Stranger Things: 15 best Eleven moments in the series so far

Humiliating a bully

While not the last time Eleven would save her male friends from the wrath of bullies when she stood up to Troy in the auditorium during season 1, we all got a clear impression of how Eleven’s powers could be used to help her new-found friends.

Troy is a threat to AV club of Hawkins throughout the first season. He verbally and physically harasses the gang and takes his bullying much farther later in the season. This instance takes place when the school has an assembly addressing Will’s disappearance.

The school seems genuinely shocked and the whole community is working together to try to get past this tragic happening. Not Troy, however. During the assembly, he mocks Will and makes it clear that he’s glad Will’s gone.

Afterward, Mike confronts Troy, and when he mocks Will and Mike again, Mike’s had enough and shoves Troy to the ground. Before Troy can do anything in retaliation, Eleven uses her powers to stop him in his tracks and, embarrassingly, makes him pee himself.

Of course, the whole school laughs at Troy and for the first time the bully becomes the bullied. After this, Eleven skips away in triumph knowing that she helped protect the boys who took a chance on her, brought her inside, and protected her the best they could.

It’s the first of many instances of Eleven just being one of the boys, and it helps us understand Eleven even more. By this point, we still may not know much about who she actually is but this one small act of protection shows that she’s on our side, knows a bully when she sees one and knows just how to deal with them.

Of course, this isn’t the end of Troy and he comes back later, with a vengeance.