Warning: This article contains significant spoilers for Stranger Things
As the clock ticked down to midnight, fans of Stranger Things were busy tallying the instances of Netflix failing to load.
The highly anticipated series finale of the show dropped just as reports of platform crashes began to surge, leaving viewers in a lurch as they attempted to watch.
After years of anticipation, the final episode arrived on Netflix, and within minutes, fans encountered severe technical difficulties while trying to view the two-hour climax of the Duffer Brothers’ supernatural narrative.
Social media was soon awash with complaints from frustrated fans who found the app had completely stopped working.
“NETFLIX CRASHED PLS LET ME IN I DO NOT HAVE NEW YEARS PLANS,” expressed one user on X.
Another fan commented: “My Netflix has crashed twice already three mins into the stranger things finale.”
Someone else humorously remarked: “The last episode of stranger things crashed harder.”
Despite the disruption, the metrics highlighted the immense draw of the finale.
Following the release of Season 5, Volume 2 on Christmas, Stranger Things swiftly reclaimed Netflix’s top spot with 34.5 million views.
Cumulatively, the fifth season had accumulated an estimated 137.1 million views since its premiere in November.
Kali, not exactly a central character, seemingly meets her end during a skirmish with Hopper and Eleven when she’s shot by the military. In retaliation, Eleven kills Lieutenant Akers, appearing to seal his fate as well.
Eleven’s conclusion is far more intricate, as she appears to sacrifice herself by remaining in the collapsing Upside Down, ensuring that the wormhole is destroyed along with her.
However, an 18-month leap forward complicates matters when Mike recounts a tale implying Kali might have survived, using her powers to fabricate the illusion of Eleven’s death – allowing her to escape to a serene location with multiple waterfalls, reminiscent of Mike’s imagination.
The time jump also provides closure for the rest of the Hawkins crew, as Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max gear up for their high school graduation, engaging in one last Dungeons and Dragons game.
Max and Lucas’s relationship blossoms, Dustin becomes the class valedictorian and proceeds to college, Will relocates to a big city after coming out, and Mike pursues a career in writing.
The older teens also make their transitions: Steve remains in Hawkins, Robin enrolls at Smith College, Nancy joins The Boston Herald, and Jonathan studies filmmaking at New York University.
Hopper eventually proposes to Joyce, hinting at a future together in Montauk.
“We wanted each of the characters to find happiness but in their own specific ways,” Matt Duffer explained to Tudum.
Ross Duffer added: “She [Eleven] lives on in their hearts, whether that’s real or not.”