Janet Holloway

**Janet Holloway** was a recurring character, and later an antagonist, in the third season of *Stranger Things*. She is the wife of Tom Holloway and mother of Heather Holloway.

## History

### Background

Janet, a middle aged woman, married Tom Holloway, the Chief Editor of the Hawkins Post and the two later had a daughter named Heather Holloway. The family had a peaceful life in Hawkins before Heather got a job as a lifeguard at Hawkins Community Pool in 1985.

### 1985

On July 1, 1985, Heather, after being possessed by the Mind Flayer, invited her co-worker, Billy Hargrove, who had also been possessed, over to dinner with her mother and father. Heather's parents, concluding that it was just a dinner with Billy, got poisoned and taken to the Mind Flayer themselves.

Janet woke up next to her husband Tom in Brimborn Steel Works where the Mind Flayer had made its new home. They too got possessed by the Mind Flayer and become members of the Flayed.

Eventually, on July 4th, Janet and Heather were summoned by the Mind Flayer who melted down all the Flayed including Janet and her daughter, except her husband and his colleague Bruce Lowe who were killed by Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler earlier, to make itself bigger and stronger, resulting in the death of Janet.

## Personality and Traits

Janet was calm and collected and a loving mother and wife. She listened and always respected other people's opinions and thoughts. This is shown as she was happy to invite someone over for dinner if it benefits her daughter or makes her happy.

After Janet was possessed by the Mind Flayer, she started to act strange, mainly because of how the Mind Flayer was controlling her and being part of his hive mind.

## Powers and Abilities

Janet gained these abilities after becoming the Flayed.

* **Hive Mind**: After being possessed by the Mind Flayer, Janet was connected to it and the rest of the Flayed and can communicate with them in multiple ways.
* **Enhanced Strength**: Much like Billy and her daughter Heather, Janet gained more strength once she became one of the Flayed, which made it easier to capture others to bring to the Mind Flayer.
* **Enhanced Durability**: Janet also gained durability. We can see just how durable she might have been through Billy, as he also gained these abilities from the Mind Flayer and used them to escape the sauna and Eleven's grip.

## Relationships

### Familial

**Tom Holloway**

Tom Holloway is Janet Holloway's husband. Janet and Tom seemed to have a good relationship as they did love each other, although Janet was possibly unaware of her husband's sexism at his job. After Janet fainted due being poisoned by Billy and Heather, Tom came to her aid, showing his care for her.

Unfortunately, after becoming members of the Flayed, they did not die together as Tom was killed by Jonathan Byers on July 3rd and Janet was killed on July 4th by the Mind Flayer.

**Heather Holloway**

Heather Holloway was Janet‘s daughter. She seemed to have a good relationship with her daughter, as Heather affectionately called her "mommy." After Heather became possessed and took her mother to the Mind Flayer, Janet tearfully begged her daughter to stop what she was doing before she was possessed by the Mind Flayer.

After becoming one of the Flayed, Janet and Heather, the only surviving members of the Holloway family, died together on July 4th after being summoned by the Mind Flayer.

### Non-familial

**Billy Hargrove**

Billy Hargrove was invited to a dinner with Janet, her husband and her daughter whom he had kidnapped and taken to the Mind Flayer. Janet had only known Billy for a few hours before they were eventually connected through the Mind Flayer as part of the Flayed.

## Family tree

*note: family trees are only visible on desktop.*