come on, we have books to read, art to create, wisdom to unlock.
[mysterious music playing]
[teacher] Holly?
[Holly] Hi.
[Holly] And she can tell Derek to go away too. He is a jerk face. Oh yeah, Miss Harris gave me…
[dark music rising]
[Holly] But she also said it wasn’t really my fault.
[music trails off]
[fleshy mass gurgling]
[Dr. Kay] Are you just going to stand there, Sergeant Ramirez, or did you have something to report?
[Sergeant Ramirez] Sorry, Dr. Kay. Yes. Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan, he tracked down that lead we spoke about, and…
[Dr. Kay] It was a tremendous success.
[Ramirez] No, unfortunately.
[Dr. Kay] I see they don’t teach sarcasm in the ROTC. If it was good news, Sullivan would be here himself, with trumpets and confetti, I have no doubt. Don’t worry. It doesn’t bite. It does, on occasion, strangle. Was there anything else? A new lead, perhaps, to offer more false hope?
[Ramirez] Not yet, Doctor.
[Dr. Kay] Sergeant. Please tell your commander that I am running into a wall here. People are dying, innocent people. I need the girl.
[thunderclap echoing]
[Eleven] The last run, what was my time?
[Hopper] I’m not sure. I didn’t see. I was distracted by Diana Ross.
[Eleven] I saved four seconds.
[Hopper] Highly doubt that.
[Joyce] No, no, it was very fast.
[Eleven] One second on the climb, one with the log, two on the bus.
[Hopper] Great. You did that today. You can do it again tomorrow.
[Eleven] The crawl is tonight, Hop. If I’m under 12:30, I can come with you. That is what you promised.
[Hopper] Yeah, I promised that. I promised it. But I didn’t see it. So blame Diana.
[Eleven] You didn’t think I could make the time, did you?
[Hopper] I think you can, but no, not today. I don’t think you made that time.
[Eleven] Are you saying that I lie?
[Hopper] No, I’m saying you’re mistaken.
[Eleven] I’m not mistaken.
[Hopper] Okay, so you’re on your sixth run, you’re totally drained, and you just happen to break your second record of the day, right before a crawl. I don’t think so, kid.
[Eleven] You saw the time. I saw you look down. You have to let me go with you.
[Hopper] You want to find Henry so bad, don’t you? So bad. Do it. Do it from the tub. Do it remotely. You’re not coming with me. Not today. End of story.
[door opens, closes]
[Joyce sighs]
[Joyce] Why are you being so hard on her?
[Hopper] I’m not being hard on her.
[Joyce] [scoffs] She’s just trying to help.
[Hopper] It’d be great if Will could help, but you keep that kid wrapped in bubble wrap.
Come on. That’s different. I mean, El… Look at her. She’s… She’s ready.
[Hopper] Thirty-seven crawls. The only thing I found down in that damn place are soldiers, lots of them. And they’re all looking for one person, El. So there’s no reason to put her life on the line and bring her down there, especially not for some recon mission.
[Joyce] Well, if it’s just some recon mission, then what’s with all the guns?
[Hopper] It’s in case I run into trouble.
[Joyce] Yeah, or in case you run into him.
[Hopper] No. No. I run into that psychic freak, I’m tucking tail and running. I’m nuts. I’m nuts. But I’m not that nuts.
[tender, emotional music playing]
[Hopper] I’m gonna need El. I know that. I know that. Which is precisely why there’s no point in risking her life over some stupid recon crap. I want her primed, but I want her safe. Safe until the very last minute, okay?
[Joyce] Yeah, okay. But her time on that last run, did she make it?
[Hopper] With a second to spare.
[Joyce chuckles]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Andy] See what Donna was wearing? She’s gone up like two sizes since last year.
[boy 1] Yeah, right.
[Andy] Jesus Christ!
[girl 1] Oh my God.
It’s just a corn snake, dude. Guys, it’s just a corn snake.
[students laughing]
[girl 2] You’re a pussy, dude.
[boy 2] Did you piss your pants?
[boy 3] It’s just a snake.
[boy 2] Hey, Andy, is that your new pet?
[girl 2] Don’t scare him.
[music trailing off]
[Mike] Holly! Holly! Holly. What are you doing? Come on. I have to get going.
[Holly] Sorry. They told me to wait.
[Mike] Is this about your mystery friend again? Mr. Whatsit?
[Holly] He’s only trying to help.
[Mike] Help? How?
[Holly] By protecting me. He says that there are monsters in Hawkins, and… they like to eat kids like me.
[Mike] Monsters aren’t real, Holly.
[Holly] I don’t believe you.
[Mike] I know you’re scared because of everything that’s happened. With the crazy stories people tell, I mean, I get scared sometimes too.
