Chapter Five: The Flayed

Despite being riddled with inconsistencies and incoherence, this is a fabulous second consecutive episode. The pace is good, danger lurks behind every corner and the acting is excellent.

Winona Ryder is brilliant again as Joyce, changing gear at will, producing a fine performance, though the bickering between her and Jim could be dialled back a little. Indeed the comedy element is overplayed in this otherwise gritty, action-packed story.

When Joyce went off on Murray, I remembered how much I love Winona in this show!

Part five of season three starts off in cracking form with Steve, Robin, Dustin and Erica unwittingly taking the express mall elevator to Russian HQ, deep below the surface of Hawkins, and with Joyce and Hopper finding trouble in the basement of an old farmhouse - trouble in the shape of a big Russian with a machine gun! The kids in the elevator escape to explore a network of tunnels, and Joyce and Hopper take a hostage, Alexei, from whom they hope to get some answers.

With just the right blend of excitement and humour, this is another excellent episode (after the wonderful fourth episode), one that sees the characters in more then a little genuine peril. The kids in the subterranean Russian lair are pursued by evil Russians, with Dustin and Erica escaping, but Steve and Robin being taken captive, and Nancy and Jonathan come face-to-face with a globulous monster in the Hawkins Memorial Hospital.

All in all, a very satisfying episode that bodes well for the remaining chapters.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

I'm mostly enjoying this season. I do see where some people are coming from. You do kind of have to suspend your disbelief way more than the first two seasons. This season has become kind of goofy, but hey, the acting is good, I like the characters, I'm enjoying it.

The end is coming. This episode did a good job. Humor is great and story is more interesting.