Stranger Things season 2 episode titles: An analysis of what they all mean

It's finally happened.

Essentially delaying the inevitable, Netflix took a while to confirm Stranger Things would be getting a season 2, but it's eventual announcement came with a pretty interesting addition: a trailer revealing all nine episode titles for the new season, adding one more to season 1's eight episodes.

Just as with season 1, these titles are deeply vague in their content; but releasing them so early on in the process - with a release date in 2017 - is obviously a pretty deliberate tactic to get people talking and furiously theorising as to what secrets the new season will contain. Is Will still entrapped by the Upside Down? Is Eleven really dead? Are there other experiments out there?

So, alright Netflix. We've taken the bait - get ready to analyse these episode titles to shreds.

Episode 1 - Madmax

One thing to immediately notice is how Stranger Things will continue to wear its homages on its sleeve. With season 1 evoking Spielberg films of the 80s (Close Encounters, E.T.), the title of season 2’s opening episode references George Miller’s Mad Max franchise. With season 2 being set in 1984 - a year before the release of third film Beyond Thunderdome - could ‘Madmax’ be a password or code word used by Mike, Dustin and Lucas?

Perhaps it’s a reference to the Upside Down, the post-apocalyptic wasteland a slug-vomiting Will keeps seeing around him. Or maybe Mel Gibson’s showing up. JST

The Boy Who Came Back to Life

The sensible money would be on Will Byers being the boy mentioned in this title; he did, after all, almost die after spending an entire week in the Upside Down. But for the sake of theorisation, hear us out: could it be referring to Eleven?

She is assumed dead by many having seemingly disappeared into thin air (taking the Demogorgon with her) in the final episode of season 1. There are also multiple moments in the first season where the mysterious Elle is assumed to be male due to her shaved head. Could she be "The Boy Who Came Back to Life"? JST

Episode 3 - The Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins. The brain immediately associates the word with carved orange faces, candles inside, lighting up All Hallows’ Eve. Are we to think this is a Halloween episode? That could be but one of the themes. A patch of pumpkins, however, implies numerous pumpkins (duh) growing in a field. Now, what from season 1 looked like a pumpkin?

Those eggs from the upside down - the ones that look directly out of Alien - could perhaps be described as pumpkins. Imagine an entire patch of them. If they have growing Demogorgons inside, a strong possibility, an entire patch of the things would be entirely frightening for our adventurers and could be the key threat of season 2. JSH

Episode 4 - The Palace

A rather ambiguous title that seemingly refers to very little from season 1. Thinking about films that came out in 1984, perhaps ‘The Palace’ could refer somehow to the Pankot Palace seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (For those who need reminding, Pankot Palace is the place under which the Temple of Doom lies.)

However, another idea being floated around the office is that Eleven - if she is hiding in the Upside Down - may have created herself a ‘palace’ to hide away in from the Demogorgon. This could either be a physical palace or a mental palace which she is using to escape the evil being. JSH

Episode 5 - The Storm

As evidenced from Joyce's experiments in season 1, electricity is a pretty special force when it comes to the Upside Down. Essentially, whenever there's a presence in the Upside Down, it tends to flare up or flicker light sources across the barrier in the real world. Which seems to suggest electricity has some sort of barrier-crossing properties.

Now that Eleven appears to have weakened the barrier through her powers, it'd be interesting to see what happens if you start getting large surges of electricity involved - specifically something as massive as an electrical storm. Remember when Mr. Clarke explains a "massive amount of energy" would be needed to travel to the Upside Down?

Could huge surges of lightning rupture a massive hole in the barrier between the real and the Upside Down? Especially if Eleven happens to be back on the scene? CL

Episode 6 - The Pollywog

The pollywog, in common parlance, is a tadpole; a fairly good descriptor for the strange, slug-like creatures that Will coughs up in the final moments of season 1. And, since tadpoles inevitably grow up to be frogs or toads, it could be a hint that Will's slug creatures are in fact a sort of larval stage for Demogorgon - rather disgustingly using Will's own body as an incubator, and further hinting that there's plenty more demogorgons on the horizon.

If the Demogorgon was essentially planting eggs inside of Will (again, gross), that would definitely explain why Joyce and Hopper find him in the Upside Down attached to a strange, living tube.

However, there's a second interesting definition for pollywog, meaning a sailor who has not crossed the Equator - could this be referencing someone who has yet to cross into the Upside Down (or out of it)? CL

Episode 7 - The Secret Cabin

Honestly, this far down into the episode list, and it's difficult to really ascertain what this secret cabin could be - since the Byers' shed, Will's hideaway, nor any part of Hawkins Laboratory seems to fit this description. Since the kids' plans were largely conducted in secret in Mike's basement over the course of season 1, there's a chance the cabin could allude to a new spot for them.

Yet, since it seems inevitable new characters will be introduced into the mix - specifically more revelations of other experiments that preceded Eleven - "The Secret Cabin" could perhaps reference where they've been hiding this entire time. CL

Episode 8 - The Brain

"The Brain" is one of the more intriguing titles; could it be referring to a hive-mind of Demogorgons? Following on from "The Pumpkin Patch" idea, this could make perfect sense. Perhaps there’s one lead Demogorgon, the brain of the operation, which the group need to take out? Or does "The Brain" refer to someone’s brain, perhaps Eleven’s?

Could the government be operating on it, trying to find out how she accesses the Upside Down? If Will has gone fully Demogorgon, could they be looking at his? There are so many possibilities. JSH

Episode 9 - The Lost Brother

While it’s almost impossible to predict what’s going to happen in an episode of television that’s just under a year away, we’re going to give it a go anyway. This being the climax of what we’re sure will be a brilliant second season (we have faith, Duffer Brothers), could this be the introduction of Eleven’s fellow experiments?

Could season 2 finale see the introduction of Eight, Nine or even Ten? That’s one theory. Another is that it refers to the Byers boys - either Will, who may or not be a walking Demogorgon, or Jonathan who could get in his own Upside Down-related trouble by season’s end. JST

Stranger Things season 2 hits Netflix in 2017.