Stranger Things: Tales from '85 (2026) s01e10 Episode Script

1
[ominous music playing]
[Mike] Dustin! Anyone! Come in!
Mrs. Baxter is not behind it all! Dustin!
Does someone wanna tell me
what in the world is going on here?
How in Newton's name
did you stumble into my lab?
Your lab?
Of course. How could I be so stupid?
You're Horde Prime, not Mrs. Baxter.
Horde what?
[stammering] What are you kids
even doing down here?
We found your stash of tapes.
We know all about
your horrible experiments.
My tapes? But those were…
You broke into my house?
What made you think
you had any right to dig through my work?
Your work?
Come on, Dan.
There's no way you did all this
without stealing from Mrs. Baxter.
Perhaps. But I'm the one
who brought my experiment back to life.
I will not let anyone else
dilute that credit.
Your experiment that's killing people?
What? That's preposterous.
I have a viable specimen, yes,
but it's far from dangerous.
It's remarkable.
I have regenerated life.
And this serum is the proof.
The potential
for what I have created here…
Daniel, put that stuff away.
…is nothing less than earth-shattering.
[creature roaring]
Ah! Ah!
[Lucas] What's going on?
[all screaming]
[Dan] Gotcha!
[relieved sigh]
I'm not dead.
[Dan groaning]
Hopefully, your friends can say the same.
[echoing] …same, same, same.
[synth theme music playing]
[theme music ends]
[Eleven screaming]
[intense music playing]
Plants from another dimension?
How is any of this credible?
"How"?
You just saw a vine drag El
into the sewer.
What more proof do you need?
[Mrs. Baxter] I sympathize. I do.
But I don't comprehend
how you believe we can save her.
I got something at the garage
that might help.
Step on it, Mom!
[Mrs. Baxter] The pedal
is touching the floor, Nikki!
[Dustin] Max! Lucas! Will!
How? How did this happen?
Your plant Queen.
It's gotten a lot bigger than we realized.
But I had her contained. It's impossible.
Unless…
She must've been growing this whole time,
burrowing right beneath my feet.
I told you not to wave around that vial.
The Queen's addicted to that stuff.
Okay.
Let's see what we can recover.
Whoa! Whoa-oa!
Hello? Lucas? Max? Anyone?
I had no idea any of this was down here.
How are we supposed to find anything?
We should split up to search.
More efficient.
Hello?
You guys!
I swear, you better be alive,
or I'm gonna kill you.
Mm! Mm! Mm!
[whispering] Be quiet.
[booming in distance]
Listen.
-[booming continues]
-[haunting grunts]
[gasping]
Hmm.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
[Will] Daniel?
Oh, hey, kid. Uh, I didn't see you there.
-You okay?
-[creature growling]
[booming footsteps approaching]
[growling]
[straining]
Oh no.
Daniel.
[screeching softly]
-[gasping]
-[roaring]
Daniel!
Don't leave me!
[screaming]
No, no, no!
We got you!
Hold still!
[creature screeching]
Go, go, go, go!
[Lucas] Look out!
Hey, H.I.C., duck!
-[weapon powering down]
-Nikki, you really saved our butts.
-That was awesome!
-[Lucas] Yeah!
You got your light blaster to work.
Yeah, but it wasn't easy, dude.
Each shot uses up,
like, a whole motorcycle battery.
And since I didn't have
a ton of those lying around…
Every shot counts.
And you brought your mom?
Yeah. She's my assistant.
That thing has El.
We have to find her. Come on.
Okay, wait.
Nikki is the only one with a weapon here.
Not anymore.
I don't--
No, I can't believe all this.
Which part?
All of the above. The creature, Daniel.
Daniel.
El, where are you?
We're going to find her, Mike.
We can't play D&D without our mage, right?
[terrified scream in distance]
Was that Daniel?
[creature screeching]
[Dustin] I didn't miss that sound.
Oh man! No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Guys, we got some nasties coming our way.
What are they doing?
[Will screaming]
-[screeching]
-It has Dustin!
Dustin!
Get to that outcropping!
[Max] Go, go, go!
[booming footsteps]
[growling]
Guys, I think I can get a shot
at Her Royal Nastiness.
Eat science.
Nikki!
[screeching]
No, no, no! [grunting]
Daniel?
-Anna!
-[deep growling]
[roaring]
Hey! You want this? Huh?
Yeah. Yeah, you want to feed, right?
Yeah? Yeah?
So, well, well… Here! Go get it!
How could you, Daniel? You monster!
Nikki, watch out!
No, no, no, no! Nikki, no!
[roaring]
-Whoa! Uh!
-[glass shattering]
Friends help friends.
-[Lucas] Oh, yeah!
-Yeah!
-[Mike] Go, Eleven!
-I really like that girl.
El!
I was scared I'd never see you again.
I… I…
I know.
Please. Please no.
No. No, no! No!
No, no! No! No!
[screaming]
[crunching]
[roaring]
It's opening a gate to the Upside Down.
I have to stop it.
We have to stop it.
Together.
[roaring]
[haunting grunts]
Regroup first! We're not stopping anything
without a plan!
Why does it wanna get to the Upside Down?
[Mrs. Baxter] Many creatures,
I guess even from other dimensions,
return to the place of their birth
once they've matured
and believe they can flourish.
