When time runs out

Episode 3 abandons any remaining illusion of control. This is no longer just a race against time — it’s a series of fragile choices trying to contain an evil that operates on multiple fronts at once. While some move forward, others fall exactly where Vecna wants them to.

Eleven and Hopper at the wall

Hopper and Eleven attempt to cross the organic wall inside the Upside Down, but they are surrounded by soldiers. After a tense confrontation, they manage to defeat the unit trying to capture them. The victory, however, comes at a cost: surveillance tightens with every step they take.

Will returns with a warning

Joyce is reunited with Will and Robin. In the middle of scolding them, she is interrupted by urgency itself: Will warns that Vecna wants more children — and that there is no time left.

Meanwhile, Vecna, disguised, is already closing in on new victims.

The next target: Derek Tumbow

At the radio station, Dustin lies about his injuries. The group then fully grasps the extent of Will’s ability: he can access Vecna’s mind. This is how he identifies the next target — Holly’s classmate, Derek Tumbow.

Now it is undeniable: Will has powers, and he becomes the group’s most important source of information.

They devise an elaborate plan to save the boy. A plan full of holes. Like most of them.

Holly’s fantasy

In the Upside Down, Holly lives inside a dreamlike illusion: she believes she is in a mansion, listening to Tiffany, eating ice cream — completely surrendered to Henry/Vecna’s perfect lie that everything will be fine.

In one of his cruelest acts, the villain asks for her “help.” And, unknowingly, Holly leads him straight to the grotesque wall where the military is concentrated.

The soldier and the hidden base

Eleven and Hopper capture a soldier. She realizes he knows the wall and how to cross it. A deal is made on “how to interrogate.”

Under pressure, he reveals the truth: there is a military base inside the Upside Down, led by Dr. Kay. And worse — Vecna is their prisoner.

Nothing is exactly what it seemed.

Erika joins the board

At school, Erika continues to stand out as the smartest student. Her routine is interrupted when her brother recruits her to help with the mission. Now, alongside the mystery of what Vecna wants with Holly, another question emerges: why Derek?

Erika agrees to help because she also wants Holly back.

Robin, Will, and private truths

Part of the plan involves drugging an entire family. To get the medication, Robin goes with Will. The errand becomes a space for intimate conversation about identity and desire. In a quiet, emotional exchange, both acknowledge they are gay. A fragile moment of truth in the middle of chaos.

Jonathan, Murray, and an unexpected ring

Murray pressures Jonathan: Why hasn’t he made a move with Nancy yet? The answer comes in a reveal of his own — Murray has a ring and plans to propose. Life plans and apocalyptic collapse collide in a strangely tender contrast.

Derek in danger

As the board shifts, the unbearable Derek is at home, completely unaware of the imminent attack. Erika appears to be pretending to apologize to Tina, the girl’s sister. The kidnapping begins right there.

The plan in motion… and Vecna’s counterstrike

The group prepares to act. Every step seems carefully calculated. The kidnapping unfolds with precision.

But, as always, Vecna uncovers the truth.

In the Upside Down “forest,” Holly encounters Max.

Yes — everything is becoming more and more confusing.