[Holly] No, you don’t.
[Mike] Are you kidding? Everyone in Hawkins is scared shitless. Anyone who says they aren’t are full of it. Like that mouth breather in your class… What’s his name again?
[Holly] Derek?
[Mike] Yeah, Derek. He probably wets his bed every night. Know who I turn to when I get scared? Mike the Brave. He goes on adventures called dungeon crawls.
[Holly] What’s a dungeon crawl?
[Mike] Basically, he explores these underground worlds, where he fights monsters, evil wizards, sorcerers and stuff. But Mike the Brave is never scared. So whenever I’m feeling frightened or nervous, I just imagine that he’s at my side, and I feel better. So maybe the next time you get scared, you don’t need this Mr. Whatsit. Maybe you just need Holly the Heroic.
[Holly] Holly the Heroic?
[Mike] I was gonna to wait a few more years, but… She’s a cleric, which means she has divine powers. She can cast spells of protection to ward against evil spirits, and even cooler, she can cast a dimension door, which can teleport you to anywhere you visualize. I mean, come on. Can this lameo Mr. Whatsit do any of this?
[Holly] [chuckles] No.
[Mike] She’ll keep you safe. I promise.
[Will] It was this weird feeling. Like something I really haven’t felt before. Mike thinks it could mean that maybe Vecna’s close, that he’s finally reemerged. And if he has, maybe we’ll find him tonight. What do you think, Lucas?
[Lucas] Yeah, I think we’ll find him this time for sure.
[Will] You wanna play the tape? I’m gonna go grab a Coke or something caffeinated, because it’s gonna be a long night. You want one?
[Lucas] No. I’m good. Thanks.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[“Running Up That Hill” playing]
[Will] Robin! Rockin’ Robin!
[Robin] Okay. So I have good news, and I have bad news.
[Vickie] What are you doing here?
[Robin] A good friend once said, “Bad news first, always.” So I have to cancel our date tonight.
[Vickie] Of course.
[Robin] But the good news is I made us a reservation. 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night at Enzo’s.
[Vickie] Enzo’s? Okay, how exactly are we gonna be able to afford that?
[Robin] You mean how am I going to afford it? Because you, my dear, are paying for nothing.
[Vickie] Double how, then?
[Robin] I stole money off the dead guy they just wheeled out.
[Vickie] That’s not funny. His name was Mr. Pentergast, and he was very nice.
[Robin] And very rich.
[Vickie] Robin…
[Robin] Look, dinner’s on me, okay? But, uh, maybe for dessert, I could… I could see you in this hat, and, like, only this hat.
[Vickie] I hate you. I… [laughs]
[Robin giggles]
[sweet, tender music playing]
[faint laughter]
[Vickie laughs] Was that on purpose?
[Vickie] Totally.
[Vickie] That’s so sexy.
[Robin] So, there any chance I could get you to wear this outfit?
[Vickie] But that’s…
[can clattering, fizzing]
[uneasy music playing]
[Vickie] Who is that?
[Robin] Shit.
[music swells, trails off]
[Dustin] Don’t worry, Eddie. Eventually they’ll get bored.
[tense music building]
[foreboding music playing]
[foreboding music building]
[Andy] You should really keep a better eye on your pets, Henderson.
It’s dangerous out there.
They shouldn’t be left alone like that.
Hey there, freak. Long time no see.
Hiya.
[Dustin chuckles]
[Andy] Something funny, Henderson?
[Dustin] No, I… I was just thinking. In Eddie’s last campaign, I defeated Vecna’s lead acolyte by casting Prismatic Spray. One D8 turned up a 7. Violet.
[Andy] Is that supposed to be English, freak? [jocks laughing]
[Dustin] Well, violet Prismatic Spray is the deadliest. You know why? It causes blindness.
[Andy] Hey!
[Dustin screams]
[Andy] Hellfire dies with you, Henderson. And it dies tonight.
[Lucas] Dustin, this is Lucas. Do you copy? Over. Dustin, do you copy? Over. Dustin, you’re an hour late, man. You’re making us nervous. We need you here at the Squawk. Dustin, if you can hear us, please respond. Over.
[Robin] I got off the phone with his mom. She hasn’t heard from him.
[Steve] Christ, Henderson. He’ll show. He always shows. Try him again.
[Lucas] Come in, Dustin. Are you there? Earth to Dustin. This is serious, man. Quit playing. We can’t wait around.
[sweet, emotional music playing]
[Lucas] Get your ass to the Squawk. We can’t wait around. We need you here now. This is not funny. Are you there?
[music trails off]
[Lucas] Dustin, is everything okay?
[Eleven] Do you think Dustin is okay?
