02x08 - Chapter Eight: Count to Five

[bunniefuu]

[ominous music playing]

[screeching]

Why would you even think that?
SH could be anyone's initials.

Oh, so Madam Ortiz says you have a passion
for an SH that isn't Steve Harrington?

[banging]

Wait. What the…?

That isn't who?

Are you even listening to me?

Bradley?

I'm listening. I'm listening. Geez.

Just thought I saw…

Jeanie?

[Jeanie screaming]

[screaming]

[Jeanie] Help! Help!

[screaming]

[synth theme music playing]

[music fades out]

[energy crackling]

Please don't let that be
what I think it is.

It's exactly what you think it is.

[energy pulsing]

Where's Mike?

[sobbing softly] Gone.

What?

Yeah, that thing just grabbed Mike
and, like, ran off with him.

So we gotta assume Wheeler's…

No! He's still alive, Charlie.
He's gotta be. We just have to find him.

Why is Daniel doing all of this?

He's desperate.

He's scaring people to death
to power open this gate.

He's gotta be trying to get his real body
out of the Upside Down.

So how long before the gate opens?

No way to tell.

Maybe there is.

Jumpy needle means
the gate's still forming,

but when it's built,
this needle will point straight at it.

And that's when hell breaks loose.

Demogorgons, Demodogs, The Mind Flayer.

[whimpering] No!

[grunting loudly]

No!

It's just too strong.

I'm sorry. We just…
We can't stop the gate like that.

Not while Daniel's got all of his sprites
and stupid flowers feeding it energy.

Then that's game over, okay?
This thing is way too powerful.

[energy pulsing]

No! Listen up, H.I.C.

I wasn't kidding when I said
we were Hawkins' first line of defense.

We're the only chance
this town and Mike have.

It's up to us to find a way.

We can't close the gate
while Daniel's feeding it energy, right?

Why don't we cut off his supply?

Right. We could split up.

One group takes out the sprites.
The other knocks out the flowers.

But that still leaves Wood Monster Daniel.

And Mike.

Leave Daniel to me.

You really think this is gonna work?
Scale of one to ten.

Ten million!

You saw that mist stuff
when you hit these things with rocks?

Hate Sprites love it.

Yeah, it's like some kind
of dusty love potion pheromone.

[citizens screaming]

[horn honking]

["Let's Ride" by Sabre playing]

Love potion, huh?

Then…

-Happy Valentine's Day, you freaks!
-[Nikki] Yeah!

[Dustin] That did it! Go, go, go!

[Max] Come on! Looks like we're all clear.

Man, these flowers are everywhere.

So we better get a move on.

[Dustin] Come on, you pixie jerks!

Whatever you do, Charlie, don't slow down!

[Charlie] I wasn't planning on it!

Okay, you guys know the rest of the plan.

See you at Mount Doom!

[Charlie] Why can't you idiots
use normal names for anything?

[growling]

[Golem] It…

is…

working.

Give me Mike.

You.

[Eleven screaming]

[roaring]

Got you.

[screaming]

[siren wailing]

West Hawkins, check.

North Hawkins, check. But…

We're running out of time.

Aw!

Dang it! Out of gas.

That's why we're a tag team, Sinclair.

Come on. We got this.

[growling]

Payback.

-[intriguing music playing]
-[Nikki] How much further?

I think it's just through here.

[both grunting]

Ow!

[screaming]

Mike!

-Did you forget?
-[screaming]

-Help!
-Mike!

You can't stop me!

[straining]

No! He's using our fear against us.

Ah!

I must survive!

No matter who I have to k*ll to do it.

[growling]

[roaring]

Get away!

Over here! Come get it!

Will!

[intense music playing]

Hey, Zombie Boy!

Dude, you really thought
you could outrun those things?

No.

[laughs]

[grunts painfully]

Fancy meeting you here, Dandridge.

There it is! Mount Doom!

[flowers screeching softly]

[Lucas] The gate's almost open.

Okay, this should be the last of them.
Come on.

[dirt bikes approaching]

Huh?

Max!

Oh man.

What do you think you're doing, Sinclair?
Burning up our place?

This ends now.

And so do you!

[Pauly laughing]

-Yeah! Yeah!
-Yeah! Yeah!

[Pauly whooping and laughing]

That's a lot of flowers.

If we pull this off,
these'll all go kablooey, too.

[Nikki] Mine cart ahead! Look out!

Dustin!

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Watch out! Watch out!

[Dustin groaning]

I think I just broke
every single bone in my body.

Gramps?

Samuel Hawkins.

No time for family reunions, Charlie.
We gotta go.

[straining] Oh, crud.

Incoming!

[ominous music playing]

[roaring]

I do not know if you can hear me.

But Daniel is using you, Mike,
using your fear to open the gate.

Jeff, listen,
this has nothing to do with you.

It has everything to do with me.

I cut you a break before, Sinclair,

and you used it
to turn Charlie against me.

And now you're setting fire to my bridge?

-Max! The flowers!
-Right!

[Pauly] Whoo! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

[Pauly] We're coming for you!

Hurry, hurry! Come on!

Sorry, Gramps.

What are you doing? Charlie?

Charlie?

Charlie!

How's that for--

Not sure how long
I can play whack-a-mole here.

