Joyce, Jim, Mike, and Bob accompany Will to Hawkins Labs. The government agents then put Jim through decontamination. The doctors check Will for burns but don't find anything, and they sedate him.
Steve and Dustin drive through the night, and Steve describes Dart and how he ate Mewsy. They arrive at the Henderson house and Steve gets his bat out of the trunk. They go to the root cellar and Steve taps on the door, but they don't hear anything. Dustin insists that it's not a prank, and they unlock the door. Steve goes down turns on the light, and finds shedded skin on the floor. He calls Dustin down and shows him what he found, and they discover that Dart has ripped a whole in the wall and tunneled out.
At the Byers' house, the agents take photos of Will's drawings. Meanwhile, Joyce tells Owens and his staff what happened, and reminds Owens that he told her that it was all in Will's head. She wants Will transferred to a real hospital, and asks if anyone can tell her what's wrong with Will.
Murray, Nancy, and Jonathan make copies of the tape and send them out to the national newspapers. The ex-reporter tells them that their parents would be proud of what they were doing and says that they can take his guest room. They agree but Jonathan asks to use the couch, and they insist that they're just friends. Murray doesn't believe them and figures that they have shared trauma. He points out that Nancy likes Steve but doesn't love him, and when she denies it Murray calls her on her second lie. Murray goes to bed and advises them to cut the bullshit and share the bed.
Jonathan and Nancy sleep separately and mutter to themselves about how Murray is wrong. They go to each other and they agree that Murray is a drunk and doesn't have them figured out. Nancy says goodnight and they go back to their separate beds. However, Nancy finally goes out and finds Jonathan at her door. He kisses her and after a moment, she kisses him back and they go to her bed.
The next morning, Erica is playing with Lucas' action figure and hers when Lucas comes in to get his figure. He tells Erica to stay out of his room, and she mentions that Dustin called. Lucas radios Dustin, who is unloading meat and gasoline from Steve's trunk. Dustin tells Lucas that Dart grew again and he's a baby Demogorgon, and that Lucas should meet them at the junkyard.
Owens tells Jim that he's safe, and gives him a hazmat suit. He takes Jim into the rift chamber and down into the bowels of the earth. Agents are setting up equipment at the bottom, and Owens explains that the Upside Down has spread beneath Hawkins like a cancer. They can't burn it because there's a complication.
As Will and Mike sleep, Joyce tells Bob that the government made her sign confidentiality documents and will make him do the same. She notices that Bob is jittering, and he assures her that he's fine. Joyce assures him that his idea of moving to town isn't crazy. Will wakes up and doesn't remember Bob.
The next morning, Murray makes breakfast for everyone. He realizes that Jonathan and Nancy slept together, and asks Jonathan how the pullout was. Nancy then calls Karen and says that she'll be home soon after she stayed over with her friends. Jonathan figures that Mike and Will are at the matinee and that's why no one is answering. As they leave, Murray offers them bottles of vodka and soda water. Nancy thanks him for everything, and Murray tells them not to reach him again.
Lucas rides to Max's house and rings the bell. She finally answers the door and when she sees Lucas, shuts the door before Billy sees him. Lucas says that he has proof that what he told her was true but they have to hurry. Meanwhile, Billy notices that Max has closed the front door and goes over to check it out. She comes in and Billy asks who she was talking to. Max claims she was talking to Mormons and pushes past him. When Billy looks out, there's no sign of Lucas.
Max goes to her bedroom and climbs out the window to where Lucas is waiting for her. They ride off on his bike.
Owens checks Will's memory, and Will doesn't remember him. He remembers Mike but not Jim, or helping save Jim. Will does remember that the soldiers hurt him when they burned the vines, and says that it upset the shadow creature. A tech brings in a piece of the black vine and burns it, and Will feels a stinging in his chest. The more heat the tech applies, the more pain Will feels. Owens finally stops the tech, and outside tells Joyce and Jim that it's a virus that is causing a neurological disorder. he explains that Will and the shadow creature are communicating, and figures that the virus can be cured. Joyce wonders what happens when Will can't remember anything, and Owens doesn't have an answer for her.
Steve and Dustin walk down the railroad leaving a trail of meat, and Steve tells Dustin that he's trying too hard. He says that the key is to act disinterested and wait until he can feel the sexual electricity. Steve says that Nancy is different from the other girls, and Dustin says that the girl he's trying to impress is special, too. As they continue on, Steve gives Dustin advice on treating his hair and swears him to secrecy. They continue on... past the rotting trees that Jim marked earlier.
