I was talking to friends of mine and we all agreed that the Duffer Brothers are afraid of killing main characters. I know, Bob died, Billy died, Eddie died. But they all died the same season they were introduced. With Max being the center of attention this season, it would've been a great closure to her character to leave her dead. It would make the audience scared for other characters since it's possible that "any main characters could die"
Other than that, great episode, great season.