There was a plot for Eleven to murder Terry Ives in season 2 of Stranger Things, but it would have drastically altered the narrative.
The recent discovery that Eleven in Stranger Things season 2 could have murdered her mother would have had a significant impact on the program. Jane Hopper/Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) has twice rescued Hawkins, Indiana, and the rest of the world from the shadowy region of the Upside Down since fleeing from Hawkins National Laboratory. More than this, the program has disclosed more information with each each season concerning her time in Hawkins Lab and the tests done to enable her psychokinetic abilities. The enormity of her early life’s trauma was thus made apparent. The plight of her biological mother Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins), who was left behind after Eleven was essentially taken by renegade scientist Dr. Martin Brenner, served as possibly the finest illustration of this (Matthew Modine).
Few sad incidents in Stranger Things have been as significant as what occurred to Terry Ives when she attempted to retrieve her kid. The electroshock therapy that Dr. Brenner used to damage her psyche at the end resulted in her being rendered catatonic, which not even Eleven’s return in season 2 could cure. In a recent behind-the-scenes tweet, the Stranger Things authors revealed that “In season 2, Eleven was going to mercifully murder her mother.”
There should be little question that such a decision would have had a significant impact on Stranger Things season 2 and all that has occurred afterwards, even though it was unclear just how close this notion got to being a reality. It would have undoubtedly altered not only the tone of the program, but also Eleven’s character journey and even how the viewers viewed her.
How Eleven Murdering Her Mother Would Modify Her Narrative
Eleven’s abilities had apparently been used to commit murder in the past, so it was reasonable to assume that she could have used them to harm her mother. The difference would be noticeable though since Eleven would not have been acting in self-defense when he killed Terry Ives. By inference, a youngster who had previously experienced trauma and brutality would have made a deliberate and fundamental decision. Therefore, there was no effective way to frame this action. Even with her incredible abilities, Eleven was still only a person, thus it would have only added to the misery and shame she already had to deal with.
She would have known that Terry Ives’s situation was directly related to her psychokinetic skills and the importance of those abilities to Dr. Brenner and Hawkins Lab. The remorse and misery Eleven would have had if she had discovered that killing her mother was the greatest thing she could do for her would have been too much for her to handle. As a result, Eleven killing her mother would have drastically altered the second season of Stranger Things’ narrative. Eleven ultimately learned the truth about her sinister past and Terry Ives’ fate while searching for trust and a sense of belonging in a place she could call home. Therefore, it would seem unavoidable that killing her mother would have had a severe psychological impact and would not have been in line with Eleven’s character development.
Why It’s Good That Eleven Didn’t Kill Her Mother in Stranger Things
In Stranger Things season 2, if Eleven had decided to mercilessly murder her mother, it may have sparked a contentious discussion about euthanasia that might have detracted too much from the plot. Eleven was only a little girl, and she had only met her mother briefly. Despite her amazing abilities, there was no simple way to defend entrusting a kid with such gravely important choice and action. Even if it may be argued that abandoning Terry Ives in her unresponsive state was the worse course of action, it would not have been proper for Eleven, or Jane as she was initially titled, to determine Terry Ives’ destiny. Additionally, Eleven killing her mother would have altered the overall tone of Stranger Things. There has always been a grim undertone to the program considering some of the subject matter, especially when Vecna made an appearance in Stranger Things season 4.
However, Stranger Things’ greatest strength has been its capacity to counteract that gloom with humor, lightheartedness, and charm. Finding that balance would have been extremely difficult if the Duffer brothers had opted to have Eleven kill her mother. Additionally, if she had murdered her mother, it may have changed how people saw her as a person.
