Jim and his officers drive to the Byers house and examine the wall where Joyce claimed the monster emerged. There’s no sign of it or any damage to the wallpaper. The police chief tells Joyce that they found Will’s body in the quarry, and he must have accidentally fallen in. She insists that it isn’t Will because she talked to him using the Christmas lights. Her son said that he was hiding from the monster that came out of the wall, and Joyce tries to descript the creature. Jim tells her that after his daughter Sarah died, he saw and heard her and didn’t know what was real at first. Joyce insists that she didn’t imagine what happened out of grief, and begs him to believe her. Jim tells her to go to the morgue and see Will for herself, and advises her to get some sleep first if she can.
Outside, Jim starts up his SUV but then stops and goes to sleep, watching.
In his bedroom, Jonathan lies on his bed and cries.
Joyce starts to go to bed, but then walks out to the shed and gets an axe. She goes back inside and sits on the couch, waiting.
At the Wheeler house, Karen and Ted watch a newscast about the discovery of Will’s body. Karen tells her husband that Mike will come to them to talk when he’s ready.
In the basement, Mike is looking at Will’s drawings while Jane plays with the radio. He tells her to stop and complains that she made him think that Will was alive but he isn’t. Mike says that Jane hurt him and Lucas was right about her. Will starts singing over the radio and Jane hands it to Mike. Mike asks if Will is there, but there’s no response. He notices that Jane’s nose is bleeding, and asks if it was Will. She says that it was.
The next morning, Joyce imagines hearing Will calling to her. She realizes that it’s Jonathan telling her to get up because they have to go see Will.
Karen goes to Mike’s room and asks him how he feels. He says that he’s sick and Karen assures him that it’s fine, and invites him to come with her and get a video. Mike says that he’d rather stay home and Karen leaves. Once she goes, Mike calls Lucas on the radio and Lucas finally answers. He tells Mike to go away, but Mike tells him to come over and bring Dustin with him.
At the coroner’s office, the receptionist Patty tells a waiting Jim that the men from State sent the coroner Gary home and did the autopsy themselves.
The State coroner shows Jonathan and Joyce Will’s body. Jonathan goes to throw up, and Joyce asks to see the birthmark on Will’s arm. Once he’s done, Jonathan sits with Jim in the waiting room and says that Joyce has been saying Will was alive since the first phone call. He admits that his mother has had anxiety problems in the past, but says that they’ll be okay. Jim agrees that Joyce is tough, just as the coroner comes out with Joyce. Joyce insists that the body isn’t Will’s and leaves.
At school, Nancy tells Steve what happened to her when she went back to Steve’s house. She says that she saw a monster with no face, and Steve warns that the police will want to talk to all of them at the party. He worries that his parents will find out, and asks Nancy not to mention the beers. Disgusted, Nancy says that she can’t believe him and walks away.
Jonathan drives after Joyce and tells her to get into his car. When she refuses, Jonathan parks and goes after her. He says that they have to deal with the funeral, and Joyce says that she knows that she sounds crazy. She insists that she’s going to bring Will home and walks off, and Jonathan yells that he’s not going to let Will’s body sit in the freezer another day.
Once Lucas and Dustin arrive, Jane tries to bring back Will’s voice on the radio. Lucas figures that it’s from a baby monitor, and Dustin figures that it’s possible. Mike insists that Will is alive and says that they need to get Jane to Grove’s ham radio at school. Lucas points out that they won’t be able to get Jane in like she is. The boys raid Nancy’s clothes and makeup, and Mike makes up Jane to look more normal. She puts on a dress and a wig, and the boys admit that she looks pretty... good. Jane stares at herself in the mirror.
At the lab, Brenner and his team enter the breach chamber and they tether a cable to a test pilot, Shepard. Shepard enters the breach and it closes behind him.
In English class, Nancy stares off into space when she’s called to the office. Callahan and Powell question her about her argument with Barbara. Nancy says that Barbara wanted to leave but she didn’t, and then she went upstairs to put on some dry clothes when Barbara left. The girl says that she doesn’t know what she saw the next day, but figures that it took Barbara. They didn’t find anything, including Barbara’s car, and the officers figure that Barbara left town. Karen is there with her daughter, and the officers suggest that Barbara might have been jealous. Nancy says that they’re just friends, but the officers don’t believe it.
Jim talks to Gary and confirms that six State troopers brought in Will’s body. They told him that they’d take care of the autopsy, claiming jurisdiction. Jim notices State Trooper O’Bannon TV talking to a reporter.
The boys take Jane to scho9ol and she stares at everything as if seeing it for the first time. As they go inside, an assembly for Will is announced. They try to get into Stokes’ office and discover that it’s locked. Stokes sees them and the boys say that they need some alone time. Stokes suggests that they be there for Will but then tosses them the keys and says that afterward they can use the ham radio. The teacher asks who Jane is, and Mike says that she’s his cousin Eleanor from Sweden, there for Will’s funeral. Stokes takes them to the assembly.
