Stranger Things Season 5 Review

The year was 2015. Two brothers, coming off fresh from a rejection to direct a new adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, decided to create their own unique and heartfelt series that honored Steven Spielberg’s Amblin-style, coming-of-age adventures. At the time, this cinematic series was titled Montauk. The brothers wanted to recreate that “magic” that existed only within 80’s and 90’s movies. After pitching Montauk to Netflix, the show was bought within 24 hours. Now, 10 years later, that same show would be better known as Stranger Things, a global phenomenon that ultimately ended in one of the most disappointing finales of its generation.

The debut season of Stranger Things tells the story of a town following the disappearance of a young boy, Will Byers. The show made a blend of classic 80’s horror, combining it with that early childhood “magic” to give a story that was unique and quite ambitious for its time. Along with the disappearance, plotlines followed a group of children searching for their friend; a desperate mother, played by Winona Ryder; and a secret government project, with Millie Bobby Brown giving one of the greatest child actress performances for her role as Eleven. However, the 5th and final season is nearly unrecognizable compared to the first. The show that once felt intimate and suspenseful now feels bloated and overproduced.

Listen, I love Stranger Things as much as the next person. Like many, I’ve felt like I’ve grown up with the characters—even if all the child actors aren’t really children anymore. Season 5 of Stranger Things started with a bang with the first four episodes. To say that Season 5, Volume 1 was successful is an understatement. Earning an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, the 4th and final episode of Volume 1, “Sorcerer,” was the highest rated episode of the entire series, sitting at a 9.8/10 on IMDb. The entire world waited with anticipation as the second volume of the 5th season released on Christmas day, following the massively awaited and well received release of the first volume just one month earlier. But after all that buildup and momentum, Volume 2 left audiences confused, praying that the Finale would fix the multitude of problems that arose in just three episodes. (Spoiler Alert: It didn’t!!)

I have tried my best to sum up one reason on why the Finale fell flat, but there isn’t just one simple reason. To fully understand, you must first understand the entirety of Season 5, fandom politics, and a secret 9th episode and the events that transpired after New Year’s Day. 

Now, just to recap: Season 5 now takes us into the world of Hawkins, a town that once was quiet and unassuming now turned into a military battleground against alternate dimension monsters. The main group of kids are now 16 in their junior year of high school, played by actors ranging from 20-23. Eleven is a wanted child and currently in hiding, Max is in a coma, Mike and Nancy’s little sister, Holly, now suddenly has a huge role, Vecna is coming back with a plan more confusing than ever, and Will is in love with Mike. 

While Season 1 felt intimate, Season 5 felt like a spectacle. With the amount of messy plotlines, so many characters that you can’t even keep track of, a total of one character death that is left up to interpretation, and a lazily slapped together resolution, the finale was neither technically polished nor did it have emotional payoff. The reason why people love Stranger Things was never for the monsters or the secret government labs—it was always about the kids. But with the sheer amount of characters that were included, it was nearly impossible for a character to have a fulfilling character arc and ending.

Mike Wheeler, a character whose role is to be a leader, was completely sidelined in favor of his younger sister that the audience had no attachment to. Many described Finn Wolfhard’s acting of Mike to be equivalent to that of a cardboard cutout—not because it was bad, but because there was absolutely no plot for Wolfhard to even portray. Will Byers, which the Duffer Brothers have hyped up to be a major role in this season, had one dramatic moment in episode four with the reveal of his own powers and a nosebleed. However, after revealing that he has powers, they were never brought up again nor used in a cohesive narrative. He, too, was sidelined for Holly Wheeler and Delightful Derek. And let’s not forget the elephant in the room: Eleven’s ending. Arguably one of the worst endings for a character, Eleven had this dramatic sacrifice where she and Mike have a “heart-to-heart” which Mike doesn’t even say “I love you” back to her. She ends up sacrificing herself as a way to get rid of the Upside Down forever. The Duffers described the decision to show the loss of childhood innocence, which outraged many fans. “A 16 year old girl is so much more than just a badly played out metaphor,” one fan review reads, “She deserved a life too.”

The individual characters weren’t the only ones gutted. The relationships were just as messy. Nancy and Jonathan’s breakup was hands down the most confusing breakup scene in television history. The “unproposal” left the audience with so many questions, half of the audience thought that the couple were actually making up instead of breaking up. The Duffers had to come out and explain their own show since it was just that convoluted. And while Lucas and Max had one of the best emotional arcs throughout this season, their characters were watered down to nothing except for their relationship. At the end of the season, it seemed like Lucas was nothing more than just Max’s boyfriend and vice versa.  

Another issue is the sheer amount of epilogue that was left within the Finale. The season finale ended in just 40 minutes, with around an hour and 20 minutes left of just the epilogue. This made the final fight scene feel rushed and cheaped out. The battle against Vecna lasted only around 20 minutes. It felt like a scene out of some Hollywood Blockbuster or a Marvel movie, not Stranger Things. 

The first mistake the writers made was to make the battle physical. A villain whose powers is the manipulation of one’s memories should then be shown to use those powers. But that’s not what happened. The final battle ended with Winona Ryder cutting Vecna’s head off with an axe, replaying all of the hardships and loss that Vecna had cost. A moment that’s supposedly emotional ended up just falling flat and late. There was zero indication of pain or suffering, just a greenscreen, visual effects, CGI, and Millie Bobby Brown mogging the audience. 

The finale ended with more questions than answers. It left plotholes and storylines that were never mentioned again. It’s not intentional. It’s not a choice. It’s just bad writing. For one, what happened with the rest of the military after the last fight? They all just got up and left with no repercussions? Why didn’t Will die with the Hive Mind if he was shown to still be connected to it? What was the actual reason for the Upside Down or the Abyss? Where were ANY of the demogorgans, demodogs, demobats, or the vines within the Abyss? Why was the Abyss a desert if the show has built up a narrative that the Mindflayer likes the cold? And finally, is Eleven dead or alive??

But beyond the logistical inconsistencies and unanswered mythology, the real disappointment runs deeper than plot. Stranger Things, at its core, is a show about friendship. If you strip it of the plotlines about alternate dimensions and fighting monsters, it is a story about love. 

The Duffer Brothers set out to recreate the magic of those childhood adventures. They wanted to create stories about friendship conquering fear. For a while, they succeeded. But magic only works when it feels honest. And in its final moments, Stranger Things feels less like a heartfelt adventure and more like a franchise trying to outgrow its own shadow.