Stranger Things 2: How the show will progress in seasons 3 and 4

*WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ALL OF STRANGER THINGS 2*

With general impressions over Stranger Things 2 out of the way (you can read our spoiler-free review here), let’s talk Demo-dogs. Which, taking on board Dustin’s suggestion, is what these creatures will be officially termed from now on.

Stranger Things seems to draw direct from Alien here in their Xenomorph-like evolution, rapidly growing throughout the series. It looks like the Demo-dogs all fell to their deaths when Eleven closed the gate, though, so at least that saves the kids from having to fight of Demorgorgon army down the line.

The greater threat, clearly, is the Shadow Monster here. What is its relation to the Demogorgon? Are they of the same “species”? Is one the master of the other? Does this mean the Upside Down is filled with a vast array of supernatural beasties? All unknown.

Its possession of Will certainly hints at its potential to be the show’s ‘Big Bad’, and the way it looms over the Upside Down’s version of Hawkins Middle School sets it up as a kind puppet master to the entire situation.

A suggestion, perhaps, that Stranger Things is headed toward one, gigantic climactic showdown with the Shadow Monster, to usher in its total destruction, and perhaps the destruction of the Upside Down itself.

A monumental task for the Hawkins kids, even with Eleven (technically Jane now, but it’s hard to let go of the nickname) returned to their side, but there are some potential new allies on the horizon.

Of course, the biggest reveal of the series here is Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), another abducted girl that was experimented on alongside Eleven. There’s certainly a lot to unpack here; her powers, the ability to manipulate what people can/can’t see, are curious since they’re not shared by Eleven.

Essentially, Stranger Things has opened itself up to an X-Men-like universe of superheroes, with Kali and Eleven just short of an application for Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

Ultimately, we should be looking at an introduction to some of the other experiments and their powers as well, as it’s unlikely the pair are the only two left alive. This is admittedly complete conjecture, but it would seem logical to Stranger Things’ narrative future that, to some degree, the other experiments are sought out and collected together in order to be rid of the Upside Down for good.

We know now that Eleven isn’t Sara, the daughter Hopper lost to cancer, so does that mean Sara could be one of the lost experiments? It’s a theory that’s existed since the first series, but boosted especially now with the final reel discovery that Eleven is, in fact, Hopper’s daughter.

The idea that Eleven and Kali are spiritual sisters of some form, even in the episode title “The Lost Sister”, would be given another twist if Sarah somehow entered the picture to announce she’s Eleven’s half-sister. The fact the series left Hopper telling Eleven the news as a cliff-hanger hints something dramatic could be waiting in the wings.

Unless the show does start introducing other experiments, it’s hard to think of any other force that could be powerful enough to actually take on the Shadow Monster face-to-face, even if Eleven’s powers are growing day-by-day.

It’s also the show’s best chance to avoid tiring out its own shtick. We can have Hawkins vs. an Upside Down monster work once, just about twice, but a third time would be a foolish risk.

Meanwhile, the introduction of Kali has seen Eleven’s story diverge somewhat from the main thread, and so it seems fair to assume there will be an effort to tie all of this together eventually, closing in the connection between the experiments and the Upside Down for good.

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