Warning: The following content contains plot details from the Stranger Things series finale.
Following its release on Netflix and in theaters on New Year’s Eve, the highly anticipated “Stranger Things” finale sparked a variety of mixed feelings among fans. Some feel the final episode tied the story together in an emotional and beautiful way. However, many others expressed their immense disappointment that the series didn’t get the ending it deserved.
In an interview with “Collider,” “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer expressed that they are proud of both the action and emotional aspects of the finale. “In terms of scale it’s the most massive episode ever but it also has an equal amount of quiet and intimate character moments,” Matt Duffer explains. Furthermore, after the huge success of Volume One, fans were excited to see how everything would come together and were looking forward to an epic ending.
The first half of the finale focuses on the protagonists making their way to the Abyss and through Vecna’s mind to destroy him and save the 12 children that he imprisoned in his lair. After he is defeated, the episode transitions to an epilogue about the characters’ lives 18 months after the battle. After its release, many viewers complained that parts of the finale, including the final battle and the epilogue, did not match the high quality of previous episodes and seasons.
“It was hot garbage,” expressed Wilcox senior Alyssa McKercher. She explained that while the first half of the final season showed a lot of promise and excitement, the finale was a complete let down. McKercher thought “the ending was too easy for the characters” and that “the Vecna battle was so poorly written that it was underwhelming.” Previously in Season Four, the protagonists were split up into different locations, including California, a prison in Russia, the Upside Down, Hawkins, and in Max’s mind, all of which were creatively connected to the plan to take down Vecna. In Season 5 however, the villain was defeated with tactics that viewers are already very familiar with, including a telekinetic battle and setting the Mind Flayer on fire. Much like McKercher, other fans of the show also expressed dissatisfaction with the finale. Wilcox parent Alvin Law criticized the episode’s 40 minute epilogue. “They could have wrapped up the futures of the characters in a much shorter time,” he explained. Law also commented that “some dialogue dragged and seemed to suspend characters during key moments, like pausing while walking to Vecna’s lair [in the Abyss] to discuss this and that.” Online, many videos also point out that some characters’ conclusions were not written well. They express that though the show explores Vickie’s character more this season, she ultimately disappears altogether halfway through the finale.
Other fans were touched by the finale and seeing all the characters together one last time. When expressing the emotional impact the show’s ending had on her, Wilcox freshman Ceci Herrera stated, “this show has shaped a lot of my life and I feel so connected to so many of the characters.” She also enjoyed the balance between the depiction of personal challenges the characters were dealing with and their mission to defeat the villain and save their town.
Overall, viewers seem to agree that the series finale is not as pleasing as the finales of other seasons of “Stranger Things.” While all previous finales received a rating of over 9/10 on IMDb, the final episode of Season Five has a rating of 7.6/10. “Series finales are always difficult because you have to wrap up all story lines, whereas season finales can leave cliffhangers,” Law comments, explaining his thoughts on why the finale didn’t do as well. Herrera admits that the Season Five ending was not her favorite, explaining that other seasons were able to “capture a certain feeling of childhood and wonder that the finale couldn’t.” Nonetheless, she felt the Season Five finale was “just as heartwarming and funny as the other ones.”
