9 burning questions we have after binge-watching 'Stranger Things'

In the finale, both Dr. Brenner and his main henchwoman were killed at the middle school. So who took over at Hawkins Lab? And did that unknown person order more security personnel to the hospital in order to scoop up Hopper? We got the impression that Hopper was fulfilling the end of some bargain, since he seemed unsurprised by the car's appearance and entered without fight.

El seemed to believe that killing the Demagorgon would kill her too — the effort of using her powers so much was too much to handle. Viewers were left thinking she had exploded right along with the Demagorgon, especially after her tearful goodbye to Mike. But is she really gone?

Hopper left food in a small cubby built in the Mirkwood area. It wasn't just any food, but El's favorite: Eggo waffles. We were left to assume that El is somehow either in the Upside Down or hiding in the forest somewhere, and Hopper knows it. So why hasn't he told anyone? Is she still in danger from the Hawkins Lab staff?

We saw what looked like the creation of the rift when El was put on the spot and asked by Dr. Brenner to "find" the monster. There was a room full of people there, ready to witness history. But the very opening of the show only showed one man running from the Demagorgon — there was no sign of the others who were in the room at the time. Plus, El was inside the sensory-deprivation tank and wearing a bathing suit when the rift first happened but she escaped Hawkins wearing a hospital gown. So how much time passed between the rift's creation and her escape?

Maybe season two will have even more flashbacks, but for now the exact events will remain a mystery.

The Demagorgon grabbed Will and pulled him into the Upside Down, but how did Will escape and find time to hide? We know the Demagorgon took its victims to the alternate reality school for "feeding," so it must have been treating Will as prey from the get go. What isn't clear is how Will escaped the Demagorgon's grasp and broke free. He was offscreen for much of the series, which did wonders for building tension, but hearing more from Will about his time in the Upside Down would be a great addition for season two.

Upon first viewing, we thought this was straightforward. Her shaved head combined with Dustin's earlier comment about Eleven ("Maybe she had cancer?") led us to believe that Sarah was diagnosed with either cancer or leukemia. But in a Reddit AMA, actor David Harbour (Hopper) threw this assumption into question.

When a Redditor asked if he knew Sarah's specific cause of death, Harbour replied: "Yes, but it's a secret we may explore in [season two], so don't wanna say right now."

When interrogating Joyce, Brenner reveals to her that a total of six people have gone missing in the area. We only heard about Will, Barb, and the two men who were hunting. Who else was taken? Are they definitely dead or are they just trapped in the Upside Down with no way to get out?

We are seriously concerned about Will Bryer (again).

The final scene showed him coughing up a mini-Demagorgon-slug and then the room around him transformed into the Upside Down again. Is he just imagining things or did his extended time in the Demagorgon's food lair mess with him permanently?

Will could have some sort of connection to the Upside Down, and perhaps a second season would explore the alternate universe's creation. We just hope there aren't more Demagorgons lurking around.

We'd love to know if Dustin handed over the X-Men #134 that Will earned when they raced bikes home in episode one. This small token of friendship is a much happier detail to dwell on than most.