[Lucas] Dustin!
[Mike] I hope so. He was acting weird today.
[Eleven] Weird how?
[Mike] [sighs] Just angry, scared, reckless. Not himself.
[Eleven] Hopper’s the same. Not himself.
[Mike] Maybe it’s just getting to us, you know? Being… Being stuck in here, not knowing where Vecna is, no end in sight. I mean, we’re really starting to lose it. I mean, we really need to catch a break. And maybe we will. Because earlier, Will had a feeling.
[Eleven] If Will has a feeling…
[Mike] Then it means something. So… So, maybe tonight’s our break. Maybe even our last crawl. We find Vecna, and we end this once and for all.
[Eleven] And then what happens?
[Mike] You mean after you totally demolish Vecna?
[Eleven] [chuckles softly]
[Mike] In my campaigns, if the party wins, then they all live happily ever after.
[Eleven] Happily how?
[Mike] Well, usually what happens is the party doesn’t return to their local village, because too much has happened. They’ve seen too much. So they travel to a faraway land, a… a peaceful land, somewhere beautiful, with like three waterfalls or something, and they all start again, together.
[hopeful synth music playing]
[Eleven] Do you think that could be real for us?
[Mike] Yeah, of course. I mean, not the three waterfalls part. But the other stuff, yeah, of course. If Vecna’s gone, then what’s stopping us?
[Lucas] Hey, lovebirds! Chief’s almost ready. Let’s do this. Come on.
[Hopper] Thank you.
[Jonathan] Here. Good luck.
[Hopper] Tag’s active.
[Robin] Copy. Harrington, you getting any signal? Tag is active.
Yeah, just give me a second. Hey, anybody know how Henderson’s wheelie thing works?
Uh, any ideas?
There’s a safety lock. Look for a small switch under the wheel.
[Robin] There should be a safety lock under the wheel.
[Steve] Safety lock, real necessary. … Okay. Okay, getting a signal. It’s pretty quiet, though.
[faint staticky pulsing]
[pulsing accelerates]
[Steve] Okay, signal’s holding a steady 90 dB. But how am I supposed to monitor this and drive without Henderson?
[Hopper] Uh, hear anything from Inspector Gadget?
[Mike] Nothing.
[Will] I can do it. I… I can monitor.
[Joyce] No. You’re staying here.
[Will] Mom, I helped Dustin set up the antenna. I know how to work it.
[Joyce] Out of the question. It… It’s just a wheel.
[Will] It’s not just a wheel.
[Joyce] Jonathan, you… you can work it, right?
[Jonathan] [sighs] Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think so.
[Hopper] You better not think. You better know. You lose me out there, I’m not coming home.
[Jonathan] I can handle it.
[Steve] You comfortable back there, Byers? Or you want me to get you a pillow?
[Jonathan] Just focus on driving.
[Joyce] Try to get back to me in one piece, okay?
[Hopper] [breathing heavily]
[Joyce] What?
[Hopper] Sorry, I’m just looking at you. You get more beautiful every day.
[tender, emotional music playing]
[Hopper] How is that fair?
[Joyce] You didn’t answer my question.
[Hopper] I know. You didn’t answer mine.
[music trailing off]
[Karen] Look, she was standing at the fence, talking into thin air.
[Ted] She probably was talking to herself.
[Karen] …standing there talking to nobody.
[Ted] Well, she’s hardly the first child to have an imaginary friend, Karen.
[Karen] I wouldn’t be so worried if she was five years old, but she’s not five anymore, is she? In fact, do you even know how old your daughter is?
[Ted] You’re ridiculous.
[Karen] Oh, you don’t even know how old she is!
[Ted] I’m not talking to you when you’re like this. First one tonight, or already onto number two?
[Karen] Does it matter?
[moody synth music playing]
[soldier shouting indistinctly]
[Joyce] Squawk to Crow’s Nest, anything? Over.
[Mike] Negative, not a peep.
[Lucas chewing loudly]
[Mike] Do you have to chew so loud?
[Lucas] Snipers chew gum.
[Mike] You’re not a sniper.
[Lucas] Package incoming. Four trucks, outer east gate on Main.
[Mike] We got action. Four trucks, outer east gate on Main.
[soldier] The hole! Clear the hole. Burners, prepare to deploy. On my mark! Move, move, move.
[Lucas] Burners heading for the gate.
[Mike] Burn commencing in five, four, three, two, and boom!
[gate shrieking]
[Lucas] Trucks moving in.
[Mike] Trucks moving in.
[Hopper] Am I clear?
[Lucas] Clear to the east.
[Mike] East is clear.
[Hopper] And to the west?
[Lucas] Hold.
[Mike] We got a straggler.
