“Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat”

After finding that Will’s body is a fake, Stranger Things takes a turn for the uncertain. In episode five, Hopper starts to become a more in-depth character, as the audience gets to see just how far he is willing to go to find out the truth about the town disappearances, and how Hawkin’s lab is associated with them. He stays in the lab for a while, calling out Will’s name, completely unarmed and with no escape plan. At this point, it would be easy to kill him off, but instead the organization dumps him back on his couch, groggy and surrounded by pills. This undermines Hopper’s credibility, with both his fellow officers and himself. Meanwhile, Joyce prepares for Will’s funeral, as she and most other characters assume that he is dead. Will’s father comes back to town, which upsets Jonathan and makes him distance himself from Joyce. The fact that he withholds information from her allows viewers to see just how self-reliant Jonathan has become over the years, and also establishes Nancy as his sole confidant, advancing their relationship. The pair become inseparable throughout the small time in which they are allowed to grieve; and later in the episode, they decide that it’s time to end the town’s suffering once and for all: they plan to kill the monster. While all of this is happening, the show does get to see comic relief through the boys, who know that Will is not dead because they reached him through their walkie-talkies. Attempting to figure out how this was possible, they consult their A.V. Club sponsor, Mr. Clarke, who explains that an alternate plane of dimension could have been released in the normal world if there were a source which could consume enough energy to literally tear our universe open. Dustin deems this place the ‘upside down,’ and per reading Elle’s terrified face when looking at a Dungeons and Dragons book, dubbs the monster the ‘Demogorgon.’

“Chapter Six: The Monster”

In this episode, we see more of the terrifying Demogorgon; yet, there is another monster on the loose, and this one is much scarier. This second monster is named Steve, and his sense of entitlement is more chilling than any jumpscare. After assuming that Nancy was cheating on him with Jonathan, Steve and his friends humiliate Nancy by writing derogatory names on the front of the movie theater. This ironically plays well upon Nancy’s previous statement that her life has shifted from petty high school drama to intense monster-hunting. Characters have to balance a life full of supernatural horror while managing relationships and studying for tests. After Elle “pisses” off the school bullies by making one of them lose control of their bladder with her telekinesis, they are out for revenge. They corner Dustin and threaten to tear his teeth out with a knife if Mike does not jump off of a cliff. As shown in a previous episode, the quarry ledge is so high up that jumping guarantees death. Even Dustin agrees that he’d rather lose his teeth than have his best friend die. It seems like a bit of a stretch that bullies would demand their victim should kill himself as urine retribution, and even more farfetched that Mike actually obliges and takes the leap. If Eleven didn’t pull a deus ex machina and save him, Mike’s time in the series would be completely over. Watching Elle proceed to snap the arm of a bully makes the entire episode worth it. The events of the next episode are set in place as white vans invade Maple Street and prepare to capture our protagonists.

“Chapter Seven: The Bathtub”

Now on the run, episode seven picks up with our beloved young protagonists attempting to hide Elle, and outrun the organization that is after her. Lucas, although he previously decided to go out on his own, now reunites with his friends. He and Elle come to an agreement of mutual respect, putting aside their differences in favor of kindling friendship. This does a lot for this episode, providing a sweet moment amongst the stress of the chase. Hopper and Joyce also meet up with Jonathan and Nancy in this episode, finally disclosing to one another all of the information they found out separately. Later teaming up with the kids, the group’s first priority becomes finding Will through utilizing Elle’s powers. At this point in the story, an overarching theme becomes apparent: trust. In most shows starring young children, adults are often demonized, or depicted as obstacles, but in Stranger Things, all demographics are brought together with one common goal. While it may be dark, there is also room for humor and childlike wonder. This can be shown through simple things, such as Elle grasping onto Joyce’s hand while she attempts to find Will in the Upside Down, or it can be seen through blatant slap-stick comedy, such as Dustin’s never-ending search for his favorite snack: chocolate pudding. The episode ends with Elle finding Will, and she finds that he is just barely alive, and she tells him to hold on until his mother can physically retrieve him. This prompts Joyce and Hopper to return to Hawkins lab in pursuit of the lost boy, and Nancy and Jonathan leave soon after them to finally attract and kill the Demogorgon. This leaves the children alone to their own devices, with “the bad men” rapidly approaching.

“Chapter Eight: The Upside Down”

Seven episodes of laughter, tears, and thrills later, it all comes down to this. In “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down,” the season flawlessly ties together both the horror and comedy  for an engaging finale. Viewers will find themselves getting emotional as Hopper and Joyce traverse the Demogorgon dimension. It’s a testament to how well the characters are written, as Hopper’s flashbacks to his daughter’s death highlights his underlying motivation to save Will. Will is found, barely breathing, with vine-like tendrils stuffed down his throat. It’s difficult to watch the adults free the small boy, and even more difficult to see Barb-for her, rescue came too late. The efforts of all characters blend together, as back at the middle school, the boys and Elle work to fight the government agents that tortured Elle and opened the portal between dimensions. However, before the agents come, Mike and Elle share a tender moment as they kiss and agree to go to the school dance together. Yet the fun can’t last long, as both the agents and the monster invade the school. A highlight of the series is when the monster brutally kills Elle’s abusive father, but ironically, Elle finds herself with the same fate as she must make the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends. She takes the Demogorgon down, but in turn, ends her own life. This heart wrenching moment shows the message of the series: doing anything for those you care about. Time flies by, and Will has made a full recovery. The boys go back to their old days of Dungeon and Dragons, poking fun at the series with some meta jokes. (That’s it? But the [Dungeons and Dragons] campaign was so short!) Will retires to the restroom…and finds himself coughing up a wriggling slug. For a terrifying moment, he is back in the alternate dimension. Meanwhile, Hopper leaves Elle’s favorite food in a wooden box. While the finale answered many questions, it also sparked a curiosity that will only be satisfied in season two. For now, all fans can do is wait until 2017 to be reunited with these lovable characters and their world of mystery.