Ten years in the making, the global phenomenon of Stranger Things has come to an end. The decade-long series has garnered the support of multiple generations due to its 80s nostalgia and lovable characters. However, its fifth and final season has been met with great backlash from most fans. Split into three volumes, the last two were released on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, respectively. All have extremely different vibes, leading to some of the distaste from fans. Here’s our opinion on each one.
VOL 1
In our opinion, “Volume One” contained some of the best episodes from the series. The whole group working together from the start with a complete plan was refreshing. The action has rhythm to it, and the set pieces are memorable with a mix of true mystery as well. The volume contains the first four episodes of the season; specifically, the fourth episode featured one of the best scenes in the entire series. When Vecna arrives, and Will gets his powers, the suspense is perfectly established. It built the hype for Volume Two perfectly. Was it paid off? No, but that isn’t Volume 1’s fault. Other highlights include the “Turnbow Trap” sequence and when Steve drove the car into the Upside Down.
VOL 2
Underwhelming. That is the word to describe this volume. It doesn’t build off Volume One at all in terms of mystery or suspense. The action becomes weirdly nonexistent. The wait was not worth it between volumes. What’s worse? It doesn’t even set up the finale effectively. Season Four’s penultimate episode was perfect. Separate Ways by Journey in the background, Steve’s “six little nuggets” speech, and Hopper preparing to fight the Russian “demogorgon” led into the finale masterfully. The penultimate episode of the series wasn’t nearly as effective, which led to us not being as excited for the finale on New Year’s Eve.
Finale
A finale so bad that the fanbase is convincing themselves that there’s a secret ninth episode? Only Stranger Things Season Five Episode Eight can cause such a stir. In our opinion, this is a disappointing finale with potential for more. No character ‘needed’ to die as some would say, and most stories are wrapped up perfectly. When we say “most,” we point specifically to Mike’s and Eleven’s endings as the two that don’t wrap up nicely. While the open-ended conclusion to Eleven’s story is interesting, it’s just not how you should treat your main character. Within the same episode, they have a speech from Hopper about how her life has been nothing but unfair to her, and how she finally deserves a happy ending. What happens almost immediately after? She dies—or maybe she doesn’t; you decide, according to the writers. It’s lazy writing for the end of a character who is possibly the most iconic pop culture figure in the last 20 years—the countless Halloween costumes copying her looks from the show prove this. Mike’s might be even worse. He becomes his father, and not just because he is wearing glasses and a sweater in his predicted future. He is alone, sulking in his room, fantasizing about the past. A true disgrace to seasons one and two, Mike, who was the “heart” of the main group of kids. He was a supportive friend—albeit immature and short-tempered at times—and was a quasi-main character with some of the best moments in the early seasons. That is why most finales fall through—character assassination. This season is certainly not an exception.
Final Thoughts
The whole season was like a roller coaster: you have fun during the build-up, the climax happens, and you wind up disappointed by the time you get to the end. Volume One left everyone deeply excited for what was next, and it wasn’t paid off. The end of the rollercoaster was seeing the characters you’ve loved for ten years act completely different and have the worst ending they could’ve possibly had. Our short review? A final season so exciting it couldn’t stick the landing, falling into the realm of underwhelming and—at times—downright horrendous.
