After nearly a decade of the hit Netflix Original series’ debut, the long-awaited finale of Stranger Things finally became available to viewers on New Year’s Eve. For many longtime viewers of the show, this episode, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” may hold significance beyond just being the closing chapter of the beloved characters’ stories, but also a confirmation that the days of their own childhoods are behind them. Fans online seem to have reached the consensus that they have grown up alongside the core group of kids, with one sharing, “being around the same age as the actors and watching it made me truly realize we grew up so fast,” in a comment under a sentimental edit of the episode’s final moments.
Evidently, the emotional hold tied to the series caused not only dissatisfaction among reactions to the finale’s result, but also denial that led to something greater. Disappointment quickly morphed into a fierce wave of hope as fans created a conspiracy theory dubbed “Conformity Gate.” In brief, this is the belief that the finale released to audiences and shown in theaters was not the true finale, and there is a secret mystery episode that explains everything that didn’t quite add up to suspicious viewers. This craze has taken the Internet by storm, becoming a mass hysteria with hundreds of videos dissecting details from this season that could possibly point to evidence of a secret extra episode.
This might seem like an absurd case of delirium to an outsider, but some of the ideas were so interesting and well-developed that they were convincing to me for a few moments. The most popular theory posits that the town of Hawkins, the main setting of the show, is actually under the control of Vecna, the show’s overarching villain, despite his death in the first half of the episode. The epilogue set in a future time jump would be this fabricated reality, but with subtle changes that point to this control, hence the name “conformity gate,” since all the characters would be “conforming” to Vecna’s ideal world. This theory is bold, flawed, and certainly different from anything Stranger Things has explored in the past, but it does make sense, especially to many fans who were expecting an intense, never-before-done plot twist.
The date that fans pinpointed as the release date for the mystery episode was one week after the finale on January 7. Much to the eager fans’ disillusionment, Netflix screens that went repeatedly refreshed that day remained stagnant. Instead, a behind-the-scenes documentary called One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 dropped on January 12, which was also underwhelming to many.
Personally, I never saw the speculation as anything more than a product of the fans’ creativity and love for the show. My thoughts on the finale were on the more positive end of the polarized discourse on it, which may have contributed to my reluctance to desire or believe in any addition to the epilogue. Because I was overall satisfied with how it ended upon first watch, it wasn’t hard to accept that that was it for what they were giving us.
I felt that it was a satisfactory full-circle wrap up that not only showed the futures of all of the characters, but also how the trauma they induced over the span of the show characterized them and helped them grow for their future endeavors. As a sucker for nostalgia and coming-of-age stories, I especially loved the graduation scene and the reunion between the older kids, as well as the poignant scene when Mike closes the basement door to the younger generation playing D&D.
Conversely, viewers who were unhappy with the finale channeled their discontent into criticism of the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers. Whether they expressed grief over the much-anticipated fan-created ship between two of the main male characters, “Byler,” or about the number of plot holes, many believe “bad writing” on the Duffers’ part was the reason that their greatest hopes for the ending turned out to be nonexistent. Currently, a Change.org petition demanding that Netflix release the full, uncut footage of the finale has received nearly 400,000 signatures, a testament to the fans’ devotion and willpower that is going into solving their Stranger Things-shaped hole in their hearts.
It’s undeniable that there were continuity errors, but this isn’t exactly shocking considering the complexity of the many storylines the show explored, in past seasons and this final one. Even though I believe that some fans who continue to demand more of the franchise can be entitled, it is important to note the flawed judgment of the Duffer Brothers when it came to ignoring the loud speculations and letting the public have hope instead of clearing up the misconceptions once and for all.
I believe that no matter how shocking or compelling or logical the ending story could have possibly been, the finale of Stranger Things was never going to be enough for some attached devotees. It makes sense when you consider it from their perspective; fans who have had the show be a consistent part of their lives, weaving in between different eras of their lives as a new season came out every few years, were never really going to be ready to say goodbye to a piece of media that stayed consistent throughout their adolescence thus far. I only started watching the show after Season 3 came out in 2019, but I too feel like the ending of Stranger Things, which came out the same year of my graduation, somewhat confirmed the end of my childhood.
Although it’s an illogical and far-fetched theory from a rational perspective, I find it incredible that the show’s impact was profound enough to unite so many strangers together over a shared passion and create such a compelling alternate narrative. Moreover, if they have already played out this alternative turn of events for themselves through edits and explanation videos, there shouldn’t be a need for confirmation by the show’s creators—they already made it happen for themselves. It may be the end of Stranger Things for now, but the way the viewers have gone beyond the official narrative makes this a meaningful, “never ending story.”