The Piggyback

Outside the church in Kamchatka, Yuri fixes Katinka and tells Murray and Dmitri that the helicopter might work if he gives it another try. The stalling of the engine leads Murray and Dmitri to think Yuri is purposely sabotaging Katinka to get his reward money. Inside the church, Hopper and Joyce wait for a callback from the U.S. Waiting for the phonecall, Joyce notices Hopper's scarred wounds and expresses concern of his time being confined in the prison with Hopper reassuring and telling her that it has given him some time to reflect. He tells Joyce that he never should have sent the message but Joyce reaffirms that it was her choice to pursue the rescue mission and that she would do it again. The pair advances their relationship as they kiss with one another before the phone rings.

Back in Hawkins, Dustin, Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie go over the plan again with Phase One initiating when Nancy, Steve, and Robin get Erica's signal at the playground outside the Creel House, and she'll signal Max and Lucas inside the house when the trio is ready. Phase Two begins with Max baiting Vecna by distracting him into putting her into a trance. Phase Three starts with Dustin and Eddie drawing the demobats away from the house, clearing the trio an opening. Phase Four ends with Nancy, Steve, and Robin heading to Vecna's lair and killing Vecna while he is using his powers. Arriving back at the Forrest Hills Trailer Park, the group travels through the hole in the Munson trailer. In the Upside Down as the two groups split up, Steve tells Dustin and Eddie if anything goes wrong, they will have to abort. Eddie and Steve acknowledges this and bids the trio as Nancy, Steve, and Robin walk off to find the Creel House.

At a gas station, Jonathan calls and begs for the earliest flight to Hawkins. El takes notice of a billboard featuring a woman giving her daughter a piggyback and comes up with an idea, recollecting the time she went to her mother and Billy's minds in the Void. With flights to Hawkins being as early as tomorrow morning, Eleven proposes a way to protect Max from their current location. El explains that since Vecna will be in Max's mind, she will be in there as well and can "piggyback" off of Max’s mind to protect her. To do so, Eleven needs a sensory deprivation tank to help her gain access to Max’s subconscious. Will suggests going back to the motel that they had passed earlier but Mike tells them they won't have enough salt. After the group gives Argyle insight on how to make a sensory deprivation tank, he claims to know a place with 600 pounds of salt. After roughly measuring Eleven's size, Argyle confidently tells the group the mind fight is on and takes the group to their destination.