There are many lovable characters in the Netflix original series Stranger Things, but none have piqued audiences' interests quite like Eleven. Played brilliantly by Millie Bobby Brown, she's introduced in the show's first episode. Sporting a shaved head and hospital gown, the mystery surrounding this girl only provokes more questions.
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As the seasons of the show progress, audiences learn more and more about this enigmatic child as he grows up. Even for a quiet character, she's been the one to utter some of Stranger Things' most iconic lines. With season 4 on the horizon, it's time to take a look back at some of Eleven's best and briefest lines.
Updated August 19, 2022, by Blaise Santi: Season 4 of Stranger Things has officially aired on Netflix, featuring quite a tumultuous season for Eleven. After navigating a difficult social life in her new home of California, she once again becomes the test subject of Dr. Martin Brenner in an attempt to replenish her powers. The experience becomes a reckoning of Eleven’s past, as she recovers her memories from her past that clue the audience into the troubles in Hawkins throughout the season. Throughout these nine episodes, Millie Bobby Brown gets to drop some more iconic quotes as her former-mute character, such as these three from season 4.
12 Mike's Words Of Wisdom
Most of Eleven's storyline across three seasons of Stranger Things revolves around her relationship to Mike. When the middle schooler/dungeon master discovers her in the woods near his missing friend Will's house, Eleven becomes a stowaway in Mike's basem*nt. Eleven learns a lot from the de facto leader of his friend group.
One of the main lessons Eleven learns becomes something she repeatedly utters throughout the show. It especially becomes one of the few things she repeats to Mike during the first season:
Friends don't lie.
Even as Eleven's language gets more and more learned, she always keeps this rule in mind, like a mantra of sorts.
11 Eleven's Confession To Mike
Season 1, Episode 6 finds Eleven separated from the group after a fight between Mike and Lucas. Eleven returns later to rescue Mike and Dustin from their bullies in a quarry. Eleven saves Mike from a long fall with her powers, and then breaks one of the bully's arms before they run away.
As Mike comforts Eleven, her nose bleeding, Eleven has a flashback to her first encounter with the Demogorgon. It's revealed that Eleven was the one who opened the gate to the Upside Down in Hawkins Lab. Tearfully, she admits to Mike and Dustin that she's responsible for Will's disappearance:
The gate. I opened it. I'm the monster.
10 How To Handle Bullies
This isn't the only time Eleven ever confronts bullies. Three episodes earlier, Eleven coerces Mike into revealing he gets bullied by a kid named Troy, who later becomes victim to Eleven's mental arm-twisting. After this conversation, Eleven adopts one of Mike's words to describe Troy: a mouth-breather, a.k.a a "dumb person."
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Later, Eleven wanders into a grocery store to steal some Eggos. When the store manager tries to stop her, Eleven simply glares at him, and repeats Mike's insult:
Mouth-breather.
Suffice it to say, but Eleven walks away with several boxes of Eggos for free that day. It just goes to show how effective calling people "mouth-breather" is.
9 A Compromise With Hopper
After Eleven goes missing at the end of Season 1, she turns up in Season 2 as the adoptive daughter of police chief Jim Hopper. As a result, Hopper keeps her hidden in a remote cabin to protect her from the outside world. This only fuels Eleven's desire to escape, and her request to go trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Hopper retorts this request with a compromise to snuggle up at night and watch a scary movie. He then has to teach the word "compromise" to a naive Eleven, describing that it means something in-between, or halfway happy. When asking if this deal works for Eleven, she simply shrugs and repeats:
Halfway happy.
8 Eleven's New Look
A bottle episode in Season 2 finds Eleven abandoning her home with Hopper in search of her lost sister. Eleven later finds Kali in Chicago as a member of a group of outcasts, who has the ability to create illusions. Eleven reluctantly joins Kali's gang, which includes a complete makeover by her sister's punk-rock friends.
Now sporting slicked back hair, eye shadow, and all-black clothes, Eleven is prepared for a night of crime. One of Kali's friends claims that Eleven's look is "bitchin'." Later, when Eleven returns to Hawkins, Hopper compliments her new appearance, causing Eleven to repeat:
Bitchin'.
