Stranger Things 2 Episode 9 Review – “Chapter Nine: The Gate”

Stranger Things 2 Episode 9 “Chapter Nine: The Gate”
Written by The Duffer Brothers
Directed by The Duffer Brothers
Premiered October 27, 2019 on Netflix

At its core, Stranger Things is a pretty standard story of good vs. evil, albeit one with immaculate aesthetics and a thumping score to heighten its tales of teenagers, families, and monsters both real and mystical. More specifically, it is a story about the effects of human connection, positive and negative alike, of how powerful and corruptible something as simple as anger or sadness can be – and although family or love can be a harder choice, one that requires a whole lot more suffering, is the only real option to conquer the darkness lying in the world – and within ourselves. It’s a simple ethos, but one that defines the many different interactions and climactic moments of “Chapter Nine: The Gate”, a season finale whose strong thematic thoroughline and emphatically confident third act help recover Stranger Things 2 from some of its stumbles earlier in the season, and successfully bridge the series from the small scale, evocative series it was, into the large-scale cultural phenomenon that would become its legacy.

Admittedly, it gets off to a bit of an awkward start; the minute Eleven is back into the fold of the group, it immediately points out how unnecessary, and ultimately reductive, it was for Stranger Things 2 to keep her isolated from everyone for the entire season. Even her dynamic with Hopper, which is basically absent from the season after she leaves following their fight in “Chapter Four: Will the Wise”, immediately benefits from its inclusion in the opening scenes, placing Hopper back on his heels, giving Joyce and the kids a bit of much-needed relief before the episode splits into its pair of final missions.

Those divergent paths, sending Hopper and Eleven back to the Lab and everyone else to the cabin to try and save Will, give Stranger Things 2 a pair of avenues to explore its central ethos, of the power of love and community over the intimidating, though ultimately limiting forces of anger and isolationism. Whether Hopper talking about feeling like a black hole, or Eleven remembering what Kali told her about channeling her worst memories into exercising her power, there aren’t many false notes “The Gate” hits – and more importantly, never stops the accelerating dramatic forces of the Demodogs and the (extremely sweaty) fight for Will’s soul to make its themes feel blatant or pandering, delivering its ideas with a level of nuance that’s been missing from Stranger Things 2 in its lesser moments.

The best example of this ethos arguably comes from the other story of the episode; after lamenting their place on the sidelines of the story in its final chapter, the Loser’s Club and their new leader Steve come face-to-face with an unhinged Billy, as their simmering conflicts around his relationship with Max come screaming to light after he tracks them all down at the Byers house. Billy, as a purely organic representation of anger’s corruptible powers, makes for a terrifying presence as he beats on Steve and threatens Lucas – and when Max injects him with tranquilizer and nearly puts Steve’s nail-filled bat to his testicles, it springs to life the episode’s ultimate exploration of its themes, where Eleven stands off against the massive, gaping portal Dr. Owens and his team have opened below Hawkins.

In a lesser season finale, Eleven’s “fight” against the portal would be nothing but some cheap CGI nonsense; but after flailing around with Eleven’s character all season, “The Gate” finds her in the nick of time, as she resists the notion that she’ll be consumed by anger and regret (though she’s still giving Max the cold shoulder) – though they may be a reliable catalyst for her powers, it’s when she thinks of her family (as “The Gate” cuts away to see the other two groups, increasingly bathed in the brightening lights around them) that she is able to ‘defeat’ the gate, pushing her powers to their absolute limit, before collapsing, relieved, into Hopper’s arms (when he tells her “you did good, kid”… what a moment). Though it would’ve been nice to see this story blossom a bit before her and Hopper are on an elevator, closing the gate while the score swells behind them, it’s an undeniably effective moment, and one that finally fills the promise of the bond that’s been forming between Eleven and Hopper since season one.

And then, of course, “The Gate” ends at the middle school winter ball, the dance Mike wanted to take Eleven to last season, but all of them ended up missing. And what a great closing sequence to the season it is, teasing some of the stories and themes awaiting the party in season three, while allowing everyone – especially characters like Will and Dustin – have a moment of victory, as Stranger Things 2 takes a brief victory lap around the Hawkins Middle gymanisum (the same one that served as the emotional setting of “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down”).

Of course, sense of peace and victory is not made to last; after a brief moment of Hopper consoling Joyce as they share a cigarette outside the dance, Stranger Things 2 ends on the image of the Mind Flayer looming over Hawkins Middle in the Upside Down, an evocative final image that speaks to the dangers, both mental and metaphysical, awaiting everyone as Stranger Things looks towards the maximalist second act awaiting in Stranger Things 3 (some 20 months later, of course). And it brings Stranger Things 2 and the many ups and downs of its sophomore effort to a strong, ominous close, a fitting end to a surprisingly emotional, redemptive season finale.

Grade: B+

Other thoughts/observations:

• And that’s a wrap on Stranger Things 2! Stranger Things 3 reviews will begin later tonight, as we begin our 10 days of binging Stranger Things 3 and Stranger Things 4 before the final season begins next week.
  
• RIP to romance author Johanna Lindsey, who passed in 2019. I’m sure Karen is still enjoying her novels today.
  
• We see Dr. Owens, only a bit worse for wear after his Demo-dog bites, meet with Hopper to give him a new birth certificate for Eleven. See you in season four!
  
• Steve: “I may be a shitty boyfriend, but it turns out I’m a pretty good babysitter.” I’m sorry, but if you don’t love Steve, I question your humanity.
  
• Speaking of Steve… Billy isn’t entirely wrong that it looks a bit weird he’s just hanging out with his missing sister at some middle schooler’s house.
  
• Do we ever learn more about the coughing tunnel butthole that sneezes on Dustin?
  
• Barb gets her funeral, and her parents get a convenient lie about her dying because of some experimental chemical asphyxiant Hawkins Lab put out.
  
• Dustin’s mom has a new cat. Love it.
  
• Dustin gets to learn about relationships from Steve and Nancy, who learned so much from each other about love over the first two seasons. It’s an arc I really like seeing resolved in the finale.