The 10 best Stranger Things episodes of all time, according to their rating on IMDb

Season three was done dirty

2 years ago

Everyone’s got strong opinions on what are THEE definitive and best Stranger Things episodes of all time, and none more so than the fans doing the user rating over on IMDb. According to their ratings, these are officially the 10 best episodes of Stranger Things – and you know what? I’m not that mad at it. Season three was done dirty on the whole, but what’s new! It always bloody is. Here are the ranked top 10 episodes of Stranger Things, according to their rating on IMDb.

10. The Sauna Test (Season three)
IMDb rating: 8.9

Things really started hotting up in season three with this episode, as Eleven realises something is wrong with Billy and her and the gang trap him in the sauna to try and get The Mind Flayer out of him. It’s a great hour of television that really amps up the threat of the season.

9. The Body (Season one)
IMDb rating: 8.9

In this episode, the Hawkins police recover Will’s “body”, but Joyce doesn’t believe that it’s her son. Eleven gets a makeover from the boys and heads to school with them and Nancy and Jonathan begin working together in their respective quests for Barb and Will answers. Sneaks into the Stranger Things high rating IMDb episodes as it was a real kick into gear for season one and the mystery got a whole lot bigger.

8. The Bathtub (Season one)
IMDb rating: 9.0

The penultimate episode of season one gets ranked eighth best amongst Stranger Things episodes on IMDb. It’s an episode in which the gang assemble a makeshift bathtub similar to the one Brenner would submerge Eleven in in Hawkins Lab during his experiments. Eleven uses her powers to confirm that Barb is dead in the Upside Down but Will is alive – the perfect kicker before the big finale.

7. The Spy (Season two)
IMDb rating: 9.1

SO much amps up in The Spy – as Dr Sam Owens finds out that Will is connected via a virus to the Upside Down and specifically The Mind Flayer. We finally see the MASSIVE size of The Gate, Steve and Dustin build on their double act bond and the Demogorgons attack the tunnels on the telepathic word of Will’s advice. Chaos!

6. The Mind Flayer (Season two)
IMDb rating: 9.2

Stranger Things played its most brutal card ever in its heartbreaking killing of Bob – a heroic death for a lovely man. The Demogorgons loose in the Lab is terrifying. A GREAT hour of telly.

5. The Battle of Starcourt (Season three)
IMDb rating: 9.2

How the hell this masterpiece isn’t in the top three episodes is beyond me. Battle of Starcourt is huge, a cinematic experience and a big 80s B-Movie horror spectacle that shows the ensemble cast and the evil of the Upside Down at their best. It’s SO good. The perfect end to season three that nails the entire story off in huge, explosive firework fashion.

4. The Gate (Season two)
IMDb rating: 9.3

The climactic finale of season two sees Eleven descend into where The Gate is as Hopper stands with her. The rest of the gang try and burn the Mind Flayer out of Will and then Nancy exposes Hawkins Lab and gets it shut down. The dance at the end is so cute.

3. The Upside Down (Season one)
IMDb rating: 9.3

The finale of Stranger Things season one takes third place on the IMDb best episodes ranking, and it’s easy to see why it’s a fan favourite. Steve gets his redemption, the Demogorgon gets eviscerated and Joyce gets Will back. But not before he vomits up a vile looking Upside Down slug into the bathroom sink. It’s far from over!

2. Dear Billy (Season four)
IMDb rating: 9.5

IF I COULD, I’D MAKE A DEAL WITH GOD, I’D GET HIM TO SWAP OUR PLACES! BE RUNNING UP THAT ROAD, BE RUNNING UP THAT HILL, BE RUNNING UP THAT BUILDINGGGGG!!!!

1. The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (Season four)
IMDb rating: 9.7

If you’re going to have an episode that’s as long as a feature film (one hour and 40 minutes, guys!) then you better make it worth every minute. The Massacre at Hawkins Lab is worth every minute. Jamie Campbell Bower is absolutely terrifying as 001 even before he’s revealed as Vecna and Henry Creel. Joyce and Hopper are finally reunited, the Hawkins gang battling through the Upside Down is a thrill ride and the whole episode is just a spectacle. I personally would have Dear Billy as number one and this at two – but it’s an episode that’s a force to be reckoned with.

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