In the control room, Owens assures Jim that the glass is polycarbonite and the demo-dog can't get through. When it fails, other demo-dogs climb up and they all start pounding on the glass. Owens signals the alarm, and Mike realizes that they're too late. He tells Joyce and Bob that they're under attack.
The control room technicians get out as the demo-dogs break through the window. Owens leads Jim up the staircase, while the techs take the elevator and the demo-dogs advance on them.
Mike says that they have to sedate Will so the Shadow Monster creature can't tell what they're doing. Will screams hysterically that Mike is lying.
The MPs get to the elevator and find the demo-dogs eating the dead techs. Meanwhile, Joyce asks Will if he knows who she is. After a moment, he says that she's Mom, and Joyce injects the sedative. Jim and Owens arrive as the demo-dogs start pounding through the door behind them. They grab Will and leave, but are forced to duck into a room when the demo-dogs close in. On the monitors, the demo-dogs roam through Hawkins Labs and the power goes out in the complex.
Neil and Susan Hargrove arrive home and Susan calls to Max. When she gets no daughter, she checks her daughter's room and discovers that she's gone.
Billy is getting ready for a night out when Susan knocks on the door. When he says that he's busy, Neil yells at him to open the door. Billy does so and Neil asks what's going on. They say that Max is gone and her window is open, and Billy says that he doesn't know. Neil points out that Billy was supposed to watch them, and Billy says that they were late and he has a date. When he says that Max isn't his sister, Neil slams him against the wall and reminds Billy that they talked about respect and responsibility. He tells Billy to apologize to Susan, and Billy does so. Neil tells her that Billy is going to make up for it by cancelling his date and finding Max. Billy finally says that he'll do it, and Neil makes him say it louder.
Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Steve walk back to town and Dustin insists that Dart was one of the demo-dogs. He figures that once Dart molts again, he'll be full sized. Dustin blurts out that Dart ate Mewsy, and Lucas tells him that he broke the rules. His friend says that he broke the rules by telling Max, while Steve sees something and heads south. Lucas and Dustin go after him, and after a moment Max follows them. They spot the lab with the power out.
Owens works out the nearest exit on the floorplans, but warns that the locks won't work when the power goes out. Someone has to reset the breakers to turn the power back on, and the breakers are three floors down. Bob tells him that he doesn't know how to operate the computer, and says that he's got it. Joyce tells him not to go, but Bob says that it will be okay.
Jim and Bob grab a walkie-talkie from a dead MP and Jim shows him how to fire the MP's gun. Bob tells Jim to get himself and the others out as soon as the door open.
Jonathan and Nancy drive up to the gate and realize the facility is shut down. Nancy spots Steve and the others, and they hear the demo-dogs roaring inside the building.
Bob gets to the breaker room and finds two dead techs. He steps over their bodies and throws the switches turning on the main power.
The group outside sees the power but the gate doesn't open.
Owens calls Bob, who uses the computer to unlock the doors. The outdoor gate opens and as Bob heads for the stairwell, Owens sees a demo-dog on the monitors. Bob turns on the sprinkler system, driving the demo-back. He then heads back to the others... forgetting his gun.
As Jim prepares to leave with the unconscious Will, Owens gives him a walkie-talkie and tells him that he'll warn him of any surprises. Jim, Mike, and Joyce get to the door and Joyce waits for Bob. Meanwhile, Owens guides Bob through the hallways, but tells him to stop when he sees a demo-dog around the corner. He directs Bob into a nearby closet and Bob gets in. The demo-dog moves on after a minute, and Owens tells Bob that he has a clear shot to the front door.
Bob braces himself and goes out into the hallway, but knocks over a broom. The demo-dog hears the noise and comes back, and Owens yells at Bob to run. Bob runs to the front door and gets to the lobby, slamming the doors shut as the demo-dog slams into them. As Joyce calls to him, the demo-dog breaks through, leaps on Bob, and guts him. Jim runs back and opens fire on it, and more demo-dogs arrive. As the first demo-dog rips out Bob's throat, Jim grabs Joyce and drags her outside. Jonathan and Nancy pull up and yell at the group to get in.
