Dustin and Steve get some development, which although it comes during a mundane Demogorgon hunt which doesn't carry any tension until near the end of the episode, it is nice to see Steve is actually transforming into a nice person. The showdown with the Demogorgons is intense and seeing there's so many of them is a real shock. Where did the others come from?
Will's scenes are even more gripping. What's so clever about it is how Will suddenly appears to know how to hurt the creature without being hurt himself and tells the scientists how to do it. It feels like it's going to be a fairly predictable plot, until you find out he was setting a trap for them all along. Will is the spy. The only way that final scene could have been improved is if some characters we actually care about had been killed by the Demogorgons.
Other character development isn't as good. Jonathan and Nancy's subplot has been out if place and it's hard to care about it. And the scene where they kiss is... it's as if the writers tried to think of the most cringey way possible to execute that scene. Elsewhere, the real surprise about finally finding out May's backstory is how mundane it is.
Will's scenes are even more gripping. What's so clever about it is how Will suddenly appears to know how to hurt the creature without being hurt himself and tells the scientists how to do it. It feels like it's going to be a fairly predictable plot, until you find out he was setting a trap for them all along. Will is the spy. The only way that final scene could have been improved is if some characters we actually care about had been killed by the Demogorgons.
Other character development isn't as good. Jonathan and Nancy's subplot has been out if place and it's hard to care about it. And the scene where they kiss is... it's as if the writers tried to think of the most cringey way possible to execute that scene. Elsewhere, the real surprise about finally finding out May's backstory is how mundane it is.