[Dustin straining]

Give me a break!

Dustin!

-What?
-Get on!

Back seat, Henderson!

[intense music playing]

[Nikki] Whoa!

-You made it.
-You doubted us?

Hey, can we drop the cargo now?

[Dustin] Bombs away!
Eat that, you sprites!

It worked! It worked!

[screaming]

You dorks mess with my bike,
this is how you pay!

Let me go!

[groaning]

[Courtney] Pauly!

You think you're tough? Take this!

You just trapped yourself, genius!

[Courtney] I'm coming for you.

[Courtney grunting painfully]

[growling]

Mike, I was not listening to you before,

but I am listening now.

I cannot defend you right now,
but I know you can defend yourself.

You are strong and brave.

And I believe in you.

[screams]

[whimpering]

[crackling]

[grunting]

The gate!

It's open.

[foreboding music playing]

At… last!

The exit!

[tense music playing]

Uh, Dustin?

Go, go, go, go, go!

Let's hope Mr. M was right
about the natural gas.

Shouldn't we get out out first?

We gotta cut it as close as possible.

-Nikki?
-On it!

No! No, no, no, no, no!

Nowhere to run, Red.

[tense music continues]

Jeff, stop! Jeff! Come on, man!

Whoa!

Wee-ooh! [laughing]

[screaming]

No more interfering!

Mike! Please, you have to fight!

[echoing] Mike!

[Nancy] Here's the trick. I close my eyes.

-[heartbeat thumping]
-I count to five.

One…

two…

three…

four…

[heartbeat continues]

…five.

[Nancy] By the time I breathe out…

[exhaling softly]

…all that fear seeps away, too,

and I get that power back.

[heartbeat stops]

[straining]

-[gasps]
-[Mike straining]

El! El!

-El!
-[roaring]

Huh!

How's this for a Dandridge curse?

Are you crazy?

You're one to talk, Henderson!

[all screaming]

[Charlie] Yeah!

[all cheering]

[grunting]

[moaning]

No!

Mike!

Ah!

No!

-[gas trickling]
-[groaning]

[gasping]

Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Oh, crap.

Come on!

Lucas!

[Lucas] Run, Max. Run!

Ah!

[groaning]

What?

No!

What is happening?

My friends.

[laughing]

You did it, Mike.

You did it.

Lucas!

Lucas! [sobbing]

[uplifting music playing]

-[grunts] Ow.
-[Max laughs]

Did you miss me or something?

Stupid.

The flowers!

[groaning]

No! No!

No!

No! No!

-[moaning]
-[wood creaking]

I…

will…

k*ll…

you.

[straining]

[Dustin on walkie-talkie] El? Mike?
You guys alive over there?

[Mike] Alive! We're good, Dustin.
It's over.

[warm music playing]

[Nikki] Ow! Ugh!

That's gonna leave a scar.

I hope that's not infected.

Hence the hydrogen peroxide.

Let's just hope
it disinfects golem gouges.

So this is it, huh?
I can't change your mind?

I mean, unless you can win the lottery.
It's been…

It's been unreal, Zombie Boy.
And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Nikki, Nikki, Nikki, and Will.
I have got some news for you.

Okay, remember you said
we should think "outside the box"?

Well, your mom here thought
right out of the box

and right into Hawkins High School.

What does that mean?

Okay, they were looking
for a biology teacher.

I applied and bingo, bango, bongo.
They just called. I got it. I got it.

This is full-time.
This is a raise. This is--

What? This is so awesome!
Mom, we can stay?

Oh, it is awesome. Indeed.
Come here. Come here.

Will, get in here too.

["Tenderness" by General Public playing]

…four, five.

El, I… I've got a question
I've been afraid to ask you.

What?

Um, will you…

[muttering] Oh man, this is weird.

Um… be my girlfriend?

Yes, Mike. Of course, yes.

Yes? Yes!

Oh! Oh!

I've… I've been trying so long
to find the right way to ask you that.

Well, sometimes words are enough.

[both giggle]

-[Lucas] Hey, guys.
-So you saw the match?

I did. I did. I saw the whole thing.
Lucas got me a tape of it.

Hey, where's Nikki?

On her way. She had to help her mom with--

Shh. Guys, look, it's on!

[Lucas on TV] The heart of Hawkins
has always been its people.

But some of those people
have been harboring secrets.

[all cheering]

That was a clip
from a school video project

made by four local kids

who uncovered a tragic secret
in Hawkins history.

Challenging conventional wisdom
about Samuel Hawkins,

whose famed signet ring was found
at the m*rder scene…

-This is great.
-…of the maligned Bloodaxe Bill Dandridge.

We spoke to members
of the Dandridge family

who were thrilled
to have their ancestor's name cleared.

Take it in, you guys,
because we're celebrities. Next up, MTV.

I don't need to be famous.
Just needed to pass history.

I'm honestly surprised you made the news.

All they've been covering
is that weird firefly infestation.

Yeah, that was weird.

Yeah. Inexplicable.

-Yeah, whatever.
-[glass shatters]

Hey, you're gonna have to pay for that,
like with money.

Okay, guys, now back to business.

So we've handled the paranormal,

but we've yet to investigate
werewolves, vampires.

Werewolves are real?

-No.
-Yes.

[synth theme music playing]