Stranger Things has finally come to an end, with the series finale streaming New Year’s Eve on Netflix. However, reactions to Stranger Things‘ grand finale have been mixed, with many left unsatisfied with how the popular series ultimately concluded.
The Duffer Brothers’ retro sci-fi series has significantly evolved since its 2016 premiere, starting with a small town teen’s disappearance and ending with a potentially world-ending supernatural fight. Stranger Things fans were eager to find out how it all ended, and learn the fate of beloved characters such as Steve (Joe Keery), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Max (Sadie Sink).
Unfortunately, not everyone received a completely happy ending.
Beware, massive spoilers ahead.
Did Eleven die in Stranger Things?
Credit: Netflix
Season 5 revealed Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) grand plan to merge Hawkins’ dimension with an alternate one labelled the Abyss, uncovering the Upside Down’s true nature as a wormhole connecting the two. In ‘Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,’ the group ventured into the Abyss to confront both him and the Mind Flayer in a dramatic final fight, eventually emerging victorious thanks to their combined efforts (and projectile weaponry).
Yet while most of the party made it back to Hawkins relatively unscathed, not all did. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) failed to return to Hawkins with her friends, choosing to deliberately stay behind and sacrifice herself to ensure her blood couldn’t be used to restart Hawkins Lab’s human experimentation program. Though Mike (Finn Wolfhard) comes up with a theory as to how she may have secretly survived, Stranger Things ultimately leaves Eleven’s fate ambiguous.
“There are two roads that Eleven could take,” Matt Duffer said in an interview with Netflix. “There’s this darker, more pessimistic one or the optimistic, hopeful one. Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in that story.”
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“There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end,” Ross Duffer agreed. “For us and our writers, we didn’t want to take her powers away. She represents magic in a lot of ways and the magic of childhood. For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away. We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didn’t give them a clear answer to whether that’s true or not.”
Stranger Things’ finale leaves fans dissatisfied
Credit: Netflix
Despite the Duffer Brothers’ reasoning, Eleven’s fate upset many viewers who had hoped for an unequivocally happy ending. Online reactions to Stranger Things‘ finale have been largely negative, as fans expressed their frustration with the ending they were given.
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Eleven’s fate wasn’t the only issue fans had with Stranger Things‘ finale either. Many viewers also felt that the final battle was anticlimactic, and that the series’ conclusion failed to reward the characters for their efforts throughout past seasons — or the viewers for their loyalty.
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Some fans further speculated that Stranger Things‘ cast may be just as dissatisfied by the ending as its viewers. In a popular X post, Stranger Things X fan account @stonetflix likened Brown’s seemingly apprehensive reaction to being asked about the ending before it aired to that of actor Emilia Clarke answering a similar question about the Game of Thrones finale. Game of Thrones‘ conclusion was notoriously poorly received, with many viewers upset by the ending given to Clarke’s character Daenerys Targaryen.
Though widespread sentiment is that Stranger Things‘ ending was nowhere near as bad as Game of Thrones‘, the fact that the parallel is being drawn at all isn’t a great sign.
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Fortunately, while many reactions to Stranger Things‘ finale were negative, not everyone was disappointed. While in the minority, a few fans expressed satisfaction with the series’ end and appreciation for what it was.
“A lot of the finale is about growing up,” said Matt, touching on Eleven’s ultimate choice. “It’s the end of a long coming-of-age story and part of coming of age is leaving your parents and making your own decisions. That’s the moment where Eleven reaches that point and Hopper realizes he does have to let go.”
“[There were] discussions with ourselves and also with the other actors, and everyone had very specific ideas of where their characters would end up,” said Ross. “We wanted them to continue the journeys that they had all started.”
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Stranger Things‘ final season is available to stream now on Netflix.
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Netflix
Stranger Things
