While many Stranger Things fans praised the finale as a “beautiful” ending to the show, others found it to be “anticlimactic,” with some even comparing it to the infamously polarizing series finale of Game of Thrones.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for the series finale of Stranger Things.
After nearly 10 years and five seasons, Stranger Things concluded with an epic, two-hour series finale — however, the ending left fans divided and turned social media Upside Down.
On New Year’s Eve, Netflix dropped the series finale of the sci-fi horror coming-of-age drama, kicking off after the end of Volume 2, and revealed how Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp) and the rest of the gang’s plan to defeat Vecna/Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) and destroy the Upside Down once and for all ultimately played out.
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The first hour sees the gang teaming up to kill Vecna and stop his plan to merge the Abyss with Hawkins and the Upside Down, with Joyce (Winona Ryder) offering the final blow and beheading Vecna with an axe. Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) then set off the bombs to blow up the Upside Down, and the gang returns through the gate to Hawkins, where they are intercepted by Dr. Kay and the soldiers, who want Eleven.
It’s then that Mike notices El is no longer with them, and she reveals her plan to sacrifice herself so Dr. Kay and the government won’t be able to use her. El says goodbye to Mike in the Void, with Mike and the rest of the party breaking down in a devastating moment. The Upside Down is destroyed — and evil has been vanquished.
The episode then fast forwards 18 months later with a 45-minute epilogue, revealing where everyone ended up, including Hopper and Joyce getting engaged, and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Steve (Joe Keery), who, after previously going their separate ways, reuniting for the Hawkins High School graduation, and planning to meet up every month moving forward in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Steve — everyone’s favorite babysitter — is now revealed to be coaching Little League baseball.
As for the kids? After an epic high school graduation ceremony — including a moving speech from Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) — Mike, Will, Max (Sadie Sink), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) turn down a party invite to play Dungeons & Dragons one last time. During the campaign, Mike reveals the heartwarming ending for each of them, including that he — the storyteller — will continue writing about their adventures. He then announces there is a “story he can never tell”: what really happened to the Mage a.k.a Eleven. In that moment, he suggests that El faked her death with a secret plan, with Kali creating an illusion that she sacrificed herself. El is then seen alive in a faraway place with waterfalls.
“How do we know it’s true?” Will asks, to which Mike replies, “We don’t. Not for sure. But I choose to believe that is. I believe.”
The group emotionally agrees to believe El is alive.
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However, it’s not confirmed whether Mike’s story is true, leaving it up to the viewer to believe what they want about Eleven’s fate.
The show — and series — ends with Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max emotionally putting their D&D binders away in the basement, before Mike’s sister Holly and her friends run down and start playing the game. The final shot features the door to the basement closing.
The series finale ultimately polarized fans online, with users taking to X, formerly Twitter, to react to the ending, including their thoughts on Eleven’s possible death. While many Stranger Things fans said the conclusion was a “beautiful” and “perfect” ending to the show, others found it to be “disappointing” and “anticlimactic,” with some even comparing it to the infamously controversial series finale of Game of Thrones.
Read to see how fans reacted online.
Fans Praise ‘Beautiful’ Finale
Many Stranger Things fans applauded the conclusion of the story, describing the series finale as a “perfect” conclusion, with others even slamming those who didn’t enjoy it.
“What A Beautiful Ending To An Amazing Show. Goodbye Stranger Things,” a fan wrote.
“NO NOTES. THAT WAS A PERFECT SERIES FINALE,” a second user said.
“Just finished the episode and I can’t believe people are hating on it. That was gas, a great conclusion imo. Cried multiple times in the epilogue,” a third wrote, while another noted, “This app is annoying as f–k because I watch a beautiful finale and all I see on my timeline is people bitching.”
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Fans Slam ‘Stupidest F–king Ending,’ Criticize Duffer Brothers
The series finale of Stranger Things was not a hit for everyone, with many fans expressing disappointment about the show’s conclusion, and taking to X to call out their gripes about the final episode — and the showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer.
“main villain killed halfway in, nobody important died, no explanation on henry creel origin story, & only 18 month time jump. stranger things finale was the stupidest f–king ending i’ve seen right up there with the umbrella academy,” a user wrote.
“You’re telling me they just fought a godzilla sized monster on another planet with shotguns and flamethrowers and they somehow all escaped with literally no injuries or casualties are they the f–king justice league or something?,” a second critic said.
Meanwhile, another user noted, “Duffer Brothers. Please never write again. Thank you in advance. Sincerely, your EX-fan of 9 years.”
A handful of viewers even drew comparisons to the series finale of Game of Thrones, with a handful of users sharing a photo of Millie Bobby Brown revealing her reaction to the ending during the press tour to Emilia Clarke — who played Daenerys Targaryen in GoT — viral red carpet reaction to the ending of her character, who, of course, died.
“same reactions, same endings,” a user wrote along a side-by-side of Brown and Clarke’s reactions in a viral post.
See what more unhappy viewers had to say in the posts, below.
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