Netflix’s hit show, Stranger Things, is a sci-fi, horror, thriller coming-of-age story set in the 80s that started in 2016. The final season was split up into 3 different parts. Episodes 1-4 were released on November 26th, 5-7 were released on December 25th, and the finale was released on December 31st. We saw this trend of shows being split into volumes start with Stranger Things season 4. Other Netflix shows have been following in the same path, such as Wednesday, You, Outer Banks, and many more.
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), and many, many more. Over the course of the 10 years it's been streaming on Netflix it has won 81 total awards from various award shows, and has been nominated 256 times. The entire series has an 8.6/10 rating on IMDb and a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. The articles written about the finale are mainly pretty negative and are critiquing the way it ended, since we were left with quite a few questions left. “There were some good moments, but overall – after a couple of days sitting with my feelings and thinking about everything that transpired in the over two hour finale – I’m pretty let down” (https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2026/01/03/stranger-things-series-finale-crushing-disappointment/). There are plenty of other articles and reviews of people feeling the same way.
One of the major complaints about the finale and season 5 as a whole is how big the cast has gotten, and how it feels like there are no stakes because no one is dying. The only main deaths in the season consisted of only 2 from the main group of characters. One being Eleven's sister, Kali, who's barely part of the main cast, as she was in one episode in season 2 and has come back for a few episodes this last season to help wrap up Eleven's story. The other “death” was Eleven at the end of the final battle, where she sacrificed herself when they blew up the upside down. Death is in quotation marks because the Duffers made it an ambiguous ending. They wanted to leave it up to interpretation out of fear
of backlash. Another upset is how we left the finale with so many unanswered questions, and when the Duffers were asked in post season interviews, they kept answering with “oh, it's left to interpretation”. It has caused fans to be annoyed because instead of making these questions clearer and giving actual answers, we’re left with vague responses. It just feels like they're just saying it's up to interpretation, so we can all just move on. While watching the season 5 documentary, released on Netflix on January 12th, 2026, you can tell how rushed the whole season and writing process was. Another case of having to find an answer to something else after the episodes had aired was a scene in Volume 2 where there was an emotional scene between Nancy and Jonathan, and when watching, it reads as a sweet rekindling scene. Only to find out after the episode, in an interview, the Duffers state that it's actually a moment of the two breaking up. (
Did 'Stranger Things' Nancy and Jonathan Just Get Engaged? Show Creators Reveal the Couple's Fate (Exclusive)). So many fans were left confused about how that scene was meant to be a breakup scene and were mad they had to find out after the fact, in an interview.
The show is set in the 80’s, so it has a very nostalgic 80’s feel to it. As someone who wasn’t alive during that time period, it even makes me nostalgic for a time I never knew. I do know people, though, who were very much alive in the 80s, and they say it's pretty accurate for the time period and that the dialogue, set design, and costuming got it right. It’s also set in a small town in Indiana, and as someone who used to live in a very small town, they definitely got the feel of it right, and it honestly makes me miss my hometown. The eerie vibe of it works perfectly for the show and story they're telling. It makes me sad for the whole first part of the finale its mainly taking place in the other dimensions instead of the real world.
Stranger Things started a huge surge in 80s nostalgia on TV when it came out. There have been shows to come out to try and get the same energy as the Netflix original, I Am Not Okay With This, which ended up getting cancelled after only one season.
I think what makes Stranger Things unique is its mix of '80s nostalgia with these horror elements. It's a show about kids that's not actually meant for kids. There's also a coming of age story unfolding while you watch, and it's very special for people who watched as the show came out, like me. I grew up with the show and with the characters themselves, and was sad to say goodbye when it ended. The show has many inspirations behind it, such as IT, A Nightmare on Elm Street, E.T, and The Goonies, yet it feels its own thing.
In the beginning, we saw average character stereotypes such as the not-so-popular girl, but wants to be (Nancy Wheeler), getting with the jock of the school (Steve Harrington) while the jock bullies the quiet, loner kid (Jonathan Byers). But, as the story progresses, these stereotypes start to fade away, and they grow special bonds with each other. Someone like Steve had amazing character development as the show went on. He went from the guy everyone rooted against to the fan favorite. Characters breaking away from their given stereotypes is something that'll always be special to me.
