Doris Driscoll

**Doris Driscoll** (née Grant), portrayed by Peggy Miley, was a recurring character, and later an antagonist, in the third season of *Stranger Things*.

Doris was a kind, elderly resident of Hawkins, Indiana who fell victim to the Mind Flayer, becoming one of the Flayed.

## History

### Background

Doris Grant was a resident of Hawkins who married a man named Jack Driscoll. The two lived happily together in Hawkins until Jack died in 1975, leaving Doris a widow.

### 1985

On the night of June 29, Doris called *The Hawkins Post* complaining about rabid rats. Instead of a reporter, Nancy Wheeler was the one who answered the phone and ultimately decided to investigate Doris' case without the permission or knowledge of her boss, Tom Holloway.

The following day, Nancy and Jonathan visited Doris at her home while under the guise of being reporters from the *Post*. Doris took them down to her basement, where she explained that the rats had eaten several bags of fertilizer that she had stored. She then showed them one of the rats that she had captured, which was moving frenetically around its cage. After Jonathan and Nancy left to make a few calls, the rat exploded into a moving pile of biomass that escaped its cage. Shortly afterward, Doris was possessed by The Mind Flayer, becoming one of The Flayed.

The following day, the local police station received a call of disturbing noises coming from Doris' address. Calvin Powell and Phil Callahan then proceeded to her address to perform a wellness check, knocking on her door but finding no one to answer it. Callahan then proceeded to open the door, rationalizing that they would need to check whether she had experienced a heart attack or not. Looking around the house, Powell and Callahan soon found the remnants of the rat cage with the bloody tracks that led upstairs. They then saw Doris Driscoll at the top of the stairs as she offered them some lemonade.

In their proceeding conversation, Driscoll talked all about her conspiracy theories about the Kennedy assassination and alien involvement. Callahan then excused himself, using his 'dentist appointment' as an excuse, leaving Powell to investigate further. As it turned out, both lemonade drinks had been spiked by Doris but since only Powell drank and stayed behind, only he was affected.

After the drink took effect, Doris carried Powell to his car and drove towards the barn where the rest of the Flayed awaited. She then left Powell in his car there.

Nancy and Jonathan returned to her home that same evening in order to retrieve the diseased rat. When she didn't respond to their knocking, they entered her home, only to find her in the basement eating fertilizer. They promptly called the police and Doris was taken to Hawkins Memorial Hospital. Among the police present was Callahan. As the ambulance carried Doris away, she cried that she had to "go back," as the ambulance passed Brimborn Steel Works, the hideout for the Mind Flayer.

At the hospital, Doris was visited by Nancy after she was convinced by her mother she should continue the investigation, only for The Mind Flayer to take control of Doris, as she wailed demonically with black veins appearing all over her skin. Nancy, shocked at the sight, realized that Doris' condition was similar to that of the possession of Jonathan's younger brother, Will and that The Mind Flayer had returned to Hawkins.

As Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Mike, Eleven, Max, and Lucas investigated the Holloway house, Nancy remembered Doris crying that she had to "go back," realizing that the possessions of The Mind Flayer are taking place at a certain area. The group then go to the hospital and let Doris lead them to the source of The Mind Flayer. However, when Nancy and Jonathan arrived in Doris' room, she was no where to be found and were instead confronted by a possessed Tom Holloway and Bruce Lowe who'd set a trap for them. The two teenagers fight and kill The Flayed men, until then, their corpses melt and combine to create a monster. The monster almost kills Nancy before she's saved by Eleven with her powers, forcing the creature out the window before it escapes and becomes part of the Spider Monster.

On July 4th, Doris was summoned to Brimborn Steel Works by The Mind Flayer. There, she, along with all of the other Flayed, were melted into biomass and absorbed into the Spider Monster.

## Personality

Prior to her infection, she appeared to be a somewhat eccentric but friendly and kind old lady. Mrs. Driscoll wanted an explanation as to why the rats in her cellar were eating her fertilizer, and was proactive in calling *The Hawkins Post* to report the potentially diseased animals. She showed enough bravery and skill to capture an infected rat in spite of her belief they were carrying rabies. However, she seemed to also be a bit paranoid, as Tom Holloway claimed that she believed in conspiracy theories about JFK’s assassination.

## Relationships

* Jack (Husband)
* Nancy Wheeler (former friendly acquaintance)
* Jonathan Byers (former friendly acquaintance)

## Behind the scenes

In late February 2018, it was reported three new characters would be featured in the season. While two of the characters, Larry Kline and Bruce Lowe, were present, the third character, Patricia Brown, was absent. Patricia was described as "an old woman in her 70s who will befriend the children and offer them advice all while she tends to her garden." Considering this description, it is likely that this character was an early iteration of Doris, though this has yet to be confirmed.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stranger Things 3: The Game
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Stranger Things Summer Special One-Shot
3. ↑ "3 New Characters Headed To Stranger Things In Season 3" *Cinema Blend*. February 25, 2018