Chapter Eight: The Upside Down

The Upside Down is one of the best season finales and I put it up there with some of the other shows best season finales (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Once Upon A Time, etc, etc.) Not only does it provide some great character depth including fleshing out Steve, the bully introduced in the beginning of season 1 now realizing the way he treated Jonathan and the others and decides to help the others defeat the DemoGorgon, but it wraps up everything else the first season established. There's also a cliffhanger (which I won't spoil to those who haven't seen the show yet) which might leave you interested. The story continues to be well-written providing an emotional punch to the climax where Eleven sacrifices herself to defeat the DemoGorgon and save Mike and the others while Hopper and Joyce save Will from the Upside Down. The pacing is great, the music score and production design continue to compliment the 1980s setting respectfully, the effects are great, and the acting from everyone involved is great with Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Finn Wolfhard giving the best performances as did the other two who played Lucas and Dustin who shared some funny moments throughout the whole season. Overall, The Upside Down is a perfect season finale. Recommended. :)

The Duffer Bros give a clinic in how to make the old new again.

Showing how the trick is not deconstructing a formula that works, but rebuilding it in a way that is both fresh and new.

And they did an awesome job.

The "influences" may be obvious but the twists and turns, the dialog, the direction, the unusual casting, make the whole series fun, engaging, addictive.

The casting in particular. Ryder again does everything but chew up the furniture. So different from her film persona when she was younger! Natalia Dyer sports one of the most interesting faces I've seen in a long time. She is so sympatico and interesting, she steals all her scenes.

David Harbour usually plays bad guys but is terrific as a hero. Millie Bobby Brown is nothing less than unforgettable.

In fact the whole series is unforgettable.

Bring on Season 2. The popcorn is on me.

Wow wow wowwwww. i cannot describe in words how much i love this show. the Duffer brothers are amazing and so is everyone involved in making this. i was bawling by the end, and a good show should tug on the heart strings. stranger things did exactly that. please watch this, your life will be better for it.

It's amazing for end session and sad end omg I cry it's very very good

Season 1 was of a consistently high quality, with all the episodes ranging between good (Chapters 2 and 6) and incredible (over two thirds of the season). 'Stranger Things' was a big surprise when first getting into it, the premise did sound great but Netflix's original output have always varied with some being great and others not being very good. Luckily it very quickly became one of their best (along with 'The Crown' and 'House of Cards' in their prime).

"Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" is an incredible finale and Season 1 couldn't have ended on a better note than this. Anybody who has seen some disappointing season finales recently or in their time will find "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" is a relief, and proof that season finales can be great and more. Not only is it a strong contender for the best episode of Season 1, and that took some beating, but three seasons later it's still one of the best episodes of 'Stranger Things' and essentially what it's all about.

The production values are superb. Very stylish and atmospheric, with some truly beautiful images that one can't believe such high quality comes from a Netflix show. Not to mention the highly impressive special effects that put a good deal of big budget films in recent years to shame. The music has a wonderful 80s nostalgic vibe while also being quite haunting, enhancing the atmosphere beautifully.

Also incredibly impressive is the beautifully balanced writing. That has a lot of thought and intrigue, with the usual brains and heart. The storytelling is tremendously engaging, atmospheric and never simplistic or convoluted, as well as doing wonderfully at building upon the chess pieces that began to fully fall into place in the previous episode. It is rich in affectionate nostalgia (reminiscent of Stephen King's depiction of childhood), poignant emotional impact and suspenseful turns in the more mysterious elements.

Furthermore, the character writing is spot on, especially the richer writing for Jim Hopper. The character interaction likewise, especially between the younger cast in an interaction reminiscent of 'Stand By Me'. The performances are superb across the board, especially beyond her years Millie Bobby Brown and nuanced David Harbour.

Overall, incredible. 10/10.