As is the case with most legendary shows that change the landscape of television, Stranger Things, too, has been criticized to the ends of the earth. From the long gap between seasons to the lack of lasting repercussions for its main characters, to death fakeouts becoming too predictable. The show did have its fair share of shortcomings.
When Netflix's Stranger Things started in 2016, Barack Obama was still president. Since then, the show has spanned four presidencies over 10 years. But even with its undeniable flaws, the supernatural sci-fi series will always be one of the most influential TV shows ever made.
Now, after bidding a bittersweet goodbye to the saga, with an imperfect Stranger Things season 5, we can look back on the moments when it did its finest storytelling. The Duffer Brothers gave us some of television's most rewatchable moments that stand only a few notches below Game of Thrones.
In this article, Winter is Coming looks back at the show's remarkable moments that hit hardest upon rewatch. While some of these scenes multiply your stress tenfold, others leave you with a subtle but heavy realization. They either make you angry scared, emotional, or make you think deeper. We've excluded Stranger Things season 5 moments, as we still need more time to process the ending.
Will disappearing for the first time (Season 1 Episode 1)
Will Byers' disappearance in "The Vanishing of Will Byers" kick-started the whole plot of Stranger Things. Rewatching the entire sequence now makes you feel much sadder and even scared for a 12-year-old Will, who's going to be haunted by this for years.
A panicked Will rushes home after seeing a Demogorgon while cycling. When he realizes no one's home to help him, he rushes to the shed to hide. He loads bullets in a shotgun and readies to fire as he hears a blood-curdling growl. Will trembling as he tries to be brave and fight back makes his fate feel so much sadder upon rewatch. You also appreciate how well an 11-year-old Noah Schnapp acted in that scene upon rewatch.
In the next moment, everything goes silent, the bulb flickers, and just like that, Will is gone. After watching all the episodes now, this scene makes you hurt for Joyce, too. She was raising her two sons all alone after their wicked father left. To think that now her struggles will amplify tenfold is just heartbreaking.
Steve saves Jonathan and Nancy from a Demogorgon (Season 1 Episode 8)
Just like every other Stranger Things fan, I too misunderstood Steve for a jerk in season 1. His quiet support of his friends writing "Nancy the SL*T Wheeler" across town after their breakup and his physical fight with Jonathan in episode 6, "The Monster," convinced me, we were seeing the origins of a villain.
But in a pivotal make-or-break moment, Steve shocks us all and turns into a hero in episode 8, "The Upside Down." He arrives at the Byers' residence to apologize to Nancy and ends up saving her from a Demogorgon. When Steve arrives unexpectedly, Nancy refuses to explain what's going on and threatens him to leave with a gun.
You see him shellshocked, witnessing a Demogorgon appear moments later. Steve starts losing his mind and even leaves. But just as the monster tries to attack Nancy, Steve reappears and beats the Upside Down out of the creature. You can see he's petrified. The three of them work together as a team to burn the Demogorgon later.
In hindsight, this is one of the most game-changing show moments. It's the point when Steve becomes a hero and a regular in all the Upside Down action about to come. The show even makes you realize you had him misunderstood all along.
Nancy breaking down after talking to Barb's parents (Season 2 Episode 1)
This is one of those understated Stranger Things moments that you can only appreciate upon a rewatch. It's a hidden gem and hits all the emotional notes.
In the season 2 episode, "MADMAX", Steve and Nancy pay a visit to Barb's parents. It's devastating to see them holding on to hope that their daughter will return after we all saw what happened to her in season 1.
Upon rewatch, you will feel an ache when Barb's parents reveal they sold their house and have spent all their life savings to hire a detective to find their lost girl. It especially hurts to hear Barb's mom says, "For the first time in a long time, we are hopeful."
You feel Nancy's sheer pain and guilt as she looks at Barb's picture in the bathroom and sobs. She can't tell Barb's parents the truth and has to watch them tear their life apart. The nostalgic background music also does tricks that bring tears to your eyes. The Duffer brothers definitely nailed this one.
Billy being harassed and abused by his father (Season 2 Episode 8)
I had a gnarly feeling in my gut anytime Billy was onscreen. I never thought this show could make me sympathize with such a volatile character. But in episode 8, "The Mind Flayer," we see how Billy is treated by his abusive father. You realize where his awful bullying habits stem from.
Threatening him to find Max, who has been gone all day, Billy's tyrannical dad hurls disturbing slurs at him. He slams him against the wall to physically threaten him to cancel his date to go find Max. You realize just how sick Billy is of being Max's babysitter and why he is so rude to her all the time. You also realize his overprotectiveness of Max stems from fear that his father will beat him up if something were to happen to her.
It dawned on me just how complex the Stranger Things characters are. They aren't black or white, and even the worst villains can have a backstory you can empathize with.
