When Stranger Things premiered in 2016, it wasn’t the Demogorgan we stuck around for (even though it was an original, unique-looking monster). Nor was it the story (even if it was superbly crafted). More than anything, it was the core cast of lovable nerdy D&D-playing kids (aka, The Party) that kept us coming back for each new season — along with that Stephen King/Stephen Spielberg/1980s-type vibe that came with them. Stranger Things concluded at the end of last year with the series finale, but those kids and that vibe will be returning in three weeks with 10 new episodes.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is an animated spin-off series which takes place between seasons 2 and 3 of the original series. It follows the adventures of Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Eleven, and Max as they do battle with sentient killer plants born from spores from the Upside Down. While the spin-off received mixed reactions during its first season, it does a nice job honoring the kids from the original series with voice actors that are a good match. It also has the vibe of the original show, with a young, adventurous energy to it. Plus, it was standard practice back in the 1980s to make a cartoon of the hottest property, so it’s also true to the spirit of the original in the retro regard.
Season 2 of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will return to Netflix on Sept. 17 with 10 new episodes. The logline for the second season is: “With Valentine’s Day on the way, the gang must uncover the truth behind ghostly apparitions and a swarm of strange creatures causing chaos around town.” But if you need to jog your memory on the first season before then, we’ve included a recap below.
What happened in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 season 1?
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 begins with a small creature from the Upside Down being pursued by a scientist in a hazmat suit. The scientist, whose face is hidden, incinerates it, but the dead body of the creature spreads spores into the air. When the spores plant themselves into the ground, more monsters begin to grow. And while they resemble the other creatures we’ve seen from the Upside Down, they’re much more plant-like.
The main Stranger Things kids become aware of the monsters, and when a new kid to Hawkins named Nikki (Odessa A’zion) is attacked by them, Eleven (Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) is forced to use her powers in front of Nikki. Having seen Eleven’s powers in action, and being an outcast like the Stranger Things party, Nikki is quickly welcomed into the group, where she especially bonds with Will (Ben Plessala).
With creatures back in Hawkins, the party decides to investigate. Max (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and Lucas (EJ Williams) check out the pumpkin patch from season 2 and find that the pumpkins have turned into pumpkin-monsters. They also learn that some of the pumpkins have been brought to a nearby festival. The kids rush to the festival and encounter a giant pumpkin monster, which Eleven destroys. However, every time a monster is destroyed, more spores are spread.
Throughout the season, it’s hinted that there’s a human element behind all this mayhem, and the obvious culprit is Nikki’s mom Anna (Janeane Garofalo), the plant-obsessed substitute science teacher at Hawkins Middle School. However, the scientist experimenting behind the scenes is discovered to be Anna’s boyfriend Daniel (Lou Diamond Phillips), who is revealed to have been a low-level scientist at Hawkins Lab before it was shut down. He was experimenting on a dead plant from the upside down, thus bringing to life a hive mind that controls all of these plant monsters.
Once he’s confronted by the Hawkins kids, Daniel explains that this was all just an experiment gone awry, and they all band together to stop the big monster. However, Daniel is unwilling to let his spore samples go during the final conflict, and he’s eaten by the big monster. Eleven then crushes the monster in a doorway to the Upside Down, killing it. After that, all the kids celebrate and play a game of Dungeons & Dragons. But, at the very end, it’s revealed that more spores have given birth to yet another strange plant.
What to expect from Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 season 2
That all took place during the winter break from school, and since season 2 will be taking place around Valentine’s Day, it’ll likely be about two months after the previous season. Because this show takes place in between seasons 2 and 3 of the original series, the number of seasons the show can have seems to be finite. That, combined with show’s lukewarm response, may mean season 2 is the final season of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, though there’s no way to know that until September 17.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will arrive on Netflix on September 17.