Stranger Things Finale Leaves Fans Wanting More

After ten years and five seasons, Stranger Things has finally wrapped up. Now that I’ve had a week to mull it over, I can’t shake the feeling of being let down by how the Duffer brothers chose to close out the saga. Instead of a satisfying send-off, I’m left scratching my head, with heaps of questions still hanging in the air. Like plenty of others, I jumped on board when the show first landed in 2016, back when I was 16. There was nothing quite like it at the time. The retro ‘80s vibe made me nostalgic for a decade I never lived through, and the story of misfit mates banding together to take on something sinister reminded me of old-school classics like The Goonies. Throw in a bit of Dungeons & Dragons magic, and it was a recipe for something special. The first few seasons kept me hooked, even with the odd misstep like the ‘Lost Sister’ detour in season two. By the time season four rolled around, the show was firing on all cylinders. But season five? That’s where things started to wobble, especially with a final episode that just didn’t land.

Highs and Lows of the Last Season

To be fair, the latest season isn’t all bad. There are some cracking moments, like the mid-season finale where Will finally stands up to Vecna and discovers his own powers. That twist had everyone guessing—would Will be the one to take down Vecna, or would he go off the rails like Henry Creel did? Volume one also sparked a bunch of wild fan theories, from Vecna building a time machine with the twelve kids to Ted Wheeler being behind the Upside Down. But when volume two dropped, the pace dragged, and I started to wonder how they’d tie up all the loose ends, deliver a big showdown, and give the characters proper send-offs in just over two hours. Then, on New Year’s Eve 2025, the final episode aired. The big battle I’d been waiting nearly a decade for was over in less than 20 minutes. Eleven and Will managed to take down Vecna, and Joyce finished the job with an axe.

‘Is that it?’

I thought, as the moment I’d been hanging out for ended in a flash. No one from the main group got hurt, and they all walked away from the Abyss without a scratch. Even Eleven’s supposed sacrifice felt up in the air. I’m not saying I wanted anyone to get knocked off, but if the crew can always beat the baddie who’s meant to be unstoppable, what’s the point? The final fight should’ve taken up more of the episode, showing different perspectives and digging deeper into Vecna’s backstory. The Mind Flayer was also a pushover compared to his earlier appearances. And where were the Demogorgons and Demodogs? You’d reckon they’d show up when their boss is in strife.

Unanswered Questions and Plot Holes

Beyond the rushed battle, the finale left a stack of questions from earlier seasons hanging. What was Vecna’s real plan? Why did he need exactly twelve kids? And why wasn’t he better prepared for the group’s attack, given his link to Will? It felt like the whole Will-Vecna connection was dropped, especially in the final fight. If Will could sense everything Vecna did, why did he walk away unscathed? Other bits just seemed like sloppy writing—Will and Vecna sharing a birthday for no reason, Hopper and Joyce never mentioning they knew Henry Creel from school, and Will reminiscing about milkshakes at Melvads, which is actually a hardware shop. Plus, how did Hopper and Nancy just get on with life after the Upside Down was destroyed, considering they’d been fighting soldiers? Wouldn’t the military still be after them?

Fan Theories and the Ambiguous Ending

Straight after the finale, the Duffer brothers did the rounds in interviews, saying that some things were wrapped up off-screen and that punters could make up their own minds about certain plot points, like what happened with Vickie and Robin. But leaving the ending ‘ambiguous’, especially when it comes to Eleven, has only fuelled new conspiracy theories online, like ‘Conformity Gate’, where some reckon the real finale is still to come. I reckon if the Duffers had sorted out the plot holes on screen instead of in interviews, fans would be a lot happier. Still, I don’t want to keep picking apart a show I’ve spent so much time with. Even if the ending didn’t quite stick the landing, the last season was still a good ride—better than most of what’s streaming these days. Maybe the best bit was seeing Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin together again at the end, just like when we first met them. Before all the monsters and mayhem, it was their friendship that made the show special. Maybe that’s what the finale was really about—saying goodbye to these characters and the wild journey we’ve all been on.