The evolution of "Stranger Things": A series finale review

The resurgence of the iconic year, 2016, cannot go without mentioning “Stranger Things,” one of Netflix’s most-streamed shows of all time.

July 2016 brought about the creation of the hit show, which has gained much love throughout its 10-year runtime and has given a stage to actors such as Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and Sadie Sink.

Although it is a science fiction show, which has been done before, “Stranger Things” is different in its approach. The show combines secret governmental experiments, supernatural forces and creatures and most importantly, a group of outcast kids in the 1980s discovering it all. 

As someone who has been obsessed with the show for years, the character dynamics are the main reason I love it. Watching kids like Will Byers, Max Mayfield and the fan favorite Steve Harrington connect and form their own comedic groups in the midst of the world ending is unlike any other show I have watched. 

The first three seasons of the show will always remain my favorite. When 2022 came around, it was finally time for season four, and I was nervous to see if it would compare to the earlier seasons.

The show began with a dark and eerie aesthetic, bringing in hues of blue, black and red. Season three had a bit of a switch with the summer neons, but still maintained the core color scheme the show had started with. 

Season four was released in May 2022, signifying another “Stranger Things” summer. Despite the nerves expressed by fans on social media, the season succeeded in my eyes. The cast presents as all grown up from the initial start in 2016, but it was just as enjoyable as the previous seasons.

After waiting another three years, winter 2025 was finally the time to indulge in another season of the show, but this time would be the last. 

My fangirl gene has gifted (and cursed) me with the craziest hyperfixations and emotional attachment to the things I love, and “Stranger Things” is no different. I was practically distraught in the months leading up to the final season's release because I did not want to face the fact that it would finally be over.

Unfortunately, after the release, I am no longer mourning the show in the way I thought I would.

The final season was released in three volumes, spanning from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. 

Volume one was an ethereal experience and gave me massive amounts of hope for the show to wrap up in the way I wanted it to. The acting was well done, and it felt like the true “Stranger Things” I once fell in love with. 

From there, it only went downhill. When watching volume two and the finale, I was trying to convince myself I was enjoying it, but I was lying. After watching, I visited social media, and it was a whirlwind. 

People had come up with an abundance of theories to figure out why the ending felt so unlike the show’s identity. 

Vecna, the main villain in the show, was a perpetrator of the theories. The audience had decided that we were all under Vecna’s curse and the writers wanted us to believe certain things to lead to a plot twist.

Then, “conformity gate” came around, a theory that the finale delivered a fake ending, trapping us in a conformed reality forever. “Stranger Things” is often identified as a show about outcasts and highlights the importance of not conforming to the norm and instead being yourself. 

The 40-minute epilogue in the finale felt like a complete twist from this narrative and instead reinforced conformity. 

Another reason people love the show is because of the small-town feel and the lack of unnecessary side characters. Season five had quite the opposite feeling and instead incorporated far too many characters into a few episodes. 

One of my main complaints about the final season is the low stakes. It was teased beforehand that this season would have the most violent deaths of any season, but that did not seem to be true.

The entire final battle was a 10-minute scene in a dimension with a completely contradicting color scheme and aesthetic than the previous seasons have led up to. Nearly everyone made it out alive, and the only main character death that did come from the final battle is one that many fans believe to be a cop out for a well-thought-out ending for one of the most beloved characters, Eleven.

What made the finale even worse was the writer's comments afterward. 

The Duffer Brothers, who wrote and produced the show, seemed to be satisfied with the ending they wrote, despite the season five documentary proving that they filmed a portion of the season before even having the finale fully written. 

There were also many instances where Matt and Ross Duffer had to correct audience theories on what happened, specifically in a scene where characters Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers “break up,” but most fans thought it was a way of them getting back together and clearing up their problems. 

Similarly, it was confirmed that many actors had to ask or remind the writers of certain things while filming the show. For example, Will’s actor, Noah Schnapp, had to request an additional scene between his character and Mike Wheeler as he felt their dynamic had not wrapped up well enough. 

My biggest problem with the final season is the build-up to nothing. Throughout the 10 years of the show, the Duffer Brothers have made it clear to the audience to pay attention to small details and that many things from previous scenes will eventually lead to something bigger. 

The amount of plot holes and problems left unsolved after the final season is unlike anything I have ever seen on television. 

The majority of volume two and the finale are some of the lowest-rated episodes in the show’s history, which is beyond disappointing for longtime fans who wanted a satisfying ending to an iconic show that had a lot of potential. 

Overall, season five is not what I was hoping for, but I will remain nostalgic for the show, even when I am older. The success of it is something special, even though the last season is not what I wanted it to be.