Jim radios El but gets no response, and finally makes voice contact. He says that he's been gone too long but it's not about their fight. Jim apologizes for everything and says that he doesn't want to leave her, and he'll be home soon.
Owens and his team look at MRIs of Will's brain. They show that there are new abnormalities and they're growing. The team warns that they can't delay the burn and it's their only option. If it kills Will then it kills him. The neurologist warns that if it continues spreading then Will will die by the end of the day. Angry, Owens walks to his office to think.
Joyce and Bob sit with Will, and Joyce finally walks out. The MPs stop her as she goes to Owens, and Bob goes with her. Will watches them and remembers the soldiers burning the vines. Mike gets his attention and Will tells him that he thinks that he knows how to stop the shadow creature.
Steve and Dustin reach the junkyard and Steve figures that it will do just fine, just like Dustin said. Lucas and Max arrive, and Steve realizes that Max is the girl Dustin is trying to impress. Dustin talks to Lucas privately and complains that Lucas told Max about Dart. He says that he's with Steve because he can't reach Mike, Will, or Jim. Lucas points out that Max didn't believe him, and asks if they're good. Before they can shake, Steve tells him to start helping.
Nancy and Jonathan drive to the Byers house and find no one there. The drawings are still up, and Jonathan finds Will's sketch and an empty Polaroid case. He figures that someone else has been there.
Will lays the photos of the vines in the map pattern, and points to a spot. He says that the shadow creature doesn't want him to see there, and figures that it's important. The soldiers suit up.
Dustin and others pull out scrap to reinforce a school bus and roll up barrels.
Owens and Jim watch as the soldiers head down into the tunnels.
Steve leaves a trail of gasoline from their trap to the bus where they're going to hide.
The soldiers turn on their suit cameras and the tech directs them via Will's map.
As night falls, Dustin and the others enter the bus and close the doors. Lucas climbs up on the roof and watches for Dart. Meanwhile, Max wonders if they fought a bear and Dustin tells her to go home if she doesn't believe them. She goes up to Lucas, and Steve tells Dustin to show Max that he doesn't care. Dustin insists that he doesn't.
On the bus roof, Max says that the fog on the ground is like the ocean. Lucas asks if she misses the waves in California, and figures that Hawkins is lame in comparison. She says that her father is there because he divorced her mother, and her mother and stepfather wanted a fresh start like the father was a problem. Max tells Lucas that things are worse, and her stepbrother Billy is angry all the time and takes it out on her. She says that she doesn't want to be like Billy, and apologizes for how she's been acting toward Lucas. Lucas assures her that she's cool and different and super smart. They agree that they like talking with each other, just as Dart roars.
Lucas spots Dart approaching and points it out to the others. Dart doesn't head for the pile of meat they laid as a trap, and Steve tosses Dustin his lighter and tells him to get ready. He grabs his bat and goes out, whistling to Dart to come at him. A dog-sized Dart comes out of the fog and Lucas spots more "demo-dogs" coming after him. Dustin yells at Steve to abort, and he knocks the demo-dogs off of him as they charge at him. He jumps into the bus and they call the doors, and the demo-dogs try to break through the shielding. Meanwhile, Dustin calls on the radio for help.
Max sees a demo-dog up the ladder, and Steve runs over to drive it off. However, the demo-dog after a moment. Lucas and Max hold hands, and quickly let go when they realize what they're doing. Steve looks out and figures that they're going somewhere.
The soldiers continue through the tunnels and reach the bone chamber. Jim recognizes it on the monitors, and they hear the demo-dogs roaring over the speakers. Fog pours into the chamber as the soldiers turn to face the roaring.
Will tells Joyce and the others that the shadow creature made him do it. He says that they shouldn't have upset the shadow creature. Will runs to the control room, yelling that it's a trap.
Dozens of demo-dogs enter the chamber and attack the soldiers.
Will tells Joyce that it's too late to do anything.
The cameras go out as the soldiers drop.
Will tells Joyce that she should go.
Jim hears screams down the shaft.
Will tells Joyce that they're almost there.
A demo-dog emerges into the chamber outside the control room.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 6, 2017