It’s been a painful year-a-and-half, but the wait for Stranger Things 3 is finally over, with brand new episodes hitting Netflix.
Expectations for the third series of the sci-fi series are pretty high given how huge the previous two have been.
However, there is a big checklist of things left over from season two that we’re going to need the new episodes to deliver on...
Will we see Eleven’s sister again?
Episode seven, The Lost Sister, didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the series. While the writers needed to take Eleven out of Hawkins so that she could return and, ultimately, save everyone in the end, this episode-long shift of focus felt a little clunky.
Given how divisive the episode has been, we wouldn’t be too shocked if the Duffer Brothers just pretended this whole thing hadn’t happened. But as Eleven’s sister, Kali, remains somewhere out there with her group of bandits and misfits, it has cleared a path for potential future storylines.
And what about the other children used by the lab?
Eleven is (obviously…) number 11 and Kali was branded ‘008’, so - assuming the scientists worked in numerical order - there are potentially at least nine other children that they experimented on. Are they still alive? And if so, will Eleven use her powers to find them, as she did her ‘sister’?
Could Eleven’s mother ever be saved?
It was heartbreaking to watch Millie Bobby-Brown’s character discover the truth about what happened to her mum, finding her suffering from mental and physical health issues after receiving electro-shock treatment from the lab, in order to make her forget about her daughter.
She remains at her home, which begs the question of whether there’s any way she could be saved? Surely Eleven wouldn’t be able to resist visiting her again…
#JusticeForBob?
Yeah, he made a lot Dad jokes, called his car “the Bobmobile” and listened to too much Kenny Rogers, but in the end, we really grew to love Sean Astin’s character. If he’s good enough for Joyce Byers, he’s good enough for us - and let’s not forget that Bob played a pretty pivotal role in figuring out where Chief Hopper was when he got lost in the Upside Down, before then coming to the rescue again when the demodogs took over the lab.
Quite frankly, to call him ‘the new Barb’ would probably be an undersell, but just as fans of Nancy’s best pal demanded justice for her after season one, we’re hoping for some sort of event to commemorate for Bob’s untimely demise. At least name the Radio Shack after him.
What about the two romance storylines?
Lucas Sinclair and Mike Wheeler both had their first kisses, with newbie Max Hargrove and Eleven respectively, during the finale’s Snow Ball dance scene so this will obviously need addressing in future episodes.
The Duffer Brothers have confirmed that there’ll be another time skip for the next series though, so it’s unlikely that we’ll get to see the immediate aftermath of the romantic encounters.
What’s next for Hopper and Eleven?
Not all of the new relationships in ‘Stranger Things 2’ were romances and the pairing of Hopper and Eleven brought us so much joy, but it was tinged with sadness given that Hopper’s daughter, Sarah, died years ago.
Seeing him dote on Eleven and attempt to teach her about the world was heart-breakingly beautiful and when they patched up their differences to close the gate to the Upside Down, we were literally cheering on the sofa.
For season three, we’d love to see their bond get even stronger so please guys, no arguing this time. We seriously can’t take it.
And Steve and Dustin?
Can they defeat the Mind Slayer?
As with season one, ‘2’ closed with a sudden dark twist, as we saw the Mind Slayer lurking over the school in the Upside Down.
It’s unclear how the Mind Slayer would get into the real world now that the gate has been closed, but we bet it won’t take long before that question is answered.
The Duffer Brothers have already hinted that one of the gang in particular could be in danger, teasing: “They’ve shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it’s very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven.
“It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now, it knows that she’s out there.” *gulp*
Stranger Things 3 arrives on Netflix on 4 July.