Stranger Things Episode 8 Review – “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down”

Stranger Things “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down”
Written by Paul Dichter (story), The Duffer Brothers (teleplay)
Directed by The Duffer Brothers
Premiered July 15, 2016 on Netflix

Now that’s what I call television! “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down” is as strong a dramatic statement as any season finale Netflix has produced and aired over the past decade, a near-flawless distillation of everything the preceding seven episodes had to say about family, courage, and love, in the form of a cascading series of showdowns between the three factions of Hawkins residents and the Demogorgon hunting after them all. And although it is a loud, flashy hour of Eleven flexing her powers and the Demogorgon piling up bodies left and right, Stranger Things never lets the spectacle of its season finale get in the way of its heart – and surprisingly, achieves this not just through the usual suspects of characters like Joyce or Eleven, but through a grumpy, disheveled middle-aged man who finally makes a choice to forgive himself.

“The Upside Down” opens with Hopper and Joyce being interrogated by Brenner, who finally gets to step into the light as Stranger Things‘ real antagonist, conveyed beautifully through Modine’s brilliantly measured, reserved performance. I almost wish this episode kept the two of them there longer, to see more shades of Brenner leak through to the surface; but it isn’t long before Hopper makes a deal to give up Eleven’s location and play ignorant around town, in return for the protection of the three boys who are putting everything on the line to try and find Will and protect Eleven. And while some might take umbrage with Hopper’s choice here, I think it actually makes perfect sense for the arc of his character; as we’ve seen, Hopper is not afraid to take drastic action and let the chips fall where they may, and after seeing El’s abilities in motion, it’s not a stretch to think Hopper took a pragmatic approach to save the boy in immediate danger, and assume the girl with the telekinetic powers would be able to fend for herself, at least for a little while.

Hopper’s story, of course, is grounded by the unexpected trio of flashbacks we get this episode, Hopper’s memories of his daughter getting sick and dying triggered by his and Joyce’s trip into the Upside Down to try and find Will. Though Stranger Things has alluded to Hopper losing his child and the effects it had on him as a cop and human being have been well-noted, the memory-like quality of these flashbacks are an absolute gut punch that anchors the more dramatic, fantastical moments of the finale, as we watch Hopper learn just how little control we really have on the world around us, and that all we can do is fight for the ones we love and hope it works out right. His daughter flatlining as Will is brought back to life is a moment that could feel a lot cheaper on a lesser series; but in “The Upside Down”, it anchors the victories of the Byers family with the melancholic story of Hopper and the loss of his daughter, bringing an extra layer of unexpected emotional depth to the show’s climactic rescue of Will, which plays out while everyone in the other world fights off the Demogorgon.

The Demogorgon’s attack on everyone is the episode’s driving force, the thoroughline that finally puts all of the characters in the same building for a dramatic, violent showdown with the monster. There’s so much to enjoy here, from Steve’s badass turn taking on the Demogorgon with a nail-laden baseball bat, to Dustin carrying Eleven from danger after she kills Frazier and several agents surrounding them – and, of course, the final, strobe-laden showdown between the party and the Demogorgon in a Hawkins classroom, where Lucas’s deus ex slingshot finally come back into the picture, and Eleven sacrifices herself to vaporize the monster and save her friends.

It’s an appropriately epic buildup, weaving the Demogorgon through each disparate group in Hawkins, before pulling them all together at the middle school for the big finale. Contrasted with the rescue of Will from The Upside Down (where he’s found with a tentacle attached to his mouth, in quite an unhealthy state), it gives “The Upside Down” an impeccably-paced emotional crescendo, which leaves Eleven gone in a puff of smoke, Brenner attacked by the Demogorgon, and the party forever changed by their successful, superhero-aided campaign to save their friend from the Upside Down’s darkness.

… or did they? After delivering an insanely satisfying season finale, Stranger Things ends on a few incredibly interesting moments. Steve and Nancy reconcile in time for the holidays, buying Jonathan a new camera so he can document his reunited family as the discuss what may be lying underneath the tree for them the next morning – all while Hopper is leaving meals and Eggos out in the woods, presumably for the girl he narced on with the best of intentions. But all is not quite well in the world; Mike still keeps Eleven’s fort ready, though it remains empty; there’s a sight of Hopper getting into a car with some appropriately-shady individuals; and then we end on Will, who excuses himself to go to the bathroom and throw up a slug, similar to one we saw crawling out of dead Barb’s mouth but a few scenes earlier (this is also right before Joyce and Hopper see a cracked-open, Alien-esque egg in the Upside Down).

After sticking the landing, Stranger Things wastes no time setting up a few threads for a (then-still potential) second season, an enticing little coda that does nothing to undercut the emotional resonance of its finale – even after nine years, it’s still impressive to see “The Upside Down” and what it consistently delivers, both in terms of restrained spectacle and its small and large emotional beats alike. It’s really the last time Stranger Things would feel as contained as it does in “The Upside Down”, which also lends it a bit of nostalgic pleasure upon rewatch; though its later, larger seasons have their own values and shortcomings, its ever-widening lens (which is apparent in the first two minutes of season two) and presence at the heart of the cultural zeitgeist changed what kind of series Stranger Things would eventually become. If only for a moment, “The Upside Down” captured Stranger Things in its purest form, infectiously blending 80s homage with a strong emotional core, an awesome score, and a mastery of form that makes season one more than a pastiche of 80s coming-of-age comedies, filtering its inspirations into a singular vision of friendship, terror, and family unlike anything Netflix had ever seen (or really, has ever seen since).

Grade: A

Other thoughts/observations:

• That’s a wrap on Stranger Things‘ first season! Reviews of Stranger Things 2, Stranger Things 3, and expanded rewrites of my 2022 Stranger Things 4 reviews will continue to publish through November, leading right into reviews of season five as episodes debut.
  
• Oh, poor Mike: after working up the courage to ask Eleven to the Snow Ball and sneak in a very awkward, short kiss before the Demogorgon attacked them, he sees it all go up a literal ball of smoke and Demogorgon ashes. Rough way for a first crush to end.
  
• There are some weird bits of lore, like blood in our world showing up in the Upside Down, but Stranger Things smartly waves it away, when Mike does exactly that with the details and unanswered threads of their 10-hour D&D session.
  
• Characters learn to act with conviction: Steve with a bat, and Will with his fireball. Growth!
  
• I think the fact we didn’t get a closeup of dead “Will” for two episodes is probably a telling sign of Brenner’s fate. Just sayin’.
  
• Hopper enjoying the best cigarette of his life after the events of the evening is a great moment. More smoking on TV!
  
• Anyone notice El’s eyes briefly turning red as she approached the Demogorgon?
  
• Fun fact: I once played Matthew Cuthbert in a production of Anne of Green Gables, which Hopper reads to his daughter in the hospital.
  
• Nancy pulling a gun on Steve to get him to listen is one of the funniest moments of the whole season.