Stranger Things Star Shrugs at Season 5 Finale on Letterboxd
Raphael Luce, who played young Henry Creel, gave the Stranger Things season 5 finale a modest 3.5-star rating on Letterboxd, hinting at mixed reactions even among the cast.
The last episode of Stranger Things’ fifth season has sparked plenty of debate among fans, and it turns out even the cast aren’t all that dazzled. Raphael Luce, who stepped into the shoes of young Henry Creel—the lad who’d later become Vecna—took to Letterboxd to rate the finale. His verdict? Three and a half stars, plus a heart for good measure. His review was short and sweet:
The end.
Interestingly, Luce’s rating has dropped half a star since his first go. One punter noticed the change, cheekily asking,
is it really 4 stars tho i mean is it reeeeally.
Luce’s role in the series has mostly been through flashbacks, popping up in four episodes during the fourth season and making another appearance in the latest run. Jamie Campbell Bower, meanwhile, takes over as the older Henry and the menacing Vecna.
Behind the Scenes: A Tough Nut to Crack
The making of the finale wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for the show’s creators. In the recently released documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers admitted the final episode was
the most difficult writing circumstance we’ve ever found ourselves in.
The pressure was on to deliver a send-off that would satisfy the show’s massive following, but reactions have been all over the shop.
Some fans have gone so far as to float a theory—dubbed Conformity Gate—that there’s a secret extra episode waiting in the wings, supposedly the “real” ending. Whether that’s just wishful thinking or not, the finale has certainly got people talking.
Fan Reactions and Ongoing Buzz
With the last season now streaming, viewers are still picking apart every detail. The finale has copped a fair bit of criticism, with some feeling it didn’t quite stick the landing. Others reckon it was a fitting close to the much-loved series. If you’re keen to dive deeper, there are reviews and breakdowns out there dissecting every twist and turn of the final episode.
For now, though, even those closest to the show—like Luce—seem to have mixed feelings about how things wrapped up. Whether you’re a diehard fan or just along for the ride, the conversation around Stranger Things’ swan song is far from over.