When Karen takes Nancy home, she complains that Nancy lied to her. Nancy admits that she slept with Barbara and it doesn’t matter because something happened to her friend. Karen says that she’s listening but Nancy storms off to her room. She gets out the photo that Jonathan took of Barbara and cries, and then notices something in the background behind her friend: the monster that she saw.
The scientists try to make contact with Shepard, and he eventually responds. He says that he’s a kilometer in and everything is eroded, and then something attacks him. Brenner orders the scientists to real Brenner back in, and Shepard screams that something is in there with him. After a moment the cable goes slack. When they pull it out, there’s nothing attached but the bloody remains of Shepard’s suit.
Principal Coleman talks about Will and introduces a local grief counselor. Troy and James are snickering, and Mike notices. Jane notices Mike noticing, and realizes that Troy is the bully who tripped Mike the day before. Once the assembly is over, Mike approaches Troy and says that he’s messed up. The other student gather as Troy says that there’s nothing to be sad about. When Troy walks away, Mike shoves him and troy charges at him... and freezes as Jane uses her TK. The bully wets himself and everyone laughs. Mike realizes that Jane is doing it, and she smiles at him before walking away. Coleman comes over and the boys run after her.
At the funeral home, the director shows Jonathan the coffins. Nancy comes in to talk to Jonathan and shows him the photo. He says that he didn’t see anyone out there and Barbara just disappeared when he wasn’t looking. Nancy says that she saw a monster at Steve’s place when she went back, and then says that she shouldn’t have bothered Jonathan. Jonathan asks for a description of the monster, and what Nancy describes what Joyce said the monster looked like.
At the local bar, Jim finds O’Bannon and has a drink with him. Jim says that he’s celebrating his daughter winning the spelling bee, O’Bannon asks what her name is, and Jim says that it’s Sarah. They share a toast to her, andO’Bannon says that he saw Will’s body when he was on patrol on state property. Jim points out that the quarry is state run, and O’Bannon agrees. However, the police chief then says that he knows it’s privately owner, and asks why O’Bannon is lying. O’Bannon tells him to mind his own business and walks off, and Jim goesafter him. He beats him in the alleyway and demands to know who sent him there. O’Bannon finally says that someonetold him to call it in and keep people away from the body. Jim sees a black car start up nearby, draws his gun, and yells at it to stop. It drives off anyway, and O’Bannon runs off.
At the Byers house, Joyce turns on Will’s tape player and yells at him to talk to her.
Mike and the others go to the ham radio and she Jane tries to bring in Will again.
At the lab, Brenner tells Jane to focus on a man’s photo, listen for him, , and repeat back what he says. She agrees and concentrates. The words that the man is saying start playing on the intercom.
A crashing noise emerges from the ham radio and the lights go out.
Joyce hears a banging from behind the wall and Will calls to her.
The boys hear Will calling.
Joyce runs outside but there’s no one on the other side of the wall. She goes back in and peels the wallpaper away. There’s a fleshy red wall behind it, and Will is vaguely visible through it. He yells that it’s coming, and says that where he is is dark and empty.
The boys listen to what Will is saying.
Joyce promises her son that she’ll find him and tell him to run. He does and the breach seals itself up.
The ham radio explodes.
Joyce grabs the axe and hacks at the wall.
Mike and Lucas help a stunned Jane out and carry her out.
Joyce hacks through the wall but there’s nothing on the other side except the normal world.
As the fire alarm goes off, the boys get Jane onto a cart and wheel her out.
In the darkroom, Jonathan examines the negatives and makes a new picture as Nancy watches. He says that he’d rather watch people then talk to them, and when he takes a photo sometimes he can capture the right moment. Nancy wonders what he captured when he took her picture, and Jonathan apologizes. The picture develops and Nancy confirms that the monster in it is the same one that she saw. Jonathan realizes that his mother is right and Will is alive, which means that Barbara might be alive as well.
Jim drives to the coroner’s office and tells Patty that he forgot his hat. A state trooper is on guard and Jim tells him that O’Bannon needs to see him about some emergency. The trooper doesn’t believe him and Jim punches the man unconscious. He then enters the morgue and finds Will’s body. When he puts his hand on its chest, he realizes that something is wrong. Taking out his knife, Jim braces himself and then cuts open the skin. Inside is cotton stuffing, and Jim realizes that the “body” is a dummy.
Joyce hears Lonnie pulls up and runs outside. He sees the hole in the wall and wonders what happened, and Joyce hugs him.
Jim drives to the lab fence, takes out a pair of bolt cutters, and starts cutting.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 28, 2016