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Teresa "Terry" Ives is a recurring character in the Netflix original series Stranger Things. Terry is Eleven's biological mother yet she is not her legal guardian. She is portrayed by Aimee Mullins.

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Who portrays the character of Terry Ives in Stranger Things? toggle section
The character of Terry Ives in Stranger Things is portrayed by Aimee Mullins.
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What is the relationship between Terry Ives and Eleven in Stranger Things? toggle section
Terry Ives is the biological mother of Eleven in the popular series Stranger Things. Terry was desperate to get her daughter back after she was kidnapped at birth by Brenner. Despite Eleven initially having no knowledge of her mother, she eventually learns about her through the Void and defies rules to meet her. However, the reunion is bittersweet as Eleven is heartbroken to see her mother's condition.
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What role did Terry Ives play in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments? toggle section
Terry Ives was a volunteer test subject in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments at Hawkins National Laboratory. These experiments were designed to push the boundaries of the human mind, involving the use of psychedelic drugs and sensory deprivation. Terry's involvement in the project took a dramatic turn when Dr. Brenner took her daughter from her, leading to a series of events that included Terry filing a lawsuit against Brenner and attempting a daring rescue mission at Hawkins Lab.
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What actions did Terry Ives take to try and reclaim her daughter in Stranger Things? toggle section
In Stranger Things, Terry Ives took drastic measures to reclaim her daughter. After her daughter was taken by Brenner, Terry developed a deep hatred for him and even filed a lawsuit against him. However, when she couldn't produce any evidence that Brenner had kidnapped her daughter, Terry decided to take matters into her own hands. She stormed into Hawkins Lab armed with a gun, determined to rescue her daughter. Unfortunately, Brenner's men managed to recapture her daughter before Terry could escape with her.
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What is the significance of the character Terry Ives in the book Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds? toggle section
Terry Ives is a central character in the book Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds. She is a test subject in Dr. Martin Brenner's Project MKUltra experiments. The most significant event is when Brenner abducts Terry's newborn daughter Jane, who he renames as Eleven and raises her at Hawkins National Laboratory along with other child test subjects. Terry's attempts to rescue her daughter lead to her being subjected to electroshock therapy by Brenner, leaving her in a permanent catatonic state. This backstory provides a deeper understanding of Eleven's origins and the circumstances that led to her unique abilities.
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History

Background

While in college, Terry took part in Project MKUltra. Under the supervision of Dr. Martin Brenner, she was subjected to experiments involving the intake of mind-altering, psychedelic drugs and becoming sensorily deprived.

Brenner and Terry

Terry walks with Dr. Brenner

During this time, she was unknowingly pregnant with her daughter, Jane. According to her sister, she miscarried in the third trimester. In reality, Brenner had kidnapped Jane so that he could conduct experiments on her, and had it covered up as a miscarriage. Knowing this, Terry tried to sue Brenner in order to get her daughter back, but was unsuccessful due to a lack of evidence.

At some point after her daughter's kidnapping, Terry decided to simply take her daughter by force and took a gun to the Hawkins Lab. Walking in, she was confronted by a guard, asking for her badge. She shot him in the abdomen, and ran away. As she looked for Eleven, Terry came across a room with a rainbow sticker on the outside and opened it to find Jane along with another child. Overjoyed, Terry attempted to take her away but was captured by the scientists. Strapped to a table, Dr. Brenner had her forcefully put through what appears to be electroconvulsive therapy. The shocks fried Terry's brain and locked her in a vegetative like state; alive, but her mind destroyed and running the events through her head on a loop.

1983

Believing Hawkins National Laboratory had something to do with Will's disappearance, Hopper went to the public library in order to research past newspaper articles concerning the lab. Among the clippings, he discovered that Dr. Brenner had been involved in MKUltra and accused of abusing his test subjects. One of those subjects was a woman named Terry Ives, who had attempted to sue Brenner for allegedly kidnapping her daughter.

