Source: Netflix
Our journey in Hawkins, Indiana has come to a (temporary) end with “The Upside Down”. This episode featured the ultimate climax of the season as well as the resolution of it’s central mystery…all while setting up a new one.
Let’s start with the climax. While Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Eleven are still stuck at the school, Jonathan and Nancy have retreated back to the Byers house to lay the trap for the Demogorgon. This trap rivals any trap Macaulay Culkin ever made in any of the Home Alone movies. They lure the monster by cutting their hands, and while they’re waiting, Steve Harrington shows up all ready to be immature and jealous, but then…BAM. The Demogorgon appears. And it is angry. After a bit of a tease, it comes back full force and the three teens work together to catch it and set it on fire. While that seemed like a huge victory, it only seemed to make it madder.
Cut to the school, where the kiddos are being chased by the Bad Men. Eleven’s doing what she can to fend them off, but she’s still weak from the bathtub. Just when you think there’s no hope of them getting away, the Demogorgon shows up and basically eats and or kills all of the Bad Men. The kids try to escape it’s wrath by throwing rocks at it and other completely ineffective things, but Eleven ultimately decides to sacrifice herself by taking it into the Upside Down with her. 🙁 🙁 Oh wait, did I forget to mention, this is all AFTER Mike asked Eleven to the Snow Ball and kissed her?? MIDDLE SCHOOL LOVE–RIPPED APART BY THE DEMOGORGAN. I’m broken inside. Basically, Mike is a wreck, but they’re safe, thanks to Eleven.
Source: Netflix
On to the major resolution, Joyce and Hopper were permitted to journey into the Upside Down to look for Will, as long as they keep all of the experimenting a secret. While in there, Hopper has some very depressing flashbacks to when he lost hist daughter (presumably to cancer). Looking for Will and hearing Joyce’s pleas drudge up all of these feelings in him, which almost keep him from being able to help. Thankfully he pulls it back together and he and Joyce find Will! He’s attached to some sort of tentacle thing…who even knows. But he basically has a weird tentacle all the way down his throat and somehow they got him JUST in time! Yay! The End! Happily Ever After!
JK.
Flash forward a month.
Source: Netflix
- Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin are playing their game like they used to. Everyone seems happy and normal like nothing’s ever changed…until we see Mike look over at the tent he made for Eleven–still in tact. *cries for days*
- Upstairs, Jonathan arrives to pick up Will, and Nancy gives him a present…then she goes back to hang out with her still-bf Steve. …Not gonna harp on that.
- Hopper heads out to the woods and puts Eggo waffles under some sort of rock. …Who do we know that likes Eggos?!
- And back at home, Will goes into the bathroom, pukes up a slug, blinks, and pictures himself back in the Upside Down. Not only is this poor kiddo infected by a slug monster, but he’s also suffering from some MAJOR PTSD. Get this poor little guy some help!
We can assume next season will be spent trying to cure Will and find Eleven…if it’s not, I’d like to volunteer to rewrite the scripts.
Time for a rewatch yet?
Source: Netflix
