Stranger Things 3 finale: 13 things we loved from Battle of the Starcourt

We shared 13 moments we loved during the Stranger Things 3 finale, “Chapter Eight: The Battle of the Starcourt.” There are spoilers in this recap of the Stranger Things 3 finale.

The Stranger Things 3 finale, “Chapter Eight: The Battle of the Starcourt,” is one of the most intense and emotional episodes of the Netflix original series so far. It’s also one of the longest episode, and it’s full of great moments.

Below, we shared 13 of the best moments and things we loved from the Stranger Things 3 finale.

Let’s get the list started with the reunion! There are spoilers for the finale below!

Hopper stomping on the piece of Flayed that just came out of Eleven’s leg

I loved this moment in the finale. After Eleven discovers the piece of the monster moving around in her leg, Jonathan jumps into action and tries to save the day. He cuts it out of her leg, but he can’t get all of it. Eleven, then, uses her powers to bring the monster out of her leg, and she flings it across the room.

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That’s right when Hopper, Joyce and Murray show up. Hopper stomps on the monster, and we know the fight is really on now.

Murray’s hatred for the children

Murray’s disdain for Dustin and Erica, in particular, is hilarious in the finale.

After learning Murray’s plan, Erica and Dustin him let him know that there’s no way that he’ll be able to pull this off. He isn’t so thrilled to be taking orders from kids, but Dustin and Erica are the only ones who have been down in that part of the base who weren’t on drugs, and Murray has to listen to them.

And, it only gets worse for Murray later in the episode.

Hopper’s moment with Eleven and Mike

The Stranger Things 3 finale slows down the pace for a few minutes before ramping it back up to 11!

In this moment, Hopper and Eleven, seeing each other for the first time in days, embrace, and Hopper goes into dad mode. Eleven tells him that she’s out of energy, and Hopper asks her if he can fight for her and she’s done enough. It’s a beautiful moment between these two characters that we have come to love so much.

As Mike and Eleven walk away, Hopper calls out to Mike and tells him to “be careful.” This is a burying of the hypothetical hatchet between these characters. It’s Hopper’s way of apologizing, basically.

Watching this scene, I knew something bad was going to happen to Hopper. That’s just how it works in TV and movies.

We didn’t get to see Hopper and Eleven really go at it like they did in Stranger Things 2, and I guess that’s good thing. Fans of the show love when David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown share the screen, so the lack of scenes between them was a little disappointing, although I don’t think it turned out to be that much of a problem for this season.

Steve and Robin save the day

The Scoops Troop takes the Toddfather to Weathertop, so Dustin can communicate with the full team and basically quarterback them to victory. It’s an awesome moment to see Dustin calling the shots and keeping everyone in line.

At Weathertop, they realize something is wrong when they see the lights of the Starcourt starting to flicker. Steve and Robin jump into action, and they arrive at the Starcourt Mall just in time to stop Billy from ramming his car into Jonathan, Nancy and the rest of the kids.

Then, they hop into draw the Mind Flayer away from the Starcourt so Eleven can escape. And it leads us to the best moment in the finale and possibly the full season.

The NeverEnding Story

I think everyone’s jaws hit the floor during this scene.

After Murray messes up and forgets Planck’s Constant, the numbered password to the keys to the giant machine, it’s Dustin’s time to shine. He calls Suzie, for the first time in a week, and asks her for the number. She refused to give her Dusty-bun the number unless he sings the theme song to NeverEnding Story, and he does!

Well, they both do it. They duet! And, it’s one of the most magical moments in the history of Stranger Things. This moment has also become a viral sensation thanks to Millie Bobby Brown.

It’s just perfect in every way, and I think it acts as the perfect break in the action for this episode that gets really, really, really dark, even for Stranger Things, very quickly.

The Fireworks Bombs

Lucas couldn’t find a bowl, but he did provide the help necessary to save Eleven’s life and make sure there was enough time to close the gate.

After Billy knocks out Max and Mike, he picks up Eleven and brings her to the middle of the mall for the monster to, I guess, do the same thing to Eleven that it did to Billy, Heather, Mrs. Driscoll, Tom, and the rest of the Flayed.

That’s when the Hawkins Heroes show up with the Fireworks bombs, and they light the monster up, which gives Eleven a monster.

Billy’s Redemption

This is the moment that many fans will remember from the Stranger Things 3 finale. After all the awful things that Billy has done, we finally start to understand why he acts the way he does. I’m not saying it makes up for his behavior, but when the veil is pulled back, we understand why he is so unhappy. And, it all has to do with his mother and his abusive father.

Eleven, after Billy tells her that “it will all be over soon,” connects with Billy by talking about his mother. Billy, somehow, snaps out of the Mind Flayer’s control, and just as the monster is about to hurt Eleven, Billy stops it and doesn’t let the monster have her.

Obviously, Billy can’t hold off the monster, and he dies shortly after the gate is closed. Billy apologizes to Max with his last breath.

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The Look

This is one of the most heartbreaking moments from Stranger Things 3!

Hopper has just defeated the Big Russian, but he finds himself outside of the controls area where he would be safe. There’s also a barrier of lightning, basically, that stops him from getting back to Joyce.

Dustin is calling for Joyce to close the gate, so no one else dies. Joyce has to make the decision to turn off the machine and destroy it. When it happens, they know they Hopper will die in the explosion.

Right before Joyce turns the keys, Hopper looks back at her with tears in his eyes, and she looks back at him. In that moment, I think they’re thinking about what could have been if they did make it out of there alive. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see that (or will we?)

This is one of the toughest moments to watch in the finale, but it’s so powerful.

The Cavalry Arrives

Dr. Owens arrives a little too late to stop the Russians and close the gate. Luckily, Murray, Joyce and Hopper already made that happen. When Dr. Owens gets there, though, the audience knows this is going to be okay.

The look Owens gives the gate to the Upside Down is interesting, though. He might know something that we don’t.

Eleven realizing Hopper is dead

If the look Hopper gave Joyce was hard to watch, this one is nearly impossible. After Joyce and Murray exit the mall, Joyce walks through the parking lot. There are ambulances there, and the kids from Hawkins are being treated.

Will sees his mom and runs to her to give her a hug. Eleven follows behind looking for Hopper. When she doesn’t see him, she makes eye contact with Joyce

No New Parties

We fast-forward three months to the Byers packing up their house and leaving Hawkins. After wanting to play D&D all season, Will giving up his D&D game is interesting. It shows he’s, maybe, starting to grow up a bit.

Mike asks him about finding a new Party wherever they are moving to, and Will says that it’s “not possible.” He doesn’t want to join any other Party. These are his people, regardless of where they live.

The Letter

This the moment that killed us all.

Hopper did find a way to write down his feelings, and Joyce finds that letter, in the form of a speech to Eleven and Mike, in his pocket. Eleven asks to read it.

We hear Hopper reading the letter after writing it, and it’s one of the best moments in the entire show so far. It makes us think that Hopper is, in fact, truly gone. Then, the Duffer Brothers hits us with…

The Post-Credits Scene

We’re taken to a Russian prison, and we hear the guards talking about “The American.” Could it be Hopper? That’s what everyone is thinking!

We also see the guards feeding one the prisoners to the Demogorgon, or a Demogorgon! That means the Upside Down is open!

What was your favorite part of the Stranger Things 3 finale? Let us know in the comments section below!

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