After finding out that Will's body had been faked, Hopper went to Joyce to tell her everything he had discovered while investigating. He showed her the newspaper clipping about Terry Ives, and remembered the sighting of a kid with a shaved head at Benny's. He then realized he had been inadvertently tracking down Terry's daughter the whole time. They decided to find Terry, hoping she could shed some light on the lab and help in the search for Will.

Terry newspaper

Upon arriving at Terry's residence, they were greeted by her sister, Becky, at the door. Before letting them in, she warned them that if they wanted to know anything they were “about five years too late.” Joyce and Hopper attempted to question Terry about her relationship with Brenner and the lab, but received no answers due to her being in a catatonic state.

Becky explained Terry's participation in Project MKUltra and the supposed effects it had on her. In hopes of “expanding the boundaries of the mind”, participants such as Terry were given various psychedelic drugs—mostly LSD—and placed in isolation tanks, where they would become sensorily deprived. During the time she was undergoing these experiments, Terry was unaware of her pregnancy.

When asked if they had any pictures of Jane, Becky revealed that Terry had suffered a miscarriage in her third trimester. Leading Joyce and Hopper to a baby room, she told them how Terry liked to “pretend” that Jane was real. For the past 12 years, Terry had kept the room especially for Jane, saying she'll someday return. Not only did Terry believe Jane was alive, but that she was also born with “abilities," such as telepathy and telekinesis, and it was because of those abilities that she was taken to be used as a human weapon by the government.

Joyce wondered if Terry could have been telling the truth about Jane, but Becky informed her there were no records of Jane's existence, with even the doctors having confirmed the miscarriage. Hopper suggested that it could have been covered up, which made Becky remark that he and Terry would've gotten along.

1984

Hopper kept the files about Hawkins Lab, including the files about the experiments on Terry, in the same storage cabin in which he and Eleven resided. After an argument with Eleven resulting in a telekinetic tantrum, he coerced her to clean up the mess she had made, agreeing to consider fixing the television. While cleaning, Eleven discovered the files and the existence of her mother, as well as discovering her true name.

Eleven traveled to her mother's home and encountered her aunt Becky, who dismissed her. Proving her power to her, Becky told Eleven what happened to her mother years ago. Eleven also discovered her mother possessed powers as well, as she was guided through the lights to her mother. Eleven managed to mentally connect with her mother and see the events that occurred that led to her current state. While distraught over her mother's condition, Eleven discovered the existence of another psychic child and interpreted that her mother wanted her to find her, and later used the files on other missing children to find her.

Relationships

Appearances

Season One appearances
The Vanishing of Will Byers The Weirdo on Maple Street Holly, Jolly* The Body
The Flea and the Acrobat The Monster The Bathtub The Upside Down

*Terry's picture appears in a newspaper article in Holly, Jolly.

Season Two appearances
MADMAX Trick or Treat, Freak The Pollywog
Will the Wise Dig Dug The Spy
The Lost Sister The Mind Flayer The Gate*

*Terry appears in a flashback in The Gate.

Family tree

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unseen and Unnamed Character Family Tree icon
Andrew Rich
 
Terry Ives Family Tree icon 001
Teresa Ives
 
 
Becky Ives Family Tree icon 001
Becky Ives
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eleven S4 port 01
Jane Hopper
 

Memorable Quotes

  • "Breathe. Sunflower. Three to the right, four to the left. 450. Rainbow..."

Trivia

  • In the original pilot script, a person named Terry Ives is mentioned, however that Terry Ives was male, implied to be a conspiracy theorist, and had no direct connection to the lab, its experiments, or Eleven.
  • In the room she kept for Jane, there is a baby mobile that plays Brahms's Lullaby. Eleven appears to have a strong reaction to Nancy's music box, which plays the same lullaby. This has led fans to speculate that Eleven's reaction towards the music box was her "recognizing" the melody.
  • She has a lot in common with Vicky Tomlinson, the mother of the main protagonist of Stephen King's novel Firestarter. Both participated in government studies involving the intake of hallucinogenic drugs while in college, and as a result, both gave birth to daughters with preternatural abilities.
  • Her referring to the government as "The Man" could imply she was part of, or at least a supporter of, the hippie movement.
  • Like her daughter, the use of her powers causes her nose to bleed.
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