10 best scenes in Stranger Things

After rewatching the entire series last week, just in time for season 3 which arrives the day after tomorrow, I decided to comply the list of 10 best moments on the show so far. It wasn't easy as this series has so many fantastic sequences but somehow, I managed. Here we go!:

10. Lights (1x03 Holly Jolly)
No list would be complete without the most meme-worthy moment of the show where Joyce, convinced that Will is speaking with her, hangs Christmas lights all around the house hoping he attempts to communicate. And he does! Winona Ryder's pure joy as she discovers her boy really is alive is just wonderful to witness and the scene is a great example of the show's signature blend of bizarre and delightful.

9. Diving In (1x07 The Bathtub)
In this scene everyone comes together to help El look for Barb and Will in The Upside Down. My favorite thing about it is how much Joyce worries about her and supports her.  It's so nice to see Winona Ryder doing other things than crying and being manic about her son in this show and from what I gather we get more of  laidback Joyce in season 3 and it's about damn time.

8. El Fights the Monster (1x08 The Upside Down) 
While this scene is clearly suffering from the limited budget the first season had - the monster itself and the blinking lights disguising any shortcomings in execution - it doesn't affect just how powerful it is. El makes the ultimate sacrifice, defending the only friends she ever had, to Dustin, Lucas and especially Mike's horror.

7. Joyce and Hopper Find Will (1x08 The Upside Down) 
The entire season 1 finale is a rollercoaster of emotions, and the most moving scenes are Hopper's flashbacks showing him taking care of - and eventually losing the fight for - his little daughter Sarah. That is what makes the moment they find Will, who turns out to be alive, even more emotional, as Moby's brilliant "When it's cold I'd like to die" accompanies the scene.

6. Eleven Returns (2x08 The Mind Flayer)
We waited for episodes for Eleven to finally join her friends and that moment finally arrives in the lovely final scene of the penultimate episode of season 2. We are led to believe a monster is about to enter Byers' home - again - but it turns out to be Eleven to everyone's surprise.

5. Heroes (1x03 Holly Jolly)
It really is a blessing that Netflix drops all of those episodes on one day, because just imagine if we had to wait another week after those endings. Each episode of Stranger Things ends with a great hook but often times those endings are also beautifully executed. This one includes Joyce storming out of the Byers' house after she sees the monster coming out of the wall, the cops and the kids discovering what they think is Will's body and Jonathan arriving to embrace Joyce, while cop cars are approaching and all of that as Peter Gabriel's great cover of "Heroes" plays in the background.

4. Every Scene with Steve and Dustin Together (season 2) 
This is cheating but I cannot possibly choose just one moment. From Dustin casually getting in Steve's car and telling him they have a monster to hunt, through Steve's hilarious reaction to Dustin telling him the monster ate his cat to of course all the mayhem with Steve ending up on the backseat of the car driven by Max, this pairing and Steve in the role of a babysitter were the funniest scenes in the series so far and how delightful that reportedly they continue in season 3.

3. She's Our Friend! (1x06 The Monster) 
The loveliest moment in season 1 happens when the gang finally recognizes El as one of them. After she rescues Mike and Dustin from the bullies, the bullies run away and Dustin shouts that she is their friend and she is crazy, after which the three of them share a hug.

2. Closing the Gate (2x09 The Gate) 
While episode 7 got tons of criticism - for me the only truly tragic thing about it was its placement, it would be so much better if episode 6 and 7 were switched - it at least made this scene work even better, with El's sister teaching her to use her rage to use her powers to bigger extent. The moment when El starts levitating as astonished Hopper turns around to witness exactly how powerful she is is incredible.

1. Snow Ball (2x09 The Gate) 
The season 2 finale gets weirdly bad rep among the 'professional' critics', whose reviews for season 3 I read this week. For me it was a fantastic episode and its final 10 minutes with the gang finally attending Snow Ball are pure magic. The greatest moment doesn't even belong to El and Mike dancing together, but to Nancy, in her best moment of the series yet, asking Dustin, who was just rejected by all the girls he asked to dance and is crying on the steps, to dance with her. It's such a lovely, happy moment and it's impossible not to smile as we see all of them dancing. But we soon go outside and as "Every Breath You Take" begins to fade, we see the Upside Down and catch the glimpse of the monster before the title card appears.