Warning: spoilers ahead for the Stranger Things 5 finale
Stranger Things has reached its conclusion, and many fans are displeased with how a significant character’s death was portrayed.
After nearly a decade of captivating audiences, Stranger Things has wrapped up its run on Netflix.
The series has been immensely popular due to its engaging storytelling, but the handling of its final season and the extended finale left the fan base with mixed feelings.
Some viewers have even compared the show’s ending unfavorably to that of the much-criticized final season of Game of Thrones.
Remember Game of Thrones? The HBO fantasy series that captivated audiences worldwide until its infamous conclusion. Fans are saying the disappointment is on a similar level, although the final season’s Rotten Tomatoes score for Stranger Things suggests otherwise.
Fans were particularly eager for a satisfying resolution to the storyline involving the villain Vecna, and opinions were split over the decision to have Winona Ryder’s character, Joyce Byers, involved in his defeat.
It’s not just that Joyce was involved in dealing the final blow, but rather fans believe the creators missed an opportunity to enhance the moment’s impact.
Reacting to a video of Joyce confronting Vecna, a user on X commented: “If Joyce was gonna be the one to do the kill shot…. Vecna should have turned back into Henry or at least said her name to tie in the fact that THEY ACTUALLY KNEW EACH OTHER.”
If you’re confused, let’s break it down.
Vecna is revealed to be Henry Creel, the first test subject at Hawkins Lab, and he attended high school with Joyce and Hopper, portrayed by David Harbour.
Henry even acted in a play directed by Joyce during their school days. However, this connection isn’t explored in the series and is instead revealed in the prequel play, The First Shadow.
Despite this omission, some fans felt that emphasizing this connection during Vecna’s final moments would have been beneficial.
Another viewer remarked: “The way they BRUSHED over how they knew each other lowkey blew me like come on Duffer Bros smh.”
A third viewer wrote: “I swear o thought they were gonna have a moment when he looked at her before hand.”
Someone else added: “I guess it was supposed to be an unspoken thing but i would’ve liked that to have been an obvious thing.”
And another simply mentioned: “Really thought we were gonna get some type of conclusion with that lmao.”
You can watch the finale on Netflix, along with all the previous seasons, and decide for yourself.