Stranger Things is one of the most popular shows of the 2010s. It's hard to pinpoint just what made it so popular. Perhaps it's the 80s nostalgia. Perhaps it's the incredible cast of characters. Or maybe it's just the solid story that remains well told and emotional.
Of course, not everything about the story works. Such is what you get with a story spanning dozens of episodes and hours. There have been many intriguing plot twists scattered throughout Stranger Things, some of which worked and some of which didn't.
Hurt: The Horrible Nancy Cliffhanger
Season one is a very solidly-told story, and most of it is airtight. But then there is the absolutely horrible cliffhanger ending to The Flea and the Acrobat. Everything is written and edited in a very sloppy manner. Nancy climbs into the hole by herself after calling for Jonathan once. For some reason he doesn't hear her, despite being very close by (and he later hears her through the tree). The tree seemingly closes behind Nancy, yet it's open again at the beginning of the next episode. She's in the Upside Down for all of one minute. All told, it's a very sloppy and silly cliffhanger that amounted to nothing.
Helped: "Killing" Will
If audiences weren't "with" Stranger Things by episode three, they certainly were by the end of it. At the end of Holly, Jolly, Eleven takes the boys to Will's house, as she knows that he is hiding there in the Upside Down. However, this is intercepted when Will's body is found in the nearby quarry. It's a solid plot twist that had viewers gasping and disbelieving what they saw. Of course, it wasn't actually Will's body. But it got viewers invested nonetheless.
Hurt: Dart
The entire concept behind Dart was woefully misaimed. For one thing, audiences are led to believe that this creature from the Upside Down just managed to find its way into Dustin's garbage– one of a very select few who knows about the Upside Down. How fortuitous. The entire storyline also turns Dustin into an unlikable and borderline foolish character. He was lonely, yes, but this is a creature from the Upside Down...
Helped: Steve Returns
Throughout season one, Steve is portrayed as a complex character. He clearly loves Nancy, but at the same time, he's depicted as the typical jock bully.
This is made even worse when he breaks Jonathan's camera and partakes in the slander of Nancy's name. However, he redeems himself by apologizing to Jonathan and helping them dispose of the Demogorgon. It showed that Steve wasn't just "the bully," and it showed that Stranger Things wouldn't fall into cliché character tropes.
Hurt: The Lost Sister
One of the major plot twists of season two concerns the reveal of another "special" child. Eight is given the very first scene of the season, and she and her gang of punk misfits later become the subject of their own episode. Unfortunately, The Lost Sister was a miserable failure on nearly all fronts. No one seemed to care about another special kid, and even if they did, the acting and writing of the episode would have thrown them off entirely.
Helped: Will Confronts The Mind Flayer
Stranger Things once again proved that it wouldn't fall into the cliché with Will's attempts to face off against the Mind Flayer. Will decides to take Bob's advice to heart and confront the Mind Flayer in an attempt to "face his fear." In a lesser show, this would have worked. Will would have overcome his fears and the Mind Flayer would have disappeared in a poof. Instead, Will gets a face full of Mind Flayer and becomes possessed. What an ending.
Hurt: Will In Trouble (Again)
As amazing as that ending is, it still doesn't help the overall storytelling of the season. While it's understandable why Will was targeted (having the ability to mentally project into the Upside Down), it was a little tiring see Will be the target yet again.
Audiences wanted something fresh, and this just came across as a slight rehash of season one. It's not a bad story by any means, but it is a little repetitive.
Helped: Evil Will
After Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer, he begins acting on its accord. This leads to one of the series' finest plot twists. Will tells the scientists at the lab that the Mind Flayer is "afraid" of a particular location in the tunnels, as it will lead to its demise. The scientists head down there, but audiences discover that Will was acting with the Mind Flayer, not against it. The scientists are promptly killed and the monsters finally infiltrate the lab.
Hurt: Billy Getting Possessed
Billy's possession played a little differently than Will's. Whereas Will served as a "spy" for the Mind Flayer and generally regained his personality, Billy went right off the deep end. He became a different, more confrontational person altogether and gathered up the Flayed. Unfortunately, it was still just another "the Mind Flayer possesses someone and uses them to its benefit" storyline. It's another example of the show reusing its own storylines, and by season three, it was getting really tiring.
Helped: Hopper's "Death"
Season three ends in spectacular fashion with Hopper's "death." It's a very emotional moment, and it ends the season on a very somber tone. Everything that comes after is influenced by Hopper's death, including Joyce adopting Eleven and moving out of Hawkins. Of course, Hopper isn't dead (as the ending suggested and the season 4 teaser confirmed), but it was a stellar way to end a stellar season nonetheless.