NetflixGet ready to head back to Hawkins!
Stranger Things 3 debuts in just a couple of weeks, and you might be forgiven if you've forgotten a little bit of what happened the last time we were there. The second season premiered in October 2017, so it's definitely been a while, but that's why we're here--to discuss in depth what happened at the end of season two.
At the start of the season, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was in hiding, being looked after by Hopper (David Harbour) but not allowed to communicate with any of her friends. She eventually ran off and connected with her birth mother and meet another psychic teen, but returned to Hawkins just in time to help with a major crisis.
Will (Noah Schnapp) had spent the season being manipulated/possessed by the shadow monster and he nearly died, but a determined Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) managed to communicate with Will enough to save him, which they were able to do with Eleven's help, though Joyce's boyfriend Bob (Sean Astin) died during their attempts.
Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) had to come to terms with the fact that the new girl in town, Max (Sadie Sink), was more interested in Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and his new pet Dart was actually a terrifying monster, but he made a new friend in Steve (Joe Keery). Steve also made a new enemy in Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and lost his girlfriend Nancy (Natalia Dyer), who then turned to Jonathan, but it wasn't all bad, because he found a new calling in life.
Meanwhile, Mike mourned what he thought was the loss of Eleven and was overjoyed (though mad at Hopper) when she returned, and the shadow monster is still looming over the school in the Upside Down.
Now, scroll on down to see exactly how everybody was doing at the very end of the season two finale, which might give us some hints about where they're headed next.
After finally showing back up in Hawkins post-adventure, Eleven just shared her first kiss with Mike at the Snow Ball, and Hopper just officially adopted her, while the people chasing after her are no more. She also had to reopen the gate to the Upside Down but that seems to have cooled down...for now.
Hopper just adopted Eleven, meaning he's officially dad to a teenager, and he's kinda got his flirt on with Joyce, making #Jopper a real possibility.
Will seems to have gotten rid of the monster who was possessing him, and the lab that had been testing him has closed down, and now he can be a normal kid! Hopefully!
Mike was finally reunited with Eleven and they shared a first kiss at the dance, which seemed to be the beginning/continuation of a beautiful, blossoming teen romance.
Dustin made up with his friends over what he believed was a breaking of the rules, and still had his buddy Steven to give him some (questionable) hair/life advice, while Nancy advised him to be patient while the girls came to their senses. So could we be in for a romance for Dustin? That remains to be seen.
Lucas and Max shared their first kiss at the snow ball in the finale, and he made up with his friends over his decision to bring Max in on the quest to save the day. We'll have to see if this couple is still together in season three.
Max had been finally welcomed fully as a part of the group, after Dustin got over his hesitation to let her in on their secrets. She and Lucas also shared a quick kiss at the dance, and it looks like she and Eleven may just become the best of friends.
Though she's mourning the death of her boyfriend Bob, Joyce finally has her son back, and he no longer appears to be possessed by the mindflayer. That means she's now got time to smoke and flirt with Hopper, and #Jopper may just be real after all.
Nancy finally got some closure on the death of Barb, and seemed happy with Jonathan. We last saw her bonding with Dustin and helping him look a little cooler in front of the eighth grade girls.
Steve had only just discovered his powers as a babysitter, which were far superior to his powers as a boyfriend. But at the end of season two, he had come to terms with losing Nancy and was enjoying time with his new friend Dustin.
Jonathan's got his brother back and he and Nancy seem to be going strong.
Billy had a rough time with his dad and with everyone, pretty much, but by the end of the finale he seemed to be softening a bit. He also had a flirtatious moment with Mrs. Wheeler so that could make for some interesting trouble in season three.
Erica will be making a bigger splash in season three, but we last saw her teasing her brother Lucas at the end of season two. We can't imagine she won't also be teasing her brother in season three!
We've not yet met Robin, who's a new character in season three, but who can say what kind of secrets she'll hold?
Stranger Things returns to Netflix on July 4.