Stranger Things Season 2: What The Ending Really Means

1. The Mindflayer Is Still Looking For A Way Through

The Gate might be closed, but that final shot of the Mind Flayer standing ominously above the Upside Down's version of the high school was a prety chilling confirmation that he's not done with the real world.

If anything, the big bad will now be even more keen to break through. He knows that Will is easily susceptible to possession and that Eleven exists (which wasn't entirely clear before she closed the Gate on him), and while it seems unlikely he can break through himself, we can resonably expect to see him probing for ways through in season 3.

The Duffers confirmed why they left the show on that slight downer note after the beautiful dance scene:

“Yeah, we don’t end it on a totally happy note, do we? [Laughs] There were discussions about that, but then we went, ‘Nah, we have to hint at what’s to come.’ The hope we wanted people to get out of it is that this thing [is still out there]. They’ve shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it’s very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven. It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now, it knows that she’s out there. We wanted to end on a little bit of an ominous note on that level.”

So we can expect season 3 to be more about the Mind Flayer targeting Eleven, then. She's the key to the door, and he wants that key.

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