1. Episode 8 Chapter Eight: The Upside Down
   Stranger Things Season Finale Recap: Same As It Ever Was The season ends the way it began: as a wildly comprehensive pastiche of ’80s sci-fi.
2. Episode 7 Chapter Seven: The Bathtub
   Stranger Things Recap: The Upside Down The grand design of Stranger Things is finally taking shape.
3. Episode 6 Chapter Six: The Monster
   Stranger Things Recap: Monster Hunting The flaw in this otherwise entertaining show? It isn’t built to last.
4. Episode 5 Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat
5. Episode 4 Chapter Four: The Body
   Stranger Things Recap: See the Danger It’s time for the nerds of Hawkins to go to war.
6. Episode 3 Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly
   Stranger Things Recap: R-I-G-H-T H-E-R-E Add Close Encounters of the Third Kind to this show’s growing list of influences.
7. Episode 2 Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street
   Stranger Things Recap: The Poltergeist We’ve never seen Winona Ryder quite like this.
8. Episode 1 Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers
   Stranger Things Series Premiere Recap: Blast From the Past Netflix’s new show mixes the suburban sci-fi of E.T. with the nerd-kid adventure of The Goonies.

1. Episode 9 The Gate
   Stranger Things Season-Finale Recap: The Shadow Monster Eleven is back to finish what she started.
2. Episode 7 The Lost Sister
   Stranger Things Recap: The Other Girl Why was this episode even made?
3. Episode 7 The Mind Flayer
   Stranger Things Recap: The Mind Flayer Bob the Brain is the unlikely hero that Stranger Things needed.
4. Episode 6 The Spy
   Stranger Things Recap: Dusty and the Hair Raise your hand if you’d watch a buddy-cop movie starring Dustin and Steve.
5. Episode 5 Dig Dug
   Stranger Things Recap: Bob the Brain Joyce’s new boyfriend finally gets his chance to shine.
6. Episode 4 Will the Wise
   Stranger Things Recap: Inner Demons What happened to Will in the Upside Down?
7. Episode 3 The Pollywog
   Stranger Things Recap: The Hunt for Dart Millie Bobby Brown steals the show yet again.
8. Episode 2 Trick or Treat, Freak
   Stranger Things Recap: Who Ya Gonna Call? The Upside Down isn’t the only danger lurking on Halloween night.
9. Episode 1 Madmax
   Stranger Things Season Premiere Recap: The Return of Will Byers Something wicked is hiding in Hawkins, Indiana.

1. Episode 8 The Battle of Starcourt
   Stranger Things Season Finale Recap: You Are Now Leaving Hawkins, Indiana The Hawkins gang has saved the world — with some help from Satan’s Baby — but they’ve also paid the price.
2. Episode 7 The Bite
   Stranger Things Recap: F-L-A-Y in the U.S.A. For the Mind Flayer’s plan to work, it needs El off the board. She’s just too powerful.
3. Episode 6 E Pluribus Unum
   Stranger Things Recap: On Some Faraway Beach Both the Russians’ and the Mind Flayer’s time spent hiding underground is coming to an end.
4. Episode 5 The Flayed
   Stranger Things Recap: Underneath the Bunker Looks like we now have a fully operational — and fantastically gross — Mind Flayer.
5. Episode 4 The Sauna Test
   Stranger Things Recap: Code Red! As several simultaneous investigations edge into dangerous territory, it becomes clear the Upside Down isn’t done with Hawkins.
6. Episode 3 The Case of the Missing Lifeguard
   Stranger Things Recap: Boys vs. Girls vs. Demogorgons Understanding between the sexes has had a serious breakdown, but that’s the least of the gang’s problems right now.
7. Episode 2 The Mall Rats
   Stranger Things Recap: Magnets, How Do They Work? Hawkins: a tough place for rodents, and an even tougher one for lifeguards.
8. Episode 1 Suzie, Do You Copy?
   Stranger Things Season Premiere Recap: Mall Madness In Hawkins, a blackout is never just a blackout — especially one that hits just before the scary part of a classic zombie film.

1. Episode 9 The Piggyback
   Stranger Things Season-Finale Recap: The Fourth Gate Mind fight, mind fight, mind fight!
2. Episode 8 Papa
   Stranger Things Midseason-Premiere Recap: Father-Daughter Dance In the aftermath of the big Vecna/Henry/One reveal, the crew scrambles to put its various plans into motion.
3. Episode 7 The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
   Stranger Things Midseason-Finale Recap: Escape Plans The midseason finale provides big satisfying answers while also leaving us with several questions to mull over while we wait for Volume 2.
4. Episode 6 The Dive
   Stranger Things Recap: The Shire Is on Fire We (mostly) love Steve getting his big hero moment in the penultimate episode of Volume 1.
5. Episode 5 The Nina Project
   Stranger Things Recap: This Old House We get a little haunted-house movie in the middle of Stranger Things!
6. Episode 4 Dear Billy
   Stranger Things Recap: Running Up That Hill The most Stranger Things needle drop reminds that Kate Bush saves lives.
7. Episode 3 The Monster and the Superhero
   Stranger Things Recap: Making Connections Don’t you love it when our friends start to come together?
8. Episode 2 Vecna’s Curse
   Stranger Things Recap: Proof of Life The gang is having trouble adapting to their new homes.
9. Episode 1 The Hellfire Club
   Stranger Things Season-Premiere Recap: Save the Cheerleader The Duffer Brothers promised a darker version of Stranger Things now that the kids are a little older and, buddies, they aren’t lying.

1. Episode 8 The Rightside Up
   Stranger Things Series-Finale Recap: When the Party’s Over The Party ventures into the Abyss for one last boss fight. Grab a d20 and a box of tissues for the epic finale.
2. Episode 7 The Bridge
   Stranger Things Recap: One Last Crawl The team puts Steve’s operation into action, but time is running out. It’s November 6th, and Vecna has plans of his own.
3. Episode 6 Escape From Camazotz
   Stranger Things Recap: Vessel, Builder, Sorcerer, Spy While Dustin’s discovery about the Upside Down has existential implications for Hawkins (and the world), the team has more pressing matters at hand.
4. Episode 5 Shock Jock
   Stranger Things Mid-Season-Premiere Recap: Plugged In Nothing can go wrong with three teams across two dimensions trying to execute a million different plans, right?
5. Episode 4 Sorcerer
   Stranger Things Midseason-Finale Recap: The Kid With the Powers After a gruesome battle in Hawkins and the Upside Down, it looks like the tables have turned.
6. Episode 3 The Turnbow Trap
   Stranger Things Recap: To Catch a Demogorgon The group pulls a classic Home Alone on a Demogorgon, with mixed results.
7. Episode 2 The Disappearance of Holly Wheeler
   Stranger Things Recap: Karen With Her Wine Who can blame Will for still being treated like a little kid? He can help the cause in ways no one else in the Party can.
8. Episode 1 The Crawl
   Stranger Things Season-Premiere Recap: Flipped Vecna might have a plan, but the Party is prepared to protect Hawkins from whatever he might throw at them.