Warning: This article contains serious Stranger Things spoilers
Stranger Things enthusiasts have criticized the show’s creators for failing to deliver the conclusion the popular series merited, despite having a two-hour finale.
Matt and Ross Duffer, the twin masterminds behind this successful franchise, have faced backlash from fans who sacrificed their New Year’s Eve plans to see how the Netflix horror series wrapped up. Many have drawn parallels to HBO’s Game of Thrones finale.
In my view, Game of Thrones was an outstanding TV series, but its final two seasons seemed rushed, leaving the once-revered show associated with a disappointing conclusion.
So, learning that their cherished Stranger Things is being met with similar criticism must be disheartening for the Duffer brothers.
“Stranger Things after taking 10 years to end … only to end up having the worst finale in TV history since Killing Eve & Game of Thrones,” one user commented on X.
Another chimed in: “Trying to decide if the final season of Stranger Things is worse than Game of Thrones or Lost’s final seasons.”
A third wrote: “The Game of Thrones ending was better than this, and that was one of the biggest pieces of trash of all time.”
The comparisons between the final seasons of Stranger Things and Game of Thrones continued to pour in.
“Stranger Things season 5 finale was worse than Game of Thrones finale. I’m gonna be so honest,” another fan expressed… you get the idea.
What caused the fans’ dissatisfaction? It seems to stem from the fairytale ending, where none of the main characters meet their demise—although Eleven appears to die, it’s rather perplexing.
Kali seems to meet her end during a confrontation with Hopper and Eleven, taken down by the military, prompting Eleven to retaliate by killing Lieutenant Akers.
Eleven’s fate is a bit more complicated. She looks poised to make the ultimate sacrifice by staying behind in the crumbling Upside Down, seemingly taking the wormhole—and herself—away for good.
However, an 18-month time jump reveals Mike hinting that Kali survived and used her abilities to deceive everyone into thinking Eleven had perished, allowing her to escape to a safe haven with multiple waterfalls, as Mike once envisioned.
The time skip also offers closure for the rest of the Hawkins crew as Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max get ready for their high school graduation, participating in one last game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Max and Lucas end up together, Dustin is named class valedictorian and heads to college, Will moves to a big city after coming out, and Mike starts a career as a professional writer.
The older teens also move on, with Steve remaining in Hawkins, Robin going to Smith College, Nancy joining The Boston Herald, and Jonathan pursuing filmmaking at New York University.
Hopper finally proposes to Joyce, hinting at a future in Montauk.
“We wanted each of the characters to find happiness but in their own specific ways,” Matt Duffer shared with Tudum.
Ross Duffer added: “She [Eleven] lives on in their hearts, whether that’s real or not.”
It seems the Duffer brothers avoided killing any main characters, perhaps leaving the door open for a potential sequel without excluding key cast members.