10 Best Episodes Of Stranger Things (So Far), According To IMDb

Fans of Stranger Things have lucked out with the consistently great quality of the episodes in each season. Some of the all-time best episodes tend to focus on the characters and raise the stakes for all involved even when there isn’t a ton of action.

One of the best things about Stranger Things is how well written each character is. This gives the writers the advantage of being able to pair up virtually any characters, and discover dynamics that are sweet, funny, and compelling. The best episodes dive deep into the characters, whether they’re on a solo journey or with friends.

10 The Monster (Season 1, Episode 6) 8.9

Nancy comes face to face with the Demogorgon after accidentally going through a portal to the Upside Down. Jonathan saves her, and this experience brings them closer. Hopper and Joyce follow a lead on Will’s whereabouts and meet Terry Ives, El’s biological mother.

Eleven wanders alone through the woods after arguing with her friends, and Millie Bobby Brown is heartbreaking as El’s guilt about the gate is portrayed through flashbacks to her time in the lab.

9 Dig Dug (Season 2, Episode 5) 8.9

Bob the Brain gets his time to shine in “Dig Dug” when he gets roped into helping Joyce solve Will’s map that he drew from his “now memories.” Meanwhile, Lucas finally tells Max the whole truth, getting her a step closer to officially joining the party. This episode also marks the birth of the Steve-and-Dustin duo, which was an immediate fan favorite.

Elsewhere, Eleven begins a journey to understand more about her mysterious past. She tracks down the whereabouts of her mother, who has brain damage that occurred at the hands of Dr. Brenner. The ending is a true shock: as people from the lab burn the underground tunnel where Hopper is found, Will collapses to the ground in agony.

8 The Sauna Test (Season 3, Episode 4) 8.9

Hopper and Joyce make a great comedic duo in season three, seen in this episode trying to figure out what Kline is doing with the Russians. The Scoops Troop is also in full effect, as they get trapped in the Russian base beneath the mall. Will’s strange feelings, combined with Eleven and Max’s observations about Billy, lead the gang to take a closer look at Max’s brother in order to see whether the Mind Flayer really is back in Hawkins.

This results in one of the most exciting acting sequences of the show as of yet, with Dacre Montgomery giving a performance that alternates between frightening and heartbreaking.

7 The Body (Season 1, Episode 4) 9.0

“The Body” follows the aftermath of the discovery of a body (supposedly Will’s) in the quarry. Mike is devastated until El manages to provide him with proof via walkie-talkie that Will is alive. The party gives El an adorable makeover and sneak her into their school (where El helps Mike stand up to a bully) so that she can use the HAM radio to channel Will.

Will continues to communicate with Joyce, who never gives up believing that her son is alive. Hopper takes matters into his own hands, making the chilling discovery that the body he found in the water is stuffed with cotton.

6 The Bathtub (Season 1, Episode 7) 9.1

“The Bathtub” starts with an exciting chase scene that has Eleven use her powers to flip a van. The party members make up, and Lucas and El finally become friends in a really sweet scene. In this penultimate episode, each group with their pieces of the puzzle come together to combine their information and figure out what’s going on.

El uses a homemade sensory deprivation tank to locate Barbara and Will in the Upside Down. The former is dead, but the latter is found hiding from the Demogorgon before it catches up and the connection breaks, Will’s life once again in question.

5 The Spy (Season 2, Episode 6) 9.2

This is the only episode not to feature Eleven, but the rest of the cast more than make up for that with all-around great performances. Noah Schnapp in particular is wonderful as Will, giving a performance that makes you fearful for him and of him. Will is now under the control of the Mind Flayer and is a great danger to those around him.

Meanwhile, Dustin, Steve, Lucas, and Max attempt to lure Dart to the junkyard, and end up luring in multiple dema-dogs. This side of things offers a more lighthearted plot to balance the scariness of Will’s predicament.

4 The Battle Of Starcourt (Season 3, Episode 8) 9.2

This episode is a nail-biter from start to finish. It kicks off with El and the gang trying to get the piece of the Mind Flayer out of her leg. She has to use her power to do it, and the pain results in her losing her powers (wait for season four to see if/how she’ll get them back). This changes the game, as most Stranger Things finales consist of Eleven using her powers to save the day.

With the Mind Flayer out to kill El, it’s everyone else’s turn to save her. Hopper, Joyce, and Murray make up the team that will close the gate, while the Scoops Troop uses Dustin’s radio to guide them. The rest of the gang try to hide but are stopped from leaving by Billy and the Mind Flayer, who trap them at the mall. This is perhaps the most emotional season finale, with both Billy and Hopper sacrificing themselves to save everyone else.

3 The Mind Flayer (Season 2, Episode 8) 9.3

The first half of “The Mind Flayer” has a real horror movie feel, with Mike, Will, Joyce, Hopper, and Bob trapped in the lab, which is swarming with dema-dogs. Bob Newby, Superhero, saves everyone by turning the power back on in the lab. Just as it appears he’s home free, he’s attacked by the dogs and killed right in front of Joyce.

For a character fans only knew for a short time, he made a big impact. Back at Joyce’s house, Mike, Jonathan, and Joyce try their best to bring Will out of the Mind Flayer’s control, to no avail. Just as he’s figured out their location and is sending the dema-dogs after them, El steps in and saves the day with a super cool entrance.

2 The Upside Down (Season 1, Episode 8) 9.3

Hopper and Joyce manage to convince the people at the lab to let them go into the Upside Down and find Will. They find him and resuscitate him in an emotional scene that’s intercut with scenes of Hopper and his young daughter who died of cancer. Elsewhere, Nancy and Jonathan set a trap for the Demogorgon. When Steve comes over to apologize to Jonathan, he’s roped into their scheme and redeems himself by saving Nancy from the monster with the baseball bat that will now and forever be his.

The people at the lab arrive to take back El, who is saved by the appearance of the Demogorgon. When it begins to pursue her and her friends, she uses the last of her strength to destroy it, disappearing in the process. It’s a bittersweet ending, with a cliffhanger setting up season two.

1 The Gate (Season 2, Episode 9) 9.4

After waiting an entire season, fans finally got to see El reunite with her friends in the first few minutes of “The Gate.” The group quickly form a plan and split up: Hopper and El will go to the lab, where she will close the gate, and Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy will take Will to Hopper’s cabin to burn the Mind Flayer out of him.

Steve is on babysitting duty, which gets a lot more interesting when Billy shows up looking for a fight. The kids cause a distraction to clear a path for El to the gate, which she closes using the techniques she learned from Kali. This episode features possibly the most heartwarming ending, with El and Mike finally getting to have that dance at the Snow Ball.

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