Billy's heroic sacrifice (Season 3 Finale)
Billy going from Hawkins' biggest jerk to savior was a redemption arc none of us saw coming. In the hard-hitting season 3 finale, "The Battle of Starcourt," he sacrifices himself to save Eleven and consequently ends up saving the entire town of Hawkins from the Mind Flayer.
Billy, who has turned into one of the Mind Flayer's puppets, attacks El at the mall, but she taps into his pleasant childhood memories with his mother. You see Billy slowly mentally breaking out of the Mind Flayer's possession. He then gets up and stops the creature from stabbing El. In the end, he gets stabbed and brutally killed by the creature for choosing the right side.
In his last moments with Max, Billy utters a gut-wrenching "I'm sorry" to Max for years of bullying and torture. Max, who has hated Billy her whole life, is helplessly sobbing. Upon rewatching, you realize that Billy's story is one of the finest written character arcs in the entire show.
Chrissy's harrowing death and introduction of Vecna (Season 4 Episode 1)
In season 4, episode 1, "The Hellfire Club," Stranger Things took horror to a whole new level. Vecna's name is mentioned a couple of times during the episode, but little do we know just how much worse he will make things for these characters. This is also the first time we meet the iconic Eddie Munson.
In one of the show's most grotesque moments, we see Chrissy Cunningham, a freshly introduced character, dying a disturbing death. Her mind is possessed by Vecna, her body begins to levitate inside Eddie's trailer, and just like that, her limbs, neck, and jaw snap while her eyes sink inward.
It is one of the show's scariest moments. Just when you thought the show couldn't get any better, it delivered its peak horror moment. Upon rewatch, you realize just how amazing a twist Vecna's introduction was for Stranger Things.
Max floating above the cemetery (Season 4 Episode 4)
Max floating above the cemetery in season 4, episode 4, "Dear Billy," is one of the most iconic moments in the entire show. It's so cinematically breathtaking, it became many non-fans' first visual introduction to the show.
Max, who's Vecna's new victim, has been suffering all season as she deals with Billy's death. She's distanced herself from friends. When she realizes she could soon face Chrissy's fate, she writes a letter to all her friends. She then visits Billy's grave to read her letter to him out loud.
As the boys, Steve, Dustin, and Lucas, wait for Max to be done with her cemetery time, she's possessed by Vecna. They turn on the banger Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" to help Max exit the trance-like state. When she meets Billy in the trance, we learn just how dark Max's life and thoughts have gotten after Billy's death. He says, "Why sometimes, late at night, you wish to follow me. Follow me into death."
It's also the first time we see Vecna's dream hellscape filled with a dark and oppressive red sky, a grandfather clock, creepy staircases, and more.
Vecna's identity reveal and Henry's backstory (Season 4 Episode 7)
The creepy Creel family storyline is one of Stranger Things' best mysteries. We follow the family's story in bits and pieces as Nancy and Robin investigate the death of the family members. As the story unravels, we meet 001 in episode 5, "The Nina Project," while El revisits her old memories to help Papa and other scientists.
We later learn he's 001 aka Henry Creel and that he killed his family. The shocking reveal comes after Henry has already killed all the innocent kids in the lab. El then fights off Henry using her supernatural powers and ends up tearing the fabric of reality, thus opening the Upside Down, and creating Vecna in the process.
The "Henry being 001" and turning into Vecna adds layers to the show's lore and mystery. The fact that the Duffer brothers created such a layered lore without a strong source material makes it even more enjoyable upon rewatch.
Dustin and Eddie's uncle chat (Season 4 Episode 9)
As much as I loved Eddie in season 4, his death simply didn't hit me the same as it did for scores of other fans. His staying behind in the Upside Down to distract the demobats instead of escaping with the others and sacrificing himself in the process felt utterly pointless.
However, Dustin's conversation with Eddie's uncle at Hawkins High School in the end is what struck a chord with me. It's one of the scenes you can only appreciate upon rewatch.
Eddie’s uncle arrives at Hawkins High, where the entire town has mobilized after the so-called “earthquake.” He changes the "Missing Person" photo he has put up to help find Eddie, but his bullies deface the picture. You feel the sheer extent to which Eddie was bullied and just how close-minded people were back then.
When talking to Dustin, his uncle jumps to defend him, showing that even he’s aware of what Eddie faced in school. However, it's Dustin’s lines that bring tears to your eyes.
"I wish everyone had gotten to know. Really know him. Because they would've loved him," Dustin says as Eddie's uncle fights his tears.
Even in the end, he never stopped being Eddie. Despite everything, this line was the true point of Eddie’s character. It's a lesson in being yourself and pursuing things that bring you joy, even if the world is hellbent on misunderstanding and even hating you for it.