S2E1: Chapter One: MADMAX

In the first episode of "Stranger Things" Season 2, we find ourselves catching up with the gang in Hawkins a year after the events of Season 1. Will Byers is back from the Upside Down, but things aren't exactly back to normal for him. He's experiencing these unsettling episodes called "now-memories," which are more like visions of the Upside Down bleeding into his reality. Not quite the homecoming he would have hoped for. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids are preparing for Halloween and trying to enjoy their teenage lives, with Mike still longing for Eleven, who has been MIA since their showdown with the Demogorgon. As it turns out, Eleven isn't too far away; she's been living secretly with Hopper in a cabin in the woods. They have a bit of an odd father-daughter dynamic going on, complete with breakfast routines and TV nights. Back in town, there's a new girl named Max who catches Dustin and Lucas's attention, much to Mike's disinterest. While all this is happening, Joyce is dating her old high school classmate Bob, played by none other than Sean Astin. But just as things seem to be settling down, Hawkins Lab is still up to no good. In the episode's final moments, we catch a glimpse of something sinister: a massive shadowy creature lurking in Will's vision, hinting that the Upside Down hasn't quite let go of its grip on Hawkins.