While Stranger Things certainly has plenty of tricks up its sleeves, there's one thing viewers have grown to expect since season one, and that's a rebellious moment from Eleven. Much like all teens, the super powered girl finds herself battling a multitude of feelings throughout the seasons. She feels alienated from her peers, unloved by her boyfriend, and faces the general confusion that comes with being raised in a laboratory and then released into a community of well-intentioned, friendly people.
An ugly light was shone on Eleven in the top half of season four as she struggled with being separated from her friends — Mike, Max, Lucas, and Dustin — and the death of her father figure, Jim Hopper. On top of that, she didn't fit in at her new school, and was often the victim of petty comments and other bullying. All of this led to a brutal altercation at the Rink-O-Mania where she went face-to-face with the school's leading mean girl, Angela. Here is a breakdown of all of Eleven's rebellious moments through the Stranger Things series, thus far.
Eleven Steals Eggos
This is perhaps one of the most recreated scenes from the series. In season one, after going her separate ways from the misfit group of boys, Eleven marches into the local grocery store, Bradley's Big Buy, and leaves with her arms full of Eggos. Prior to this moment, she had gotten into an argument with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas (the latter of which was most resistant to her). Lucas accuses Eleven of wasting time on their trek to find Will, and ends up in a physical fight with Mike. To break them up, Eleven uses her superpowers to push Lucas off of the other boy, leaving him wounded. Mike grows upset, and Eleven finds herself on her own.
To survive, Eleven breaks into the supermarket and escapes with her arms full of frozen waffles. She calls the store clerk who tries to stop her a "mouth-breather," and leaves the front doors shattered in her wake. During this scene, she wears a light pink dress, along with a jean jacket. Many fans use this look to channel Eleven during conventions and Halloween, complete with a box of Eggos.
Where's Eleven?
In season two, Eleven discovers that Hopper has been keeping tabs on her biological mother, Terry Ives. She travels to the woman's house and finds Terry in a catatonic state. During her visit, Eleven learns of another young girl with psychic abilities and runs off in search of her. Eleven gets a "bitchin'" punk makeover upon meeting Kali, also known as Eight, and ditches her simple look for slicked-back hair and black eye makeup.
The tone doesn't lighten for the rest of the season, as Eleven discovers that Kali and her friends are seeking revenge against the Hawkins Lab scientists who abided Brenner. Eleven is pressured to kill the scientist who administered electroshock therapy on her mother, an act with which she does not follow through.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Season three featured one of Eleven's most fun rebellious scenes! The stakes were low, at least for fans who weren't Mileven shippers. Set to Madonna's 80s pop hit "Material Girl," Eleven and Max hit the Starcourt Mall for an epic makeover montage after Mike lies and cancels his plans to hang out with his girlfriend.
Max encourages Eleven to ignore Mike and distracts her by planning a girl's trip to the mall. Here, they shop for new outfits and get ice cream at Scoops Ahoy. At the end of the shopping trip, the duo bump into Mike, Lucas, and Will. Eleven calls Mike out for lying to her, and dumps him.
The Accident at the Roller Rink
As mentioned above, things got heated in season four and saw Eleven assaulting her high school bully at the roller rink. While Angela may have needed some reality knocked into her, this didn't result in any good for either girl as Angela was left with a broken nose and Eleven was carted away in a police car.
At the episode, Eleven, now residing in California, is reunited with her long distance boyfriend Mike. The two take a trip to Rink-O-Mania, with Will in tow. During their day together, Eleven has been echoing lies that she is popular and has tons of friends — a facade she has build for herself through her written correspondence to Mike during their time apart. However, this comes back to bite her as Angela and her friends devise a plan to humiliate Eleven in front of Mike. Eleven confronts Angela, who refuses to apologize and mocks Eleven for the death of her dad (for the second time), which results in Eleven grabbing a roller skate and striking Angela in the face.
Hopefully, among solving its greatest mysteries, the show's last (and final) season will continue this tradition and throw a few curveballs Eleven's way.