[Knalus]

Originally Posted by blankall

Spoiler!

I always thought that the upside down was a dimension that always existed and was somehow the negative of ours. Everything in our dimension has a negative version in the upside down.

The monster was the result of the tampering with 11 and unlocking her power. That created a chain reaction in the upside down and the creation (or perhaps just alteration) of the monster. Hence, why 11 was able to destroy the monster. The two beings are linked.

Spoiler!

I always thought that the upside down was a representation of the dark world in Zelda. If the show takes such clear and obvious cues from other 80's pop culture sources, that's as good an analog as it gets.

As for the barrenness of the upside down, I'm sure if a creature came to our dimension, and found themselves in the woods, they might come across a bear, and only a bear. I have a feeling we will see what else is in there this next season.