"Flourish"? You're telling me
she'll get even bigger than that?
If she can open one gate,
then she can open many gates.
We'd never be able to close them all.
It'd be a free-for-all
for any creature from the Upside Down.
Like the Mind Flayer.
El, what do you think?
What do you wanna do?
This has to end now.
But what about Nikki's light weapon?
Busted.
But you make all your best gear
bashing broken pieces together.
-Can you buy me some time?
-Yeah.
Mike, you and El should try
to stop the Queen.
Get her away from that gate.
It could shut it down.
She's still got creatures all around her.
Me, Max, and Dustin can keep them busy.
Dustin's a great distraction.
Wait. Was that a burn?
I'll stand guard.
I didn't know
Swamp Thing's ugly cousins were in town.
-[screeching]
-Ah!
-That's our cue.
-[exciting music playing]
Why am I always the bait?
Because I've got better aim.
Guys, here they come.
[screaming]
[Nikki] Okay.
[grunting] The output's still too low.
Get her away from the gate.
No matter what.
[exciting music rises]
[grunting] Ah!
[sobbing softly]
I can't do this.
We need to just run and get out of here.
[Mrs. Baxter] Baby girl,
I have been running my whole life.
Not you. Never you.
You don't run.
You do this.
Now take a breath and create.
Okay.
[growling]
[energy pulsing]
It didn't work. The gate's still opening.
No.
Stop hurting my friends.
[roaring]
[screaming]
You take me to the nicest places.
What do you think?
Better or worse than the sewers?
Breathe Wizard!
Uh, Nikki?
[straining]
-Max!
-Lucas, get out of here.
No way.
I told you I can take care of myself.
And I told you I'd never forgive myself
if something happened to you.
-Lucas.
-Max.
No!
Will!
[dramatic music playing]
It's too strong!
[screaming]
[dramatic music playing]
[roaring]
El!
Take that.
[Max] Nice one.
Next time, you're the bait, Lucas.
Come on.
[Max] Watch out!
[Lucas] Whoa!
[Max] Come on!
Lucas!
[roaring]
That's my girl.
Mom, reload!
[Mrs. Baxter] The batteries!
[softly growling]
[Lucas] I'm all right.
Dustin! Harpoon!
Are you kidding me?
Just go!
Whoa!
Go help them. We got this.
[Lucas] No way we're strong enough
to hold this thing back.
[Max] We have to try.
Nikki!
They're not here!
Batteries. Batteries.
Nikki!
This isn't working.
So pull harder!
Ah!
It's not mounting.
Flip the leads!
[Dustin] Whoa!
[roaring]
[beeping]
Loaded.
El!
[tense music playing]
[screeching mournfully]
[epic music playing]
[music ends]
[panting]
-[Lucas] Yeah. Go, El!
-[Dustin] Eleven!
[Mrs. Baxter] Yes! I love her!
-[all laughing]
-[Mike] El.
["Time After Time"
by Cyndi Lauper playing]
If you're lost, you can look
And you will find me ♪
Time after time ♪
If you fall, I will catch you… ♪
-Almost done?
-[Hopper] Pretty much.
Just need a few more nails
to lock these down.
Mind if I come up?
Grab a seat.
[sighs deeply]
Listen, I'm sorry
I've been pulling so many late nights.
It's not right leaving you here
with nothing to do.
I like the games you show me.
I am getting good at solitaire.
No, see, that's what I mean.
Solitaire stinks.
You shouldn't be cooped up here
all the time.
So maybe from now on
we try extending your curfew.
Really?
Just so you can go play that wizard game
with your friends.
Thank you, Hopper.
[Mike] Hey, El!
Mike!
[chuckles softly]
Hopper says I can stay out late tonight.
That's great.
["One Thing Leads to Another"
by The Fixx playing]
Hello.
Nikki and the gang are, of course,
in the garage.
Thanks, Mrs. Baxter. See you later.
Uh, Mrs. Baxter, I like your new home.
Me too.
-Only one?
-[Nikki] There you go.
-[Will] That's what they had.
-Hey, Max, are you playing?
No chance.
But Nikki's got cable,
which means WWF for me.
Okay, gather round, adventurers.
It's time for the real surprise.
Nikki, meet the new you.
Part bard, part berserker…
and some leftover LEGOs.
You guys made me a character?
Of course.
Everyone in our group has a character.
So let's play already!
-Okay.
-[all cheering]
[Lucas] Let's do it.
Been waiting all day to do this.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-[Dusting] Okay, let's play.
[Nikki] Wait, how do you play this again?
[foreboding music playing]
["We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn playing]
We'll meet again ♪
Don't know where
Don't know when ♪
But I know we'll meet again ♪
Some sunny day ♪
Keep smiling through ♪
Just like you always do ♪
[screeching]
'Til the blue skies
Drive the dark clouds far away ♪
So will you please say hello ♪
To the folks that I know ♪
Tell them I won't be long ♪
They'll be happy to know ♪
That as you saw me go ♪
I was singing this song ♪
We'll meet again ♪
Don't know where ♪
Don't know when ♪
But I know we'll meet again ♪
Some sunny day ♪
But I know we'll meet again ♪
Some sunny day ♪
[music ends]