Apparently STRANGER THINGS Season 2 Was Influenced By STAR WARS

Ever since fans have seen Episode 7 of Season 2 of Stranger Things, there's been much to do about what it's actually about. While many are convinced the episode was a backdoor pilot of sorts to a spinoff series of other Hawkins test subjects, the Duffer Brothers maintain the episode was meant to further develop Eleven, and even had some ties to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back! Matt Duffer explains below (via Cinemablend): 

We talked a lot about Empire Strikes Back. We talked about Luke going to Dagobah and meeting Yoda. Also, the idea of a dark Eleven, of Eleven being pulled to the dark side was an interesting idea. So a lot of that episode was what happens if Eleven is drawn towards this darkness and what can she learn about herself if that's the case.

I 100% don't believe the episode was simply for character development and think there's something funny about the stand-alone episode. As far as whether it reveals something that will be examined throughout Season 3 or a new show completely, I'm still up in the air about. How did you feel about the episode, and do you buy the Duffer's explanation that it was all about growing Eleven's character?