It’s entirely impossible for a show to have a finale that satisfies every single fan. However, “Stranger Things” takes the cake in upsetting a large portion of them.
The “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5” documentary for season five felt like a slap to the face as it confirmed the concerns fans already speculated after seeing the finale.
The finale to the show was rushed, filled with poor writing and things left unsaid.
The Duffer brothers seemed like they lost the passion they once had for “Stranger Things” in this final season, as it lacked the care they took with prior seasons.
Rather than providing meaningful explanations, the Duffer brothers dismissed many questions and chalked it up to happening “off screen,” a frustrating statement for many fans who have waited for around two years to see how “Stranger Things” would end.
The documentary revealed how much responsibility the actors stepped into.
One of the most notable moments was when Noah Schnapp pushed to include a conversation between Mike and Will for fans to feel a bit more closure in their story. Maya Hawke also had to mention key facts about her character that the Duffer brothers seemed to have forgotten in order for the scene to flow more smoothly and clearly.
Even other contributing writers tried their best to make the story close off smoothly, but were ultimately ignored. Paul Dichter, a writer who has written some of the most highly rated episodes of “Stranger Things,” mentioned to the Duffer brothers that it was important to include monsters in the Abyss, as not having them would create a key plot hole.
However, the Duffer brothers ultimately ignored Dichter and instead alluded to the fact that there were no monsters in the Abyss because the show’s main villain, Vecna, was simply caught off guard. Many fans were disheartened to hear this, as that statement made no sense. The actors tried their best with mediocre writing, with Jamie Campbell Bower especially shining through as he fought for Vecna and gave his character more meaning.
One thing “Stranger Things” always nails is its soundtrack. The most notable songs were new additions, such as “Purple Rain” by Prince and “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. But ultimately, the soundtrack couldn’t change the fact that the finale left many fans perplexed and wondering, “Is this really the end?”
Many fans speculated theories about whether it truly was the end, and “Stranger Things” did seem like it was toying with the idea, but by the time a week passed after the finale, fans realized it was solely a marketing tactic to simply egg fans on.
Although many critics claim that fans overhyped this season, leading it to be an even bigger disappointment, one can argue that Eleven’s ambiguous ending and overall quality in writing are what led to this season being so unsatisfactory.
