Stranger Things foreshadowed a huge season 3 storyline back in season 2

23 July 2019, 17:10

By Nicky Idika

The Russian plot in Stranger Things 3 was actually previewed in season 2 and we bet you never even realised.

Stranger Things 3 ushered in a slight change in tone for the series. Your favourite Hawkins residents went full 'red scare' when the Scoops Troop managed to translate a secret Russian code being transmitted from a lair built beneath Starcourt Mall. It might have come off as a surprising mood shift for the show, but one redditor recently clocked a bit of season 2 dialogue that foreshadows the intense Russian plot line in season 3.

READ MORE: Stranger Things season 4: News, spoilers, release date, cast and everything we know

Reddit user u/xxAdam shared a scene they came across while rewatching season 2. In season 2 episode 4, while further investigating Barb's death, Nancy and Jonathan find themselves deep in conversation with Dr. Owens of Hawkins lab.

In the conversation, Dr. Owens proposes a hypothetical that essentially came true in season 3.

"Imagine for a moment if a foreign state, let's say the Soviets...If they heard about our mistake...do you think they would even consider that a mistake. What if they tried to replicate that?"

The "mistake" Owens is talking about is the one they made while tampering with the upside down, which results in the death of Barb and the disappearance of Will Byers.

Of course, Stranger Things 3 viewers will know that, even though Eleven managed to close the gate in season 2, the Soviets were able to re-open it in season 3.

The decision to introduce that that plot point is discussed in episode 2 of the Behind The Scenes: Stranger Things 3 podcast.

"We've seen the Americans, and now the Soviets trying to harness the power that seems to reside in the upside down through that gate," explains executive producer, Shawn Levy.

"It just felt like a really compelling way to take a real world fear, an actual authentic historical paranoia. And to mix it with a very specific kind of sci-fi genre plot that is unique to Stranger Things."

Well there you have it, folks. They told us it was coming last season and, boy, did they deliver. Now, if only they could deliver a tiny hint about who "The American" really is. Could it be Hopper or someone entirely unexpected?