It was finally New Year’s Eve, the day many “Stranger Things” fans have been waiting for since the summer of 2016, when the show first started: the finale. Before 7 p.m., fans posted TikToks about the characters they have fallen in love with and formed deep connections with. Friends and family gathered to relive the show’s nostalgia together one last time.
This was the reality of what I went through on New Year’s Eve—as I reminisced about watching the show when I was 12 with all of my family. After all these years, everything I once loved about the show turned upside down because of the finale and how much of a letdown it was.
As Season 5 was being produced, fans were made aware that American film director and screenwriter Leigh Janik, who co-wrote and directed the horror film “Fear Street,” played a partial role in influencing the writing behind “Stranger Things.” Janik was married to Ross Duffer, who wrote and directed the show alongside his brother, Matt Duffer. With this in mind, fans speculate that the downfall of Season 5 began when Janik divorced Duffer on Feb. 23, 2024. Evidence of this is in episode seven, titled “The Bridge,” and is the lowest-rated episode of the entire show, which comes to prove that the fans’ speculations are right.
From my perspective, the first three episodes of the final season were so amazing. I was excited for the rest of the episodes to come out, but as they did, my hope for the show plummeted. The quality of the ending tanked. It seemed rushed, unfinished and had so many plot holes throughout. An example of the lack of quality is shown in season four episode nine when Hopper, played by David Harbour, fought a Demogorgon, one of the villains from the show, and he finally defeated it within 30-40 minutes. As in season 5, everyone takes part in defeating Veccna, who has been the main antagonist since the very beginning, the one who created and controls the other villains in previous seasons, like the mindflayer, the demobats, demogorgons, etc. This fight was expected to be long and brutal. But the season was so rushed that the defeat of Veccna lasted only 10 minutes. This was so disappointing and just proves how the high-quality show used to be, but is now perceived as the opposite.
As “Stranger Things” was coming to a close, the ending was released in sections that contained the first three episodes, followed by three more, and then the finale. As the ending to the series was released in sections on different dates, this would make the anticipation rise as viewers, like myself, were anxious and excited for what was to come. I personally liked how the show’s ending was released because it would leave you on a cliffhanger, which would keep me guessing and on my toes constantly.
Overall, “Stranger Things” is an exceptional show with numerous features that other shows often lack. The first four seasons are perfect, as they have various themes throughout holidays and different vibes that set the scene for viewers. As this show was perfection in my eyes once before, but after season five, in which ties to the finale, “perfection” wasn’t my reality anymore. I don’t think watching past the first three episodes of season five is worth it. The Duffer Brothers let me down, as did many other viewers.
