Lots of fun to be had as we reconnect with old characters, but this is very much a setup episode just putting things in place and letting us know what the new status quo is. There's some intriguing new pieces of information and certainly questions, such as what the new scientists are doing with the gateway and what Will is seeing when he gets glimpses of the Upside Down - that's a huuuuge monster! The major question is of course that ending with Hopper and his guest, and what's he up to? I'd guess it's related to the unknown deal he made at the end of season 1. The opening car chase was both exciting and distracting in how displaced it felt from the story we're here for. Seems like there's others out there with powers similar to Eleven and they are not using them for good. As an introduction, they don't particularly seem like a bunch of people I'm very eager to know. I used to play Dragon's Lair! The boys being obsessed with new classmate Max was really funny - she's going to be difficult to get along with by the looks of things. Happy to see that Joyce has found a boyfriend in Samwise Gamgee! What's the betting that there will be more to him than meets the eye? The scene with Barb's parents was heartbreaking, and there's no way that Nancy can reveal what she knows about her fate.

Seeing Paul Reiser for the first time since Mad About You was quite a surprise. If it hadn't been for the voice, I'd never have clued in.

I knew Eleven hadn't died. I'm glad. He's had a strong start to the season. Will seems to have some powers too, or maybe he's become something like a zombie kid. I wonder what awaits him in the upcoming episodes. Enjoy the show.