Stranger Things Season 03 episode 8

 

Stranger Things' eighth and last episode of the third season, "The Battle of Starcourt," is the show's twenty-fifth overall. The entire season debuted on July 4, 2019, including this one.The food court is a terrifying place when the Mind Flayer arrives to pick people up. However, the world's future is in jeopardy below, in the shadows.

Eleven cries out in agony as the Mind Flayer fragment in her leg begins to move as Joyce Byers, Murray Bauman, and Jim Hopper head to Starcourt Mall in search of the children. Jonathan Byers goes to a nearby eatery and takes out a knife to sever her wound. When Hopper arrives, Eleven uses her powers to rip the piece out of her leg since she can no longer bear the pain of him trying to pull it out. Hopper then smashes the piece under his boot. The children who battled the Mind Flayer inform the Starcourt group and the adults about the latest developments, and they both decide that closing the gate once more is necessary to end it. When Bauman displays the group Alexei's Russian base designs, Erica Sinclair cynically issues a warning.

While Eleven attempts and fails to crush a can of New Coke, the kids flip the car, and Jonathan and Nancy search it. Max Mayfield notices the Mind Flayer strolling on top of the glass roof of the mall as Will's neck stiffens. Jonathan discovers the automobile part right before it smashes into the mall. As the Russian enters the base, Hopper worries for the children's security. Joyce tells him about her plan to leave and looks doubtful when he brings up their recent excursion. Should they survive, she extends an invitation to supper at the restaurant where he was stood up. Steve Harrington sees that the lights at the mall are out of control as Dustin and Erica are still guiding Bauman.

Dustin calls Suzie, his girlfriend, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He inquires about Planck's constant, but she is more worried about him not phoning her for a week than she is about the seriousness of the matter. As his friends listen, Dustin grudgingly duets with her the theme from The NeverEnding Story out of need to please her. She gives him the number, which opens the safe. Billy sees Mike, Max, and Eleven attempting to flee the mall as he staggers out of his flaming car and chases them back in. When the Mind Flayer realises Eleven isn't with the others, he turns around and goes back to Starcourt.

Max tries, in vain, to get Billy to return to himself by revealing personal information when he corners the children. He quickly subdues the children and returns Eleven to the food court. He advises her to "try and stay very still," which is the same advice he gave to the other Flayed prior to their transformation. As the returning children toss Lucas some fireworks, the Mind Flayer returns to the mall and gets ready to convert Eleven, but Lucas stops him. Before Joyce and Hopper can turn the keys, the Russian assaults them. Hopper fights back, and their struggle moves outside the control room and next to the Key, where Hopper kills him by tossing him into the mechanism. Max and Mike awaken and catch up in the interim.

Three months later, Starcourt's burning becomes widely publicised, and Hopper is hailed as a hero and the Flayed's deaths are attributed to it. Larry Kline is taken into custody for his numerous power abuses. Under Keith, Steve and Robin get hired by a Family Video business. With the assistance of their friends, the Byers family and Eleven, who is now residing with them, are wrapping up their belongings in preparation for moving to California. Will contributes his Dungeons & Dragons board, telling Mike that he could never go to another group's celebration, while Max and Lucas torment Dustin by humming the theme from The Neverending Story nonstop. Erica gets given her own board by Dustin and Lucas. Nancy and Jonathan sob as they get ready to go.