11 unanswered questions we have after watching Stranger Things season 3

Why did Eleven lose her powers?

Eleven is able to fight off the monsters pursuing her and her friends for the majority of the third season, but she loses her telekinetic abilities during the second-to-last episode, “The Bite.” Not only is it super inconvenient timing for Elle and the gang, but it’s never truly explained. One minute, she’s pulling that gross piece of the Mind Flayer out of her leg using her powers. The next, she can’t even crush a can of Coca Cola with her brain.

Based on the circumstances, it seems like the creature trapped in her leg is responsible for her missing abilities. Once she removes it, her powers disappear almost instantaneously. Should we assume that the creature takes Elle’s powers with it when it escapes? Of course, that raises another major problem for season 4. Hopper crushes the piece of the Mind Flayer that was inside of Elle, so if her powers were inside of it, were they destroyed too?

It’s also possible that Elle’s affliction comes from overuse. She drains herself pretty often this season, usually in attempts to protect Mike and her friends. Doing this so often was bound to catch up to her eventually. Still, you’d think a good night’s sleep would fix telekinetic burnout. Poor Eleven.