Stranger Things - The Upside Down

The first season finale really is quite satisfying, but it ties up almost all the connecting subplots and seems to conclude even the main story arc until little is left to indicate a need for a second season. Dr. Brenner negotiates with Sheriff Hopper and Joyce (although it appears he was perhaps planning to renege on that deal) to keep the activities inside the lab hush-hush and maybe even surrender Eleven if they are allowed to enter the Upside Down to retrieve Will. Eleven is recovering from a visit to the Upside Down as Mike, Lucas, and Dustin wait with her in the gym. Jonathan and Nancy await the Monster from the Upside Down at Joyce's, setting up traps and gathering up weapons. Steve arrives much to Nancy and Jonathan's horror but winds up helping them when it arrives!

Steve's gallantry after some bullying and asshole behavior, deciding Nancy is more important than his prick friends, indicates there's hope for him yet perhaps. Still reeling from his pummeling at the hands of Jonathan, nonetheless Steve uses Jonathan's spiked bat to hurt the monster hovering over him. A bear trap, gun shots, and even fire fail to kill it! The monster heads back into Upside Down to eventually threaten Mike, Lucas, and Dustin...until Eleven interferes. Prior to that Brenner and his cold-blooded science team and gun-toting task force arrive to snatch back Eleven but several of them aren't prepared for her increased telepathic ability. Nearly killing her, Brenner tries one last time to take her off but the monster arrives to thwart his efforts.

Meanwhile Joyce and Hopper go through their town within the alternate Upside Down setting (I kept thinking Silent Hill) to locate Will, finding him in a type of stasis as this appendage reaches inside as if using his body for perhaps to incubate. Later Will gags up a small organism into his sink! Are we getting Slither (2006) coming up next?!

Rescuing Will, Eleven seemingly giving her life for her friends, Hopper flashbacking to the last memories of his daughter, the monster tackling Brenner, plenty of face-peeling-open monster roaring, Eleven causing lots of Brenner's task force to collapse after mind savaging them, and further basement D&D game playing offer lots of cool highlights.

Will Nancy remain with Steve after kissing Jonathan? Why did Hopper get into that car after the intimidating suit in glasses nodded at him when they pulled up? What was the Upside Down doing appearing as Will spat up that little creature? Is Eleven truly gone? Was Brenner's work isolated just in his lab considering all the firepower, structures, and equipment?

So there are open possibilities, but a lot was also taken care of, too. In only eight episodes, the show seemed to settle some issues opposing the characters and also it appeared certain dangers were dealt with. But these characters, the retro feel of the show, the era-distinctive music, and amalgamation of neighborhood kids involved in high-stakes action, mad science, alternate dimensions, monster mayhem, and telepathic mind-flexing didn't self destruct and weren't combustible elements. It all worked and left fans wanting more.