In the first scene of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, Dustin is in a lot of trouble at the Food Mart. While he hides behind the counter, mutant creatures look for him in the aisles. He quickly makes a mistake while trying to escape, making noise that attracts attention. In the middle of the chaos, he throws his backpack at one of the creatures, which runs away with it. But there are still more threats inside the store.
Eleven and the group show up in a snowplow just as things get worse. Eleven easily kills the creatures, but these ones look different and don’t have any spores on them. The Food Mart itself is in bad shape, with a big tree branch stuck through it.
Hopper and the police come the next morning and think the storm caused the damage. But one creature lives on. The one who stole Dustin’s backpack is already in the sewer system.
Dustin connects the situation to She-Ra while down in the sewers. He comes to the conclusion that a “Queen” creature is probably in charge of the drones and that getting rid of it would stop the rest. Charlie and Rosario’s visions back up this theory.
Nikki then takes charge and tells the group to get ready, which leads them to her garage full of tools. Dustin sees a picture of Mrs. Baxter with scientists while he’s there, which makes him even more curious. The moment is briefly interrupted when the group remembers that it’s Nikki’s birthday and decides to celebrate by going monster hunting.
The group quickly finds the creatures in the sewers. Nikki uses a makeshift grappling hook to help them get across a gap, but the ground is too unstable, so everyone falls deeper into the tunnels.
Nikki is the first person to see that the vines are linked to a power transformer. The group is attacked again, but this time they are able to fight back. Nikki does most of the work to keep the others safe, even Eleven.
The group goes back to regroup, even though they don’t kill the Queen. Later, Nikki comes up with a new plan: to kill the creature with a powerful light-based weapon, which she thinks could be the key to beating it.
Dustin realizes something disturbing in the last few moments: Mrs. Baxter might be “Horde Prime,” the one who made the plant-based monsters.
Review of the Episode
Nikki is still a very important and skilled member of the group. She is shown to be smart, resourceful, and physically strong, and she often takes charge in tough situations. This makes her a good team player, but it also means that there isn’t much room for tension when she always solves big problems.
The episode also makes Mrs. Baxter seem like a possible villain. The earlier events where she experimented with a serum and plants now seem more important, which makes it seem like she may be directly linked to the outbreak.
Episode 8 moves the story forward and adds to the mystery, but it relies a lot on familiar beats and clear character roles. Tales from ’85 of Stranger Things keeps adding to the story, but it still has trouble finding the right mix of tension, character depth, and originality.