I'd say the target audience for the show is teenagers and adults, especially those who lived in the 80s, and can get that nostalgia factor from the show and fully be taken back just by watching it. They've stated the show is for the outcasts, weirdos, losers, those who feel like they don’t belong. “Now, as we act in the continuing narrative of Stranger Things, we 1983 midwesterners, we will repel bullies! We will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no home. We will get past the lies. We will hunt monsters. And when we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions, we will — as per Chief Jim Hopper — PUNCH SOME PEOPLE IN THE FACE when they seek to destroy the meek and the disenfranchised and the marginalized. And we will do it all with soul, with heart, and with joy. We thank you for this responsibility, thank you” (David Harbour for the Stranger Things acceptance speech at the 2017 SAG awards).
If I were visiting the U.S from a different place, I would assume it's a place where you can conquer anything, even if you aren't the average, popular, basic person.
Some of the show's strengths are definitely getting the 80’s facts pretty historically accurate, and making you feel like you are living in the time period yourself when watching. I also think another strength is the characters. You immediately fall in love with them and get so interested in what they are doing next. A weakness the show has is how much you can tell from the finale, and the whole last season was rushed. There was a writers' strike that happened in 2023, which definitely caused the development of the season to be delayed, but they were extremely behind and were making the story as they went with filming the season. Personally, I wouldnt of been mad if we had to wait extra time just so they could perfect the scripts and story, because to watch the show I love so dearly end on such an unsatisfying note is annoying.
What I personally love about the show is mainly the characters and, of course, the plot, even though the finale annoyed me. I started watching the show when I was 11, and now I’m 19, so to grow up with these characters was very special. Even though this is my favorite show, there are obviously some things I critique it on. Examples are like what I've previously stated, how the finale feels sloppy and unfinished. I also wish the last season had been mainly focused on the main group of characters, but instead, season 5 focused on a whole other group of kids to try to appeal to the earlier season nostalgia, but to me, it fell flat. The new group of kids took most of the screentime, even though we fans all thought it would revolve around the core main characters again. The thing that makes it memorable for me, though, is they know how to make an iconic scene, like in season 4 in the episode Dear Billy, where Max is escaping Vecna's mind while Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush plays, or in season 5 when it's revealed that Will is the sorcerer.
One critic about the finale has said, “This final extravaganza just hammered home for me why I’ve been so exasperated by this show lately, and so eager to see it end already. This is the ending of a series that’s completely run out of stream — that, having reached the limits of its curiosity and creativity, has turned around to burrow further and further into its own convoluted lore, throwing everything at the vine-covered wall in hopes that something might stick.” (Angie Han, Critics’ Conversation: ‘Stranger Things’ Goes Out (Finally) With a Confused and Protracted Bang). When it comes to this take, I agree, but also disagree. I agree with the fact that it seems like they were just throwing things at the wall in hopes that it sticks. I've said it previously, the finale feels sloppy to me. But the part I disagree with is that I don't think the series has run out of steam or has already reached its limits of creativity. I think there was so much potential left to finish the story off, but sadly, we weren't given that.
I've been a huge fan since season 2 dropped back in 2017. Every single season since I binge-watched the entirety of it as soon as it came out on Netflix, even if it meant staying up all night. No other shows I love would have me as excited for a new season and would have me staying up all night watching it like stranger things did. My best friend since childhood also loves the show, and we would stay up together to watch it, then debrief afterwards.
I've followed the show along on social media since I started watching. I love how the show really brings a community together on there. On the Stranger Things social media pages they tend to just post countdowns to release dates and footage or teasers to get people talking and excited. I will say I think the fans are the ones who promote the show on social media more than the actual official account does itself. My entire feed on all my socials was fans talking about the show or fan edits, which would reach 10 million likes. There are also many amazing fan theories that become so huge that just about everyone who's a fan has heard about them.
When doing this project and doing some research, is theres a lot more critics who disliked the finale. I knew, based on social media, that the majority of the fans didn't like it. But that doesn't always mean the critics wouldn't either, but obviously, everyone feels the same about the way it ended, whether you have been a die-hard fan and supporter since the beginning, or you are just starting. Something else I've learned is just how passionate I am about this topic because this essay has gone on way longer than I expected it to, which surprised me. Overall, I believe this show has curated a huge fanbase and community that really brings people together, even if it's to hate and criticize the show they love.
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LINKS -
Critics Opinions - https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2026/01/01/stranger-things-series-finale-reviews-what-are-critics-saying/
IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/
Rotten Tomatoes - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/stranger_things
Duffer Brothers Responses To Unanswered Questions - https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/01/05/stranger-things-matt-duffer-says-he-shouldnt-have-answered-finale-questions/
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