‘Stranger Things’: 10 Best Episodes, Ranked
Stranger Things‘ final season is upon us, and while we are eager to dive into the episodes sure to deliver an exciting adventure, we can’t help but reflect on the Netflix series’ early installments.
While opinions are subjective, and all episodes from the Duffer Brothers-created series are impressive in their own ways, there are a few installments that just stand out above the rest. Of the 34 episodes from Seasons 1 through 4, we’re ranking 10 of the best episodes so far below.
Scroll down to see which episodes made the cut and where they fall in our ranking. Let us know your rankings and picks for the best episodes in the comments section, and stay tuned for updates on this list as Season 5 unfolds.
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Premiere, November 26, 8/7c, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 8/7c, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 8/7c, Netflix
10. "Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer" (Season 2 Episode 8)
Worlds collide in this pivotal Season 2 installment, which sees Joyce (Winona Ryder) determined to free her son Will (Noah Schnapp) of his seeming possession by the Mind Flayer, controlling him from The Upside Down. After a forced escape from Hawkins’ Lab leaves poor Bob Newby (Sean Astin) dead, all roads lead to the Byers home, where Will’s family and friends attempt to trick the Mind Flayer into revealing secrets. They do so by tying Will to a post in a disguised shed, and their individual interrogations of the possessed boy are some of the show’s best scenes to date. The ultimate payoff of the installment, once the gang has deciphered Will’s inner message to “Close Gate” through Morse code, is Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) return, arriving like the superhero she is to help save the day.
9. "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" (Season 1 Episode 1)
You couldn’t have Stranger Things without the first episode, which sets up the disappearance of Will Byers, and the emergence of Eleven, as Hawkins, Indiana’s citizens are introduced to the idea that their small town isn’t as safe as it seems on the surface. While the premiere episode may not be the flashiest, without its storytelling and intrigue, the series ultimately wouldn’t be where it is now, and it’s an overall great introduction to the world, landing “The Vanishing of Will Byers” on this list.
8. "Chapter Four: The Sauna Test" (Season 3 Episode 4)
Marking the halfway point of Season 3, “The Sauna Test” follows Eleven, Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Will (Noah Schnapp) as they attempt to uncover if Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) behavior has anything to do with the Mind Flayer. Meanwhile, Joyce and Hopper (David Harbour) confront the Mayor (played by Cary Elwes) in a scene that feels as if it’s been plucked from an ’80s movie (in a good way). The episode pushes the plot forward and begins to unravel the behaviors of the flayed as well as plunges Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), Erica (Priah Ferguson), and Robin (Maya Hawke) into the secret Russian elevator and base beneath Hawkins’ new Starcourt Mall. What’s not to enjoy?
7. "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback" (Season 4 Episode 9)
Season 4’s expansive finale episode not only makes this ranking for its runtime, but also for the Duffer Brothers’ ability to satisfy all storylines for the season over the course of its run. From the infiltration of the Upside Down by Steve, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin, Dustin, and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) to Lucas’s efforts to help protect Max from being killed by the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), this non-stop thrill ride of an episode also reaches across the globe to Hopper and Joyce’s Russian prison battle with Demogorgon’s and to a pizza freezer somewhere in the desert outside California. Setting up the final season, this key episode solidifies its spot among the show’s best from its very first second.
6. "Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt" (Season 3 Episode 8)
The epic conclusion of Season 3 is weighed down by a one-two punch in the emotional toll department as Billy faces his demise and Hopper seemingly sacrifices himself in an effort to shut the gate to the Upside Down underneath Starcourt Mall. The fireworks used to distract the terrifying Spider Monster only add to the grandeur of the episode, which is a standout from its season.
5. "Chapter Nine: The Gate" (Season 2 Episode 9)
There is so much to love about Season 2’s finale, beginning with the long-awaited reunion as Eleven returns to Hawkins, revealing to her friends and crush Mike that she is alive after they believed she’d been dead. While Hopper and Eleven go off to close the gate at Hawkins’ Lab, others head underground to burn the hive mind in hopes of giving Joyce, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Nancy a chance to excise the Mind Flayer from Will. The episode concludes with the sweet but ominous Snow Ball dance at Hawkins Middle School, which remains iconic years later.
4. "Chapter Four: The Body" (Season 1 Episode 4)
In the wake of Will’s “body” being discovered, Joyce is in denial, and Hopper begins to investigate. While all hope seems lost for the missing boy, an encounter Joyce has through the walls of her home brings renewed hope and fear in equal measure, as Will’s pals also attempt to uncover the truth behind his disappearance. When Hopper cuts open the fake body passed off as Will’s, the level of Hawkins’ far-reaching conspiracy begins to be exposed in a delicious way.
3. "Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" (Season 4 Episode 7)
After offering viewers glimpses of the origin of Season 4’s big bad Vecna, a.k.a. Henry Creel, this episode sets the record straight on his role at Hawkins’ Lab and his connection with Eleven. Transformed after he’s sent hurtling through the Upside Down, Vecna’s exterior is a far cry from that of Henry Creel, a man who massacred his family and let his father take the blame. He was put into the care of Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), and it’s uncovered that Henry Creel was also “001,” the first subject of the psychokinetic testing on children at Hawkins’ Lab. The illuminating episode is gripping from beginning to end.
2. "Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly" (Season 1 Episode 3)
Strange things begin happening amid the search for Will in Season 1 with this impactful episode. As Hopper begins to suspect all is not right with Hawkins’ Lab, Joyce is driven to explore using lights to try and connect with her son from beyond her own dimension, unaware of the secret excursions being made to the Upside Down by Dr. Brenner and team. Meanwhile, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Eleven work on trying to locate Will with her powers, and despite her assurances that Will was alive, the body recovered at the quarry hints at another fate. While this final scene may be proven to be a ruse in the following installment, our guts never fail to drop when the young kids witness the unimaginable as Peter Gabriel‘s cover of David Bowie‘s “Heroes” plays over the scene. The episode also delivers other iconic moments like Barb’s (Shannon Purser) demise and those Christmas lights and painted letters decor synonymous with the series.
1. "Chapter Four: Dear Billy" (Season 4 Episode 4)
OK, it’s a toss-up between this and Season 1’s “Holly, Jolly” as the top-ranked episode, but something about Season 4’s effective entry, “Dear Billy,” edges out the competition. Along with delivering the show’s most iconic musical moment with the use of Kate Bush‘s “Running Up That Hill,” this episode’s focus on Max and her journey with grief is extremely grounding in a season filled with large-scale scares. While this installment isn’t devoid of said scares, it is the poignancy of Max’s precarious position as a potential Vecna victim, and the treatment she receives from her friends, that reminds us of the heart of this series and the bonds and connections that carry you through tough times.
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