With the way social media has grown and developed throughout the years, it’s become an outlet for people to express their opinions on various topics. In terms of popular culture, many fans have used it as a creative platform to share video edits or reels from their favorite shows and movies. A show that began almost a decade ago, ‘Stranger Things’ released its final episodes last month, and many fans have been fuming over the franchise’s conclusion.
Primarily labeled as science-fiction and horror, ‘Stranger Things’ is known for its thrill-filled scenes as it shows how monsters try to destroy and take over Hawkins, Indiana, where the show takes place. For five seasons, the show’s characters have been trying to battle these monsters, with some significant fatalities occurring in the process. However, in the fifth and final season of the show, many fans have expressed on social media that this season was not at nearly as high of stakes as the past seasons have been. Though I thought this season was different from the others, I thought the ending was perfect and that the show’s creators left everything in a good spot.
“We wanted each of the characters to find happiness, but in their own specific ways.”
Matt Duffer, Tudum by Netflix
Matt and Ross Duffer, the writers and creators of ‘Stranger Things,’ have expressed in many interviews that they felt that the audience cared about the characters of the show more than anything. I can attest that those have been my exact feelings since I began watching this show. Because of this, I was satisfied with the ending because though it symbolized the bittersweet end of childhood for the characters, it showed how the characters were able to follow their dreams and live normal lives outside of monster hunting.
For the core group of ‘Stranger Things,’ who started off in the first season as just children who liked playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), they finally got their happy endings. Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler, and Max Mayfield (who made her debut in the show’s second season) were shown in the final scene of ‘Stranger Things’ playing one last game of D&D at Mike’s house, before putting their childhoods behind them. I don’t think the final scene of this show could’ve been more perfect, as it really brought everything full circle. In the last moments of the scene, Mike’s younger sister Holly and her friends take the core group’s places and play their own game. This illustrates that although Mike’s friends may be onto new journeys in their lives, the next generation is entering the one they just left behind.
I am particularly happy with the ending of one of my favorite characters, Nancy Wheeler, in the show. Stuck in a love triangle since the first season, the intelligence and bravery of her character was sometimes overlooked due to people debating on who her love interest should be. Because of that, I’m very happy with her ending and the fact that she didn’t end up with either of her notable love interests: Jonathan Byers and Steve Harrington.
As an aspiring female journalist myself, I relate a lot to Nancy. In the third season when she’s being belittled by the reporters at her internship for a local newspaper, I really felt for her because I know what it’s like to pitch a story and have people make you feel stupid about it. In that season, she’s viewed by her bosses as a food delivery machine instead of a respectable reporter. For that, I am very glad that she ends her journey on ‘Stranger Things’ in a different city, still trying to make it as a reporter.
“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.”
Ross Duffer, Tudum by Netflix
Though I was obviously devastated to watch Eleven’s ending in ‘Stranger Things,’ I thought it was very fitting and made sense given the context of the show. Throughout the series, Eleven is constantly being hunted down by the military, as they think she is the cause of the Hawkins curse. Despite the Upside Down being permanently destroyed, nobody except those who know Eleven personally would know that she isn’t dangerous. She would have been a target for the rest of her life, and it’s not fair to her to live that way.
The Duffer Brothers made Eleven’s ending ambiguous for the audience, leaving it up to fans to decide whether they think she died in the destruction of the Upside Down, or if she lives in peace far away from Hawkins. I don’t know what I believe in terms of her ending. However, it’s peaceful to know that she will no longer be hunted down by evil people, and she’ll live on forever in Mike’s writing and in the hearts of her friends.
The finale of ‘Stranger Things’ may have not been what fans expected. There’s debate over how Vecna’s death felt rushed, or if the battle scene wasn’t as intense as it could’ve been. However, I thought the show’s conclusion left a lasting impact, and showed a wholesome side of the characters we haven’t been fully exposed to before. The action-packed scenes have had a huge influence on the show’s success, but providing the characters with the peaceful endings they deserve is very poignant.