8 Game-Changing Stranger Things Lore Twists in Tales From ’85

Okay, so, Netflix just unleashed all ten episodes of Stranger Things: Tales from '85, the animated spin-off nobody really saw coming. If you already tore through it and are scratching your head about a few things—or you just want to know what's up with the many new faces, monsters, and head-scratcher retcons—let's dive in.

Welcome Back to Hawkins…Sort Of

First things first: this show lands square in the gap between Stranger Things Seasons 2 and 3. We're back in Hawkins, Indiana—yep, still hanging out on the edge of that dimension known as the Upside Down. Or, at least, what everyone thinks is the Upside Down; at this point in the timeline, the Big Wormhole Reveal (aka ‘The Abyss’) hasn't happened yet, so the kids (and us) are clueless on that front.

New Kids on the Block (and Their Bizarre Garage)

Nikki Baxter (voiced by Odessa A'zion) is the big new kid on campus, and she brings along her mom, Anna (Janeane Garofalo), who's serving as the local high school's new biology teacher. Both are quick with a joke and leave an impression. Some folks will inevitably say Nikki is basically a Max 2.0, but she’s got her highlights—like the scene where she shows off her over-the-top garage collection, or the moment she says hanging out with Eleven and crew is "more entertaining than anything on cable." Her character arc pretty much goes where you’d expect, but at least she’s fun to have around.

Monsters, But Make Them Weirder

As if Demogorgons weren’t enough, we're suddenly swimming in brand-new nightmare fuel: meet the Snow Shark, Gourd Horde, and Vine Dog, not to mention a bunch of plant-based horrors and funky spores. On the one hand, it's kind of nice to get something fresh. On the other: if these creatures are supposedly such a big deal, how come nobody even whispers about them in Seasons 3-5? Seems like a pretty glaring continuity hiccup, if you ask me.

Please Explain: Why Are There Plant Monsters?

• At first, the show tries to convince us Mrs. Baxter cooked up the show’s new Big Bad (the Plant Queen), before serving the actual twist: Daniel Fischer (Lou Diamond Phillips) is the mad scientist here.
• The real story? Daniel picked up where Anna’s experiments failed, using her research on reviving dead plants, and mixing in DNA wrangled from dead Upside Down vines.
• Dustin, in classic Dustin fashion, gives the Plant Queen a nickname: ‘Hordak Prime.’ He’s also the one poking at the science of it all—never change, Dustin.

Showrunner Eric Robles summed it up like this:

'Dan's green serum is a combination of years of Anna Baxter's research in trying to bring dying vegetation back to life and extracted DNA from dead Upside Down vines. This mixture was able to bring an Upside Down vine back to life, but not how Daniel expected.'

Is it fascinating? Sure. But if these plant monsters are so terrifying and important, why do we never see (or even hear about) them again after this spin-off? Lore gets messy, folks.

Mr. Clarke Takes a (Permanent?) Backseat

Remember the lovable science teacher Mr. Clarke? The guy who basically explained the entire Upside Down metaphor with paper plates in Season 1? Well, in Tales from '85, he’s conveniently on sabbatical, so Mrs. Baxter fills the science teacher void. The thing is, the kids never mention this supposed absence in the main show, and even though the gang suspects Mrs. Baxter might be behind the new monsters, she fades out of the narrative after this. Not exactly seamless integration.

Eleven Discovers Cheese Fries – Again?

Episode 3 features Eleven trying cheese fries for the "first" time, and the group reacts like she’s having a life-changing junk food moment. Problem: eagle-eyed fans will remember that Eleven already had her first fries at Benny’s Burgers back in Season 1. So, unless Eleven’s memory is as leaky as the portal to the Upside Down, this scene is a weird continuity burr. This whole moment only makes sense if the spin-off happened before Season 1, not between Seasons 2 and 3.

Robert Englund Returns—Sort Of

Horror legend Robert Englund (Victor Creel in Season 4) pops up here too, but as a brand-new character: Cosmo Russo, editor of The Weekly Watcher (think “National Enquirer” with more monsters). The Watcher makes a bigger splash here, threatening to out Eleven and blast monster photos across its pages. Would’ve been cool (and logical, honestly) if the tabloid played this kind of role in the original show, but oh well.

Joyce Byers Sits This One Out

Despite pretty much every other major parent showing up—hello again, Hopper—Joyce Byers is totally absent. Wild, considering the main show spends a good chunk of the first few seasons inside Joyce’s trauma and her desperate search for Will. Even in Season 5, she’s still dealing with all that. So, not including her in a story about her own kid and his friends feels…off. The emotional core is just less without her.

Some New Faces You’ll (Probably) Forget

Alongside Nikki, Anna, and Daniel, we get Rosario (Valeria Rodriguez), a new kid in town who’s always sparring with Dustin, mostly because—surprise!—Dustin has a not-so-secret crush. Honestly, she’s pretty forgettable, and we never see or hear about her again in the main series. Even if she was written out completely, nothing would really change for the story or for Dustin (he’s too busy running conspiracy theories or hunting plant monsters anyway).

Final Thought

Tales from '85 nails the nostalgia and still does the whole 'kids vs. monsters' thing, but if you’re someone who cares about continuity and lore connecting tissue, buckle up for some bumps. The show throws a lot at the wall—a bunch of new creatures, side characters who vanish without a trace, and more than a few timeline tangles. YMMV, but if you’re a diehard fan, don’t be shocked if you leave with more questions than answers.