7 Eleven Reunites With Mike
The finale of Season 2 sees the long-awaited reunion between Mike and Eleven. After rescuing the gang from Demodogs, Eleven strolls into the Byers home in her new look. Mike tearfully hugs her, trying to reassure her that he attempted to contact her every single day after she disappeared.
To Mike's surprise, Eleven was listening. Interrupting Mike, she smiles as she admits she heard every attempt. She finishes his sentence, saying:
353 days. I heard.
Their reunion is cut short by the revelation that Hopper's been watching over her. This fuels a pretty heated argument between Hopper and Mike only moments later.
6 Young Lovers Get In Trouble
The beginning of Season 3 finds Mike and Eleven officially dating. Predictably, their romance comes at the ire of Hopper. After they disobey his rule to keep Eleven's door open three inches, Mike races home to escape Hopper's fury. Privately, the two communicate over walkie-talkie, laughing over Hopper's rage.
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After Mike excitedly mocks Hopper's facial expression seeing them kiss, Eleven giggles as she exclaims:
It was like a tomato!
For the time being, it seems as if nothing can get in the way of Mike and Eleven. That is, until Hopper puts an end to it by threatening Mike, causing friction between the lovebirds for the rest of the season.
5 Eleven Breaks Up With Mike
Mike's decision to keep distance from Eleven following Hopper's threats understandably leaves Eleven confused. With nowhere else to go, Eleven finds Max, and the two girls go on a shopping spree at Starcourt Mall. It's a fun adventure for the two, until they run into Mike, Lucas, and Will shopping for gifts.
When Mike refuses to confess about why he's acting weird around Eleven, the telekinetic child takes some advice from Max. Upset at Mike's treatment of her, Eleven proudly breaks Mike's heart as she states:
I dump your ass.
It's upsetting to see two of the show's best characters fight like this, but it's all worth it in order to earn Eleven some independence.
4 Eleven And Hopper's Last Conversation
Prior to the climax of Season 3's finale, "The Battle of Starcourt," Hopper and Eleven have a beautiful heart-to-heart after their conflict fizzles out. Trusting her to go with Mike, Hopper expresses worry over Eleven's safety. However, Eleven eases his stress with a simple yet meaningful statement of confidence:
I can fight.
That's all Eleven needs to say to make Hopper feel safe letting her go. Sadly, this is the last conversation the two have before Hopper supposedly dies. However, his return in the upcoming Season 4 means the two will hopefully get to reunite.
3 Eleven Updates Mike On Life In California
The beginning of season 4, episode 1, "The Hellfire Club" finds Eleven living with the Byers in Lenora Hills, California. The season opens on a montage of Eleven, Will, and Jonathan getting ready to go to high school, with voiceover by Eleven writing a letter to Mike about how much she loves her new life, telling him:
I am twice as happy now. You were right. It just takes time.
Despite her seemingly positive attitude, things are not as they seem. Over her optimistic monologue, viewers see that Eleven is being bullied in school. This happy-go-lucky update to Mike is actually Eleven denying her own unfortunate reality.
2 Eleven Rescues Max
A lot happens to Eleven in between the first episode and the season 4 finale, "The Piggyback," which is over two hours long. After gaining back her powers, Eleven uses them to infiltrate Max's mind through a sensory deprivation tank built by Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle. She manages to narrowly save Max from being killed by Vecna.
Once Max realizes Eleven has come to save her, she's shocked and wonders how it's possible. Eleven's response is both simple yet truthful:
I piggybacked from a pizza dough freezer.
Max doesn't have nearly enough context to understand what this means in the moment, but it serves as nice levity to an intense, bloody episode of Stranger Things.
1 The Reunion Of Eleven And Hopper
Of course, one moment in the season 4 finale was long-anticipated by fans. After confirmation of Hopper's survival and imprisonment in Russia, fans were eager to see the former Hawkins police chief reunite with Eleven, who became his surrogate daughter in season 2 of the show. Their reunion in the episode's final minutes did not disappoint.
Appropriately, the reunion happens in the remains of Eleven's old room in Hopper's cabin. Once Hopper enters, thinner and bald, Eleven collapses in his arms. Through tears, she tells him how she never gave up hope that he was alive, calling back to the season 3 finale by saying:
I kept it open. I kept the door open three inches. I never stopped believing.
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