Fans’ mixed feelings about the stranger ‘finale’ of beloved decade-long series 

Editor’s note: Spoilers for the final season of Stranger Things are included in the review below.

The final season of Netflix’s hit Stranger Things had exciting and plot-twisting moments, but fans are left divided on whether it was a good sendoff to the story. 

On New Year’s Eve, Netflix released Volume Three, the two-hour series finale of the beloved series which started in 2019. The final battle against Vecna had been described by the Duffer brother creators as a bloodbath with loss of characters. Nobody, it seemed, was going to be safe at series’ end. 

However, the final battle only lasted around eight minutes out of the two hours, and there was not a single loss in the set of main characters. There were moments where it looked like there might be a tragic death, but both characters who had such moments where it was thought they they might die…well, they were saved. 

Is it what fans expected?

“I lowkey thought everybody was gonna get slaughtered,” said OH senior Brandon Estrada. 

A plot-twisting moment revealed that Vecna was also not the final antagonist. In Seasons 2 and 3, a dark, shadow-like figure had been manipulating the plot strings and serving as the true antagonist of the story. However, the Mind Flayer seemingly disappeared during Season 4 and half of Season 5, then replaced by Vecna. 

During the series finale, it was revealed that the Mind Flayer was still pulling the strings. But the dramatic reveal was very and disappointingly short-lived, because both antagonists were defeated in only eight minutes. 

“Half the last episode was what they’re doing after the final fight,” said OH sophomore Ava Burkhardt. “And that was just kind of sad… I was expecting more fun and action instead of what we got.” 

Not all was a disappointment, though. During Volume Two, a groundbreaking scene was a highlight. Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, has been a closeted homosexual, and his coming-out scene finally happened, leaving fans proud and happy for him. In online reports, Schnapp felt that the scene was important to him as well, studying the lines for over a month to get them right on-screen. 

“I’m happy that [the writers] built a friendship between Will and Robin. They were able to relate to each other, and they had similar experiences, and she helped him to understand himself,” said OH senior Vee Driscoll. 

Even with the highlight of Byers’ coming out, after episode eight of Season 5, the series finale, fans argued that there was still something missing.  Plot holes and different pieces of evidence pointed to the main characters living a false reality where Vecna and the Mind Flayer were still pulling the strings. After rewatches and in-depth observations, some fans hypothesized a secret ninth episode.

Could a secret episode be too good to be true? 

At first, the idea, called the “Conformity Gate Theory,” seemed far-fetched. But when various plot pieces were put together, dots lined up, and it all made sense. 

“I didn’t believe in it,” Burkhardt said. “My dad was a strong believer, but I wanted to believe that the happy ending that the characters had was real.”  

This last weekend, Finn Wolfhard, the actor who played Mike Wheeler, hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest A$AP Rocky. During one of the skits, Wolfhard poked fun at Stranger Things Season 5 with co-stars Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, the actors who played Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. 

One of the jokes was a response to fans, poking fun at the theory that Vecna was still alive, but the theory was put to rest after the actors and Duffer brothers confirmed that the finale we got is indeed the finale. 

“I couldn’t stop laughing at it,” said Estrada. “That [joke on SNL about Conformity Gate] was so funny!” 

Stranger Things Season 5 ended with plot holes and unanswered questions, but the characters got their happy endings and moved on in life. The main characters graduated, relationships grew stronger, and the series the cast grew up making has finally concluded. 

Or so we believe for now.

Looking for more Stranger Things content? Check out our Entertainment preview and podcast theory review of Season 5.