Once Jim gets hid truck, they drive to the gate, pick up the others, and drive off.
The demo-dogs feed on Bob's body.
The group goes to the Byers house. Jonathan apologizes to the unconscious Will, saying that he should have been there. Meanwhile, Jim calls the government and tries to get hold of someone who knows about Hawkins Labs. Once he hangs up, Jim tells the others that they wait there for help. He goes into Will's room where Joyce is sitting, and sits on the floor as she cries.
Mike looks at the phone and then Bob's brain-teaser games that he left off for Will earlier. He tells the others that Bob was the original founder of AV, and Clarke learned everything from him. Mike says that they can't let Bob die for nothing, and figures that the demo-dogs are the Shadow Monster's army. If they stop it then they stop the demo-dogs. Mike figures that the entire thing is a hive mind, and the Shadow Monster is the brain. Dustin realizes that it's like a Mind Flayer in Dungeons & Dragons, and insists that it's the best analogy they have. He figures that the Shadow Monster wants to spread and conquer other dimensions, but Jim thinks it all nonsense. They tell him that the military won't be able to do anything, and eventually the tunnels will reach Hawkins.
Joyce comes out and says that they have to kill it, and she wants to kill it. Mike figures that if anyone can know the Mind Flayer's weakness, it's Will. And the Mind Flayer can't spy through him if Will doesn't know where he is.
The group takes Will out to a shed that they've emptied out and covered the window. As Nancy and Steve work, Nancy tells Steve that what he did to help the kids was cool. As Dustin and Lucas go through the garbage, Dustin apologizes to Lucas and says that he understands if Lucas wants his girlfriend Max to take his place. Lucas insists that she's not his girlfriend, but Dustin says that he could feel the electricity and walks off.
As Mike and Max get ammonia from under the sink, she says that she understands about El. Mike tells her that just because she knows the story doesn't mean that she's a party member. When Max says that El was awesome, Mike says that she was until the Mind Flayer took her just like it took Bob.
As Joyce and Jonathan get drying lines, Joyce insists that Will is still inside and it will work.
Once the shed is ready, Jonathan puts Will inside and they tie him to a chair. As Mike, Jonathan, and Joyce look on, Jim uses ammonia to wake Will up.
In the house, the others wait. Max asks Lucas if the Mind Flayer will send the demo-dogs after them if it finds out where they are. Lucas insists that it won't, but admits that it will be judgment day.
The Mind Flayer is unable to see anything with the lights in Will's face, and he asks what's going on. Joyce tells him that they're not going to hurt him, and Jim shows him the sketch of the Mind Flayer. Will angrily demands to know why they're tied up, and the lights flicker in the shed and in the house. He finally tires out and the lights steady, and Joyce reminds him of his birthday. She describes his eighth birthday and how Will drew a "rainbow ship". Jonathan talks about the day their father left and how they built Will's clubhouse. Crying, Mike describes the first day that they met in kindergarten when they were both alone and Will said that he'd be his friend.
Joyce asks the real Will to talk to them, and the Mind Flayer tells them to let Will go. Jim notices that Will's fingers are tapping and takes everyone outside. He works out that Will is using Morse code to talk to them without the Mind Flayer knowing. Jonathan goes back to the shed and plays Will's music, and uses a walkie-talkie to secretly send Will's tapping to the others. Mike and Joyce continue reminding Will of his life, while the others realize that Will is spelling out the message "Close Gate".
The phone rings and Will hears it. Dustin hangs it up, but it rings again and Nancy rips the phone out of the wall. Meanwhile, Will closes his eyes and concentrates, and Jim realizes that the Mind Flayer knows where it is. They knock Will out, but hear the demo-dogs roaring in the distance and getting closer. They take Will inside and Jim gives Nancy his shotgun. The group prepares to fight off the demo-dogs, and they hear the creatures outside. A demo-dog smashes in through the window and collapses to the floor. Jim confirms that it's dead, and the lock on the front door opens and the bolt slides free. The door opens and El walks in, wearing her clothes and makeup from Chicago. She sees Mike and smiles, and he smiles back.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 7, 2017