SUMMARY: Ten-year-old Will Byers has gone missing while a monster terrorizes his small Indiana town. His D&D playing friends are worried, while his mother, Joyce, and Sheriff Hopper are no help. Meanwhile, in the alternate dimension of the upside-down - an inverse version of the astral plane - Will meets Dr. Stephen Strange, who offers to teach the child the mystic arts...

Photos by Aaron Francis

SUMMARY: The kids panic when Sheriff Hopper questions them about Will; when Hopper can't make heads or tails of their rambling about D&D, he resolves to find Will himself. Joyce panics when Jonathan leaves for school, fearful he'll vanish as well. Nancy flirts with Steve, much to Barb's disapproval. As the kids decide to set off to find Will on their own, Doctor Strange takes Will to his Sanctum Sanctorum, where his valet, Wong, tells him that his ex-pupil has vanished. As the kids search the woods, they worry that they might vanish just like Will... and then they meet Eleven.

Photos by Shaela Cook

SUMMARY: The boys hide Eleven in their basement, while Nancy and Barb decide to attend Steve's party, though Barb is reluctant until she's told to think of attending the kegger as a sociological experiment. Meanwhile, Dr. Strange has transported Will to Nepal, where they and Wong meet with Baron Mordo, and make plans to fight the demons of the astral plane / upside-down; a reluctant Will is to be trained to hone his newfound powers. Back at the party, Barb goes to sit by the pool when she suddenly finds herself drawn into the upside-down. A creature attacks... but is fended off by a quartet of kick-ass women – Betsy, Wanda, Illyana and Clea – who save Barb's life and invite her to join them.

Photos by Aaron Francis

SUMMARY: Barb learns that she's in a "pocket dimension" - yet another term for the astral plane or the upside-down - and asks to learn how to wield magic. Will's friends prepare to go out in search of Will and hunt the Demigorgon, and are stunned to learn that Eleven has telekinetic powers. Joyce puts up flyers all around town in hopes of finding the missing Will; when she returns home, she sees the horrifying sight of something pushing through the wall... but it's actually Will... who is still with Dr. Strange in Nepal, and had astrally projected himself home just by daydreaming about being there. Though Will's powers are great, Will's primary concern is returning to his friends and resuming his job as Dungeon Master. We also learn that Eleven was one of Dr. Strange's pupils. And Dr. Strange's trusted friend Baron Mordo turns out to be in league with the evil Umar, who is the one who has summoned the monsters that have been attacking people.

Photos by Aaron Francis

SUMMARY: Joyce realizes that she can communicate with Will via blinking Christmas lights, though Jonathan doesn't believe her, and sets off to see if Will is at his father's house. Meanwhile, Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven see Will's body being retrieved by police from the quarry; grief-stricken, Mike accuses Eleven of lying to him. Meanwhile, Joyce has made a more elaborate rig of Christmas lights arranged under the letters of the alphabet painted on her wall so to facilitate better communication beyond yes/no questions. Before she can put it to the test, Hopper stops by and informs her that Will's body has been found. As she sinks to the floor in grief, Will, watching from the Astral plane, is given encouragement by Doctor Strange. Though it's a mighty effort, Will is able to make the lights flash, though Joyce isn't watching at first. Eventually, she turns around and learns that Will is indeed alive and in the astral plane, but can't come home just yet...

Photos by Maral Adams

SUMMARY: Jonathan doesn't believe Joyce that Will is "in" the Christmas lights. Dustin and Lucas worry about how mad Mike is at them, and go looking for him. Sheriff Hopper is distressed (and really annoyed) to learn from Nancy that Barb has gone missing - the second disappearance in just a few days, and the fourth ever disappearance in the entire history of their town. In the Upside-Down, Barb is thrilled to have met her super-powered mutant badass friends, who have been killing Gormogon monsters before they can break through into the real world. But back in the real world, one Gormogon does get through... and drags Jonathan away.

Photos by Jenelle Riley

SUMMARY: Sheriff Hopper is shocked to find that Will's body in the morgue is stuffed with cotton - it's a fake. While Mike helps Eleven disguise herself in a wig and pretty clothes, Nancy teams up with Dustin and Lucas to figure out why Will, Barb and Jonathan have all vanished. In the astral plane, Wanda and Illyana teach Barb how to do magic and vanquish monsters. Elsewhere, Umar is frustrated that the multiple disappearances have not yet properly attracted Doctor Strange's attention; over Baron Mordo's objections, Umar threatens to summon her brother, the dread Dormammu, if the Baron can't get the job done. Meanwhile, Hopper relays the news to Joyce that Will is alive; he is stunned to find that Joyce already knows, and befuddled to learn that Will is communicating with her by magic. As Hopper struggles with this information, Wong arrives, promising answers - and wondering why their little town of Hawkins, Indiana is so special.

Photos by Jenelle Riley