Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 – Plot Holes & Unanswered Questions

Warning: spoilers for Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85.

“Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85” adds to the show’s story with a new adventure that takes place between seasons, but it has created some unanswered questions and inconsistencies. Following the somewhat controversial ending of the main series, Netflix quickly returned to the world of Stranger Things with its first spin-off. Called Tales From ‘85, this animated series is set between seasons 2 and 3, showing what the kids of Hawkins were up to after they closed the gate to the Upside Down and before the events at Starcourt Mall and the Russian base.

In Tales From ‘85, Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Max encounter new monsters emerging from the Upside Down. They’re joined by a new character, Nikki Baxter, who helps them understand and battle these creatures. While officially part of the Stranger Things story, Tales From ‘85 has a complicated place in the show’s timeline and introduces some confusing plot points.

Though Tales From ‘85 successfully builds upon the Stranger Things universe without contradicting the main show’s established story, it still raises some questions that might not be resolved unless the series gets renewed. While these unanswered points don’t significantly impact the overall Stranger Things narrative, they can create confusion when considering the complete timeline.

Jonathan Is Notably Absent In Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85

While Stranger Things featured characters of all ages, often dividing them into separate groups, Tales From ‘85 concentrates solely on the younger characters in Hawkins. Stranger Things had already established storylines for its teenage characters – like Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan – but this spin-off intentionally leaves them out to tell the story through the eyes of the kids.

While Tales From ‘85 features Steve and Nancy, their parts are quite minor. Steve spends an episode helping Dustin try to trap the monster, and they eventually destroy it. Nancy assists in getting a photo of the monster from the Weekly Watcher newspaper offices. This naturally leads to questions about where Jonathan was during these events, especially since he and Nancy were already a couple at that point.

The Monsters Thrive In The Winter, But There Was Never A Winter Season In Stranger Things

As a fan of the series, it’s so cool to learn more about the monsters from Tales From ‘85! They’re actually connected to the Demogorgon we all know and fear – they’re like mutated versions created by a failed experiment. What’s really creepy is how they reproduce, spreading spores to keep going. But thankfully, they still share the same weaknesses as the original Demogorgons. And Dustin figured out something huge: these creatures actually like the cold, which is a really important detail to know!

Adding conflict and adventure to Tales From ‘85, this raises an interesting point: why hasn’t Stranger Things ever had a full season set in winter? The show usually takes place in the fall, summer, or spring, with only a brief winter scene – Hopper leaving food for Eleven in the woods at the end of season one.

If Stranger Things had taken place in winter, battling the Demogorgon and other creatures would have been much more challenging and thrilling, demanding even more from the Hawkins group. Although this detail currently appears only in Tales From ‘85, it makes you wonder if the show’s creators ever considered a winter setting.

The Weekly Watcher Was Given Even More Material To Report On (& Was Never Heard Of Again)

In Tales From ‘85, the characters get a short respite from fighting monsters, believing the danger is over, before being sent on a new task. However, Lucas unintentionally leaves behind a picture showing Eleven’s arm and the monster. This photo ends up with The Weekly Watcher, a tabloid known for its focus on conspiracy theories, and it’s exactly the kind of sensational story they’re looking for.

With Nancy’s assistance, the kids finally get the photo back, but it’s a messy process. Eleven accidentally causes the lights to flicker and papers to fly around the Weekly Watcher office, which will likely spark even more questions and theories about the strange events in Hawkins. Even without the photo, the Weekly Watcher would have plenty to write about after witnessing such unusual activity.

The newspaper, the Weekly Watcher, stops covering the lost photo and the odd happenings surrounding it, and it’s never referenced again throughout the rest of Stranger Things.

Eleven’s Powers Were Forgotten In Seasons 3 & 4

As a huge fan of Stranger Things, I’ve always been fascinated by Eleven’s abilities. We first see them in season one, but the show really digs into what she can do as it goes on, and her powers actually change over time. In season two, she spends some time with Kali, who’s basically her ‘sister,’ and Kali helps her get a better handle on everything. That training really pays off later in the show. By the time we get to the events of Tales From ‘85, Eleven is much more in control, but there’s one specific power she uses that always made me wonder about things…

In the climax of Tales From ‘85, Eleven uses her abilities to lift herself into the air, defeat the monster, and shut the portal to the Upside Down. While she briefly levitated in the season 2 finale, Tales From ‘85 shows her using this power much more extensively, creating a bit of a continuity issue. This ability was then seemingly forgotten by Stranger Things for seasons 3 and 4, and when it reappeared in season 5, it was presented as something she hadn’t done before.

The Mutated Monsters Never Appeared In Stranger Things

A major hurdle for Tales From ‘85 was that viewers already knew the outcome, given what happened in season 3. While the show introduced a fresh monster, audiences knew it would be defeated – the lack of similar creatures in later seasons of Stranger Things hinted at this. Surprisingly, the way Tales From ‘85 ended actually created a new issue.

As a huge fan of Stranger Things, I always found the ending of Tales From ‘85 fascinating. Seeing half the monster stuck in the Upside Down with a flower growing out of it – which then bloomed into a Demogorgon head – really suggested the creature was continuing its life cycle down there. It’s a shame we never saw it again in seasons 3, 4, or even when they went to the Abyss. Honestly, to keep things consistent, it feels like the most logical explanation is that the monster didn’t last very long in the Upside Down after all.

What Was Dan’s Real Role In Hawkins Lab?

The group in Hawkins initially thought Nikki’s mother, Anna, was behind the creation of the mutant monsters. However, they soon discovered the real culprit was Dan, Anna’s boyfriend and the owner of a local shop. He had stolen Anna’s research and used it on the vines from season 2 of Stranger Things, which caused them to mutate into the monsters.

Dan tells Dustin he used to work at Hawkins Lab as a cytologist, but he wasn’t involved in the experiments happening there. He’s later killed by the monster and, like several other characters in Tales From ‘85, is never mentioned again. This leaves unanswered questions about what Dan did at the lab and his true purpose, and those questions may remain a mystery.

Nikki & Mrs. Baxter’s Fate After Tales From ‘85 Is Unknown

The standout new characters in Tales From ‘85 are Nikki and her mom, who takes on the role of the substitute science teacher at Hawkins Lab. Even though she’s older than Eleven and her friends, Nikki quickly joins the group and develops a close connection with Will. In the final episode, Nikki and her mother team up with Eleven to defeat the monster. Despite previously planning to leave Hawkins, they both decide to stay in the end.

Nikki and Anna moved with their families to Hawkins and the group often met at their garage to play Dungeons & Dragons. After the events of Tales From ‘85, though, what happened to them is never revealed – they aren’t seen or mentioned again in Stranger Things. It’s a shame, because they could have been really valuable friends to the kids in the later seasons, and the group had a particularly strong bond with Nikki.

The Events Of Tales From ‘85 Are Never Mentioned In Stranger Things

Similar to what happened with characters like Nikki, Anna, and Dan, and the backstory surrounding Hawkins Lab, the events of Tales From ‘85 aren’t referenced at all in Stranger Things. Although Tales From ‘85 is officially part of the show’s story, it’s easy to get confused because the main Stranger Things series never acknowledges what happens in it.

The showrunner of ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ explained to IGN that the characters were dealing with much larger issues in seasons 3, 4, and 5, leaving no time to reflect on or even mention the events of the winter of 1985. However, considering the monster survived and Nikki and Anna remained in Hawkins, it’s natural to wonder why those storylines weren’t revisited later.

2026-04-25 00:00