The Best Episodes Directed By Matt Duffer

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.0/10(207 votes)

   #1 - Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab

   S4:E75/27/2022

   As Hopper braces to battle a monster, Dustin dissects Vecna's motives — and decodes a message from beyond. El finds strength in a distant memory.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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2. 

   8.7/10(495 votes)

   #2 - Chapter One: The Hellfire Club

   S4:E15/27/2022

   El is bullied at school. Joyce opens a mysterious package. A scrappy player shakes up D&D night.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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3. 

   8.6/10(245 votes)

   #3 - Chapter Eight: Papa

   S4:E87/1/2022

   Nancy has sobering visions, and El passes an important test. Back in Hawkins, the gang gathers supplies and prepares for battle.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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4. 

   8.6/10(354 votes)

   #4 - Chapter One: The Crawl

   S5:E111/26/2025

   November, 1987. The gang evades the military to scour the Upside Down for Vecna — but fails to notice a threat lurking closer to home.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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5. 

   8.6/10(251 votes)

   #5 - Chapter Nine: The Piggyback

   S4:E97/1/2022

   With selfless hearts and a clash of metal, heroes fight from every corner of the battlefield to save Hawkins — and the world itself.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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6. 

   8.6/10(216 votes)

   #6 - Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt

   S3:E87/4/2019

   Terror reigns in the food court when the Mind Flayer comes to collect. But down below, in the dark, the future of the world is at stake.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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7. 

   8.6/10(227 votes)

   #7 - Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer

   S2:E810/27/2017

   An unlikely hero steps forward when a deadly development puts the Hawkins Lab on lockdown, trapping Will and several others inside.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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8. 

   8.5/10(1814 votes)

   #8 - Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers

   S1:E17/15/2016

   On his way home from a friend's house, young Will sees something terrifying. Nearby, a sinister secret lurks in the depths of a government lab.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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9. 

   8.5/10(267 votes)

   #9 - Chapter Seven: The Bathtub

   S1:E77/15/2016

   Eleven struggles to reach Will, while Lucas warns that "the bad men are coming." Nancy and Jonathan show the police what Jonathan caught on camera.

   Director:Matt Duffer

   Writer:N/A

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   Director:Matt Duffer

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10. 

    8.5/10(285 votes)

    #10 - Chapter Eight: The Upside Down

    S1:E87/15/2016

    Dr. Brenner holds Hopper and Joyce for questioning while the boys wait with Eleven in the gym. Back at Will's, Nancy and Jonathan prepare for battle.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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11. 

    8.5/10(234 votes)

    #11 - Chapter Nine: The Gate

    S2:E910/27/2017

    Eleven makes plans to finish what she started while the survivors turn up the heat on the monstrous force that's holding Will hostage.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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12. 

    8.4/10(362 votes)

    #12 - Chapter One: MADMAX

    S2:E110/27/2017

    As the town preps for Halloween, a high-scoring rival shakes things up at the arcade, and a skeptical Hopper inspects a field of rotting pumpkins.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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13. 

    8.4/10(264 votes)

    #13 - Chapter Six: The Monster

    S1:E67/15/2016

    A frantic Jonathan looks for Nancy in the darkness, but Steve's looking for her, too. Hopper and Joyce uncover the truth about the lab's experiments.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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14. 

    8.4/10(350 votes)

    #14 - Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat

    S1:E57/15/2016

    Hopper breaks into the lab while Nancy and Jonathan confront the force that took Will. The boys ask Mr. Clarke how to travel to another dimension.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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15. 

    8.4/10(198 votes)

    #15 - Chapter Seven: The Bite

    S3:E77/4/2019

    With time running out -- and an assassin close behind -- Hopper's crew races back to Hawkins, where El and the kids are preparing for war.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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16. 

    8.3/10(173 votes)

    #16 - Chapter Four: Sorcerer

    S5:E411/26/2025

    The military tightens its grip on the town. Mike, Lucas and Robin orchestrate a daring escape. El comes face-to-face with the enemy.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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17. 

    8.2/10(494 votes)

    #17 - Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street

    S1:E27/15/2016

    Lucas, Mike and Dustin try to talk to the girl they found in the woods. Hopper questions an anxious Joyce about an unsettling phone call.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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18. 

    8.2/10(216 votes)

    #18 - Chapter Two: Vecna's Curse

    S4:E25/27/2022

    A plane brings Mike to California — and a dead body brings Hawkins to a halt. Nancy goes looking for leads. A shaken Eddie tells the gang what he saw.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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19. 

    8.0/10(247 votes)

    #19 - Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak

    S2:E210/27/2017

    After Will sees something terrible on trick-or-treat night, Mike wonders whether Eleven's still out there. Nancy wrestles with the truth about Barb.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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20. 

    7.9/10(319 votes)

    #20 - Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?

    S3:E17/4/2019

    Summer brings new jobs and budding romance. But the mood shifts when Dustin's radio picks up a Russian broadcast, and Will senses something is wrong.

    Director:Matt Duffer

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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21. 

    7.9/10(208 votes)

    #21 - Chapter Two: The Mall Rats

    S3:E27/4/2019

    Nancy and Jonathan follow a lead, Steve and Robin sign on to a secret mission, and Max and Eleven go shopping. A rattled Billy has troubling visions.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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22. 

    7.6/10(160 votes)

    #22 - Chapter Two: The Vanishing of...

    S5:E211/26/2025

    After a vicious attack at the Wheeler home, Mike and Nancy confront the cost of secrecy, while El and Hopper embark on a rescue mission.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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23. 

    7.0/10(202 votes)

    #23 - Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up

    S5:E812/31/2025

    As Vecna prepares to destroy the world as we know it, the party must put everything on the line to defeat him once and for all.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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24. 

    5.9/10(178 votes)

    #24 - Chapter Seven: The Bridge

    S5:E712/25/2025

    On the anniversary of Will's disappearance, the party reunites to prepare for a battle with world-altering implications.

    Director:Matt Duffer

    Writer:N/A

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    Director:Matt Duffer

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