The Best Episodes Written By Matt Duffer

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.0/10(217 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
2. 

   8.7/10(509 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
3. 

   8.6/10(257 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:N/A

   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
4. 

   8.6/10(368 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:N/A

   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
5. 

   8.6/10(262 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:N/A

   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
6. 

   8.6/10(225 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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7. 

   8.6/10(237 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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8. 

   8.5/10(1839 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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   Writer:Matt Duffer
9. 

   8.5/10(294 votes)

   #9 - 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.

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   Writer:Matt Duffer

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10. 

    8.5/10(352 votes)

    #10 - Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly

    S1:E37/15/2016

    An increasingly concerned Nancy looks for Barb and finds out what Jonathan's been up to. Joyce is convinced Will is trying to talk to her.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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    Writer:Matt Duffer
11. 

    8.5/10(350 votes)

    #11 - Chapter Four: The Body

    S1:E47/15/2016

    Refusing to believe Will is dead, Joyce tries to connect with her son. The boys give Eleven a makeover. Nancy and Jonathan form an unlikely alliance.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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    Writer:Matt Duffer
12. 

    8.5/10(243 votes)

    #12 - 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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    Writer:Matt Duffer
13. 

    8.4/10(371 votes)

    #13 - 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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14. 

    8.4/10(273 votes)

    #14 - 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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15. 

    8.4/10(360 votes)

    #15 - 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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16. 

    8.4/10(208 votes)

    #16 - 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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17. 

    8.2/10(508 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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18. 

    8.2/10(227 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:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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    Writer:Matt Duffer
19. 

    8.0/10(256 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:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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20. 

    7.9/10(330 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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21. 

    7.8/10(217 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:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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22. 

    7.6/10(170 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.

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    Writer:Matt Duffer

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23. 

    7.0/10(223 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:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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24. 

    6.0/10(193 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:N/A

    Writer:Matt Duffer

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    Writer:Matt Duffer