'Stranger Things 2' Recap - 'Chapter Six: The Spy'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

While we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed the surprisingly lighthearted and joyous nature that’s permeated season two of Stranger Things, deep down I think we are all fully aware of the fact that eventually, it has to end. There’s a serious threat lurking beneath Hawkins and now that everyone is aware of it, danger cannot be that far behind and as it turns out, the good times more or less come to an end in the next episode of this saga, because ‘Chapter Six: The Spy’ is one dark and harrowing episode that signals nothing but trouble for these beloved characters.
 
After all, dear Will is about as sick as they come in this episode thanks to the connection he shares with the Upside Down and unfortunately for Joyce, it’s only getting stronger, to the point where he is losing his memories thanks to whatever is slowly taking over his brain and to complicate matters further, Doctor Owens is at a loss at how to fix this mess, he only knows that if the lab boys make another burn happen, there’s a fair chance that Will come into harm’s way once again and even worse, it may kill him.
 
This was also the episode that revealed exactly how the tunnel network came to be and holy cow, that was a terrifying reveal. Because we learned that slowly but surely, the Upside Down fought to survive the repeated burns it’s suffered by pushing downward like a tree, and it was haunting to see how far down that pulsing ‘heartbeat’ extended and it was eerie to see just how vast a network of tunnels it created and well, this discovery left me wondering what other horrors were awaiting the town of Hawkins now that the severity of this mess was on display and thankfully, the story was quick to answer that question.

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​That resolution came about by way of Dustin’s storyline, wherein he and Steve (and eventually Lucas and Mad Max) set up a trap to capture the ever-growing Dart and unfortunately for all them…they quickly came to discover that Dart is not the only baby Demogorgon lurking in the darkness. There are plenty of them out there and a fine sampling of this flock of monsters found the group and made an attempt to feast upon them…that is until the most shocking moment of the night came to fruition, sparing the boys and Max from a terrible fate.
 
Because back at the lab, Will had an inspired idea. There was a place in his ‘now memories’ that the Shadow Demon was blocking him from seeing, which led Will to believe that It was hiding a weakness that could help the Hawkins Lab brass defeat this powerful being. So naturally, the lab sent out a small platoon to that place to end this madness, and sadly…they walked right into a trap. The Shadow Monster used Will to further its own awful agenda and in a terrifying homage to Aliens, the Demogorgons arrived and took out the platoon…before turning on the lab itself.
 
So, just like that, everyone at the lab is in serious, serious trouble. The monsters are coming and there may be no way to stop them and poor Will is now at the mercy of this awful creature and really, I guess the only bright side to this particular tale is the fact that Jonathan and Nancy have finally become a couple. But outside of that, this one ends on one hell of a heart pounding cliffhanger and it’s going to take quite a miracle to get anyone out of this waking nightmare alive. Until next time.  

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