Season 2 of Netflix’s runaway hit will begin filming soon. That leaves us with some questions about what to expect. If you haven’t finished binge-streaming this fantastic show yet (shame on you, by the way), beware of spoilers ahead.

Is Anyone Going to Notice Barb is Gone?

Poor Barb. She gives Nancy a ride to Steve’s house even though he and his mouthbreather friends are dicks to her. She doesn’t even want to go, but she’s a good friend. When Nancy gives her the cold shoulder and tells her to go home, Barb gets pulled into the Upside Down and is a victim of the Demogorgon.

We see her lifeless body in the Upside Down in the finale, and while there was some speculation that she could be rescued like Will, the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that she’s dead. Granted everything is happening so quickly towards the end of season 1, but only Nancy seems upset that she’s gone missing, and fears the worst. Hell, Will even got a funeral and a class assembly, while Barb just got a vague “runaway” explanation from the shady government agents.

The good news for Barb fans, Shannon Purser, who’d never acted before “Stranger Things,” has been cast in the CW’s upcoming series “Riverdale,” where she’ll be rubbing elbows with Archie, Veronica, Jughead et al. So that’s not such a bad fate after all.

What Did Will Bring Back With Him?

Upon his return, Will seems OK…except for when he has to cough up slugs now and then. What’s up with that?

The Demogorgon could’ve killed him but instead left him there with some slug/tentacle thing down his throat. I got a real “Alien” vibe from that. Is that how the monster reproduces?

This poses a lot of possibilities, like what if Will brings a Demogorgon infestation into Hawkins? If that’s the case, we may see a quarantine of the town, with more ruthless government agents in biohazard suits.

Is he going to just keep coughing them up, or are they going to hatch inside him when they get big enough? Something tells me poor Will isn’t out of the woods yet.

Who Are the New Characters?

Fans will be meeting some new characters next season. Here’s the breakdown on Max, Billy and Roman from The Hollywood Reporter:

• Max: “Max is a tough and confident 13-year-old female whose appearance, behavior and pursuits are more typical of boys than of girls in the era. She has a complicated history and a difficult relationship with her stepbrother, Billy, that’s made her protective of her past and generally suspicious of those around her. She’s also good on a skateboard, which she uses to get around pretty much everywhere.”

 

• Billy: “Billy is a super muscular, overconfident 17-year-old. He’s so captivating and edgy that there are rumors flying around that he killed someone at a school he attended in the past. Billy steals peoples’ girlfriends, is a drinking-game pro and drives a black Camaro. But his violent and unpredictable nature shows itself to those closest to him, especially to ones who are younger than he is.”

 

• Roman: “Roman, meanwhile, is described as a male or a female of any ethnicity between the ages of 30 and 38. After growing up homeless with a drug-addicted mother, he or she suffered a great loss at an early age and has been seeking revenge ever since. Roman is ultimately an outsider who doesn’t understand how to connect with people.”

 

Max sounds like she’s going to be a really fun character. Hopefully she joins up with the boys — I think she could really add to their dynamic and I look forward to seeing her going everywhere on her skateboard Marty McFly-style, keeping up with the kids on their bikes. Billy sounds like a typical 80’s badass, right down to the Camaro. Roman sounds like he or she could be the child of an early experimental subject, maybe even a proto-Eleven.

What is the Upside Down?

We have some understanding of the shadowy place where Will and Barb were taken:

• It’s another dimension, or plane of existence, that mirrors our own in some ways — for instance, the Byers house has a location on both sides.
• It’s a dark place with dead plant life and what looks like ashes everywhere.
• In some places the wall between worlds is thin, and that it’s possible to communicate with someone on the other side.

And of course, we know that it’s populated by at least one terrifying monster. But what is the Upside Down? Why is everything there so dead and creepy?

One Reddit user suggested that this place could be our world in an alternate timeline where the US was ravaged by nuclear war. That makes sense, since this story takes place during the Cold War and we know Eleven was being used to spy on the Russians. From what we’ve seen of the Upside Down, it certainly looks like the place has endured some kind of disaster. Hey, what if the monster was a human who was mutated by massive amounts of radiation?

No matter the answers, Season 2 can’t come soon enough. What are you excited to see? Feel free to share your thoughts and theories.

 

About the author: Mike Joyce is an editor at a content marketing agency and a freelance writer. In the summertime he’s a Cape Cod-bred beach bum, but in the fall he transforms into a plaid-wearing, apple-picking autumn fanatic. However, he loves all things horror, all year long. Mike lives in the Boston area with his wife.