[Hopper] Come on.
[Lucas] Get the hell out of there.
[Hopper] Come on.
[Mike] Clear.
[Lucas] He’s in.
[Mike] He’s in.
[gate continues shrieking]
[Lucas] Open sesame.
[Mike] He’s flipped.
[Joyce] Jonathan, signal?
[static crackling]
[Jonathan] Snagged it.
[steady pulsing over radio]
[Steve] Should I move?
[Jonathan] No. Hold. Hold. Hold.
[pulsing increases in frequency]
[Jonathan] Hold. Go!
[Joyce] Van is on the move.
[tense music playing]
[Joyce] Hopper, can you hear us okay?
[Hopper] Yeah, yeah, loud and clear.
[Joyce] Good, good. Okay, hard part’s over.
[Hopper] I mean, speak for yourself. I still gotta jump out of this thing. And is it me, or are we moving faster than normal?
[Joyce] A little faster. Just aim for the grass.
[Hopper] [laughs] I was gonna go for the asphalt, but now that you mention the grass…
[Joyce] What’s going on? Hopper?
[Jonathan] We’re losing him!
[Steve] Wait, what?
[Jonathan] Wait! Stop! Stop!
[beeping increases in frequency]
[Jonathan] We got him. [relieved panting]
[Joyce] Hopper, do you copy? Hopper!
[Hopper] Yeah, I copy.
[Joyce] What the hell happened?
[Hopper] I don’t know. We just slammed to a stop.
[Joyce] Wh… Why would they stop?
[Eleven] The soldiers… they know he’s there.
[Nancy] We don’t know that.
[soldier] What’s going on over there?
[Eleven] There are too many. He can’t take them.
[disorienting audio distortions]
[heavy footsteps thudding]
[faint clicking]
[Hopper] Whoa!
[soldier screaming]
[bursts of gunfire]
[roaring over radio]
[screaming over radio]
[dark music playing]
[distorted screaming]
[garbled shouting]
[electricity stuttering]
[Steve] The hell’s happening, man?
[Jonathan] I don’t know.
[gunfire continuing]
[Demogorgon roars]
[driver screams]
[metallic groaning]
[Hopper grunts]
[Will’s gasp echoing]
[Joyce] Will! No! Honey!
[echoing] Will! Will! Will!
[ominous music playing]
[music trails off]
[Hopper grunting, panting]
[clicking in distance]
[creature snarling]
[Hopper] Squawk, do you copy? Joyce? Anyone?
[snarling in distance]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Joyce] Will, Will, come back! Come on, honey. Will, come back. Come back. Will, come on. Will! Will! Wake up!
[rapid footsteps]
[snarling]
[thunder crashing]
[Joyce, distorted] Come back! Come back!
[Joyce] Will, sweetie. It’s okay.
[Will] Mom!
[Joyce] It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here. It’s okay. Just breathe. Just breathe. What happened?
[Will] [wheezing] I saw it.
[Joyce] What? What did you see?
[Will] The Demogorgon. It’s coming. It’s coming for them.
[Joyce] For who? Who’s them?
[Nancy] Robin, stay here. Contact Hopper, the boys. Tell everyone what’s going on.
[Robin] Right. Right.
[Nancy] Think you can get the power back on?
[Robin] I can try.
[Nancy] You do, you call my house and tell everyone to get the hell out.
[Robin] Okay.
[Ted grunts]
[Holly sobbing quietly]
[electricity buzzing erratically]
[mysterious music playing]
[erratic, high-pitched buzzing]
[growling]
[Holly] Mom! Mom!
[ferocious roar]
[“Upside Down” by Diana Ross playing]
[funky disco pop continuing]
♪ I said upside down, you’re turning me ♪
♪ You’re giving love instinctively ♪
♪ ‘Round and ’round, you’re turning me ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ Instinctively, you give to me ♪
♪ The love that I need ♪
♪ I cherish the moments with you ♪
♪ Respectfully, I say to thee ♪
♪ I’m aware that you’re cheating ♪
♪ When no one makes me feel like you do ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ I know you got charm and appeal ♪
♪ You always play the field ♪
♪ I’m crazy to think you’re all mine ♪
♪ As long as the sun continues to shine ♪
♪ There’s a place in my heart for you ♪
♪ That’s the bottom line ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
♪ Instinctively, you give to me ♪
The love that I need ♪
♪ I cherish the moments with you ♪
♪ Respectfully, I say to thee ♪
♪ I’m aware that you’re cheating ♪
♪ But no one makes me feel like you do ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round, ’round ♪
♪ Upside down ♪
♪ Boy, you turn me inside out ♪
♪ And ’round and ’round ♪
[song trails off]
