At long last, we make it into the Upside Down, and — per usual — it’s a terrifying place. Much to Robin’s dismay, Steve might have rabies, and the teens now find themselves stuck in an alternate dimension filled with alien-like bats and slimy, volatile vines (it’s all a “hive mind,” as Nancy reminds us). As they venture into the Upside Down version of the Wheeler’s house, the kids encounter Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Erica who are in the exact same location right-side up. Pretty cool, huh?
The episode gets even cooler when we encounter its big reveal: Over at the lab, Eleven is planning to escape alongside the lab technician who has offered to help. After removing his tracking device, she unwittingly sets the technician free, and we soon find out that this man is Henry Creel, the son of Victor Creel, who actually murdered his own family. Henry possesses telekinetic abilities too and was Dr. Brenner’s first test subject.
After being freed, he massacres nearly everyone in the lab, showing us that this long-foreshadowed tragedy was not El’s doing, but Henry’s. The final moments are where it gets wild: we realize this massacre took place years ago when El was still living at Hawkins Lab – and we see the most important memory that she has been repressing.
Determined to stop Henry, Past El used her powers on him and accidentally opened a portal to the Upside Down. Henry was plunged into the depths of this alternate dimension, where he became the vile creature that audiences know as Vecna.
Wow.
Other notable moments in this episode include the demogorgon fight, that trippy Upside Down portal the kids open in Eddie’s trailer, and BARB!
