Stranger Things Season 5 Spoilers Ahead
There was an indescribable magic in Stranger Things Seasons 1 and 2 that made the series an absolute game-changer in streaming. An undeniable unicorn of a show. It wasn’t the type of sci-fi that only those of us who love the genre gravitate toward, but the magic blew out farther, spellbinding all kinds of casual viewers with its immersive nostalgia and incredibly relatable characters. But the same heart that took us by storm is sadly absent in the final season, making brief appearances in small beats that are crushed by a questionable timeline, predictable decisions, and glaring plot holes despite the amount of time that was available to deliver an epic conclusion.
And here’s the thing: Stranger Things didn’t need an epic conclusion. Neither did Game of Thrones. Both these shows could’ve ended on a quiet high note as long as every narrative beat felt earned, yet it’s all weighed down by the expectations that were thrust upon us with a three-year gap and promises of “things that’ve never been done before.” Every statement leading up to a production impacts how we’re going to examine it, whether as casual viewers who don’t keep up as intensely, or critics and eagle-eyed fans who are aware of every interview and press release. All these factors, including every marketing tactic in the fifth and final season, affect our viewing experience, and they did. Prodigiously, but not in a positive manner.
When I think about the series finales that still haunt me in the best way, it’s always The Americans’ “START” and The Expanse’s “Babylon’s Ashes.” Two shows that had plenty of expectations leading up to how the story would wrap up, as well as wild theories about where characters would go, yet the end results were quietly moving sensations that emphasized the importance of allowing its characters to drive the story, as opposed to contrived plot points that leave us scratching our heads. And a large part of the problem in Stranger Things Season 5 is that the expansion of the lore doesn’t add to the heart, but it takes away from the simplicity that made it so special: a small town sci-fi series that started with a mystery and a few kids playing Dungeons & Dragons.
The purpose of the expansion is fully understandable from a writing standpoint, but the execution is what fumbles alongside the questionable release dates on major holidays. It’s all just… messy. It’s hard to put into words how I feel about this finale because sitting with discomfort isn’t an easy feeling, and I suppose that’s what it is. Often, when I struggle with a finale, it’s because I loved it so much, I have no idea how to put it in the right words, but with Stranger Things Season 5, the discomfort is an unfamiliar feeling. Sitting here and trashing it feels wrong, but sitting here and praising it isn’t right either. The middle ground is an odd space to analyze, and it’s especially ill-fitting for Stranger Things of all shows. This silly, small fantasy meant so much to so many of us at one point in our lives. Nine years, forty-two episodes, and for what?
Stranger Things Season 5 Leaves Very Little Room for the Characters to Breathe
At the end of the day, we’re all here for the characters, and that includes Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna, whose moments are undoubtedly some of the most riveting in the show’s final season. Yet, somehow, despite the surplus amount of time granted by Netflix, it never quite feels like the characters get to breathe, and when they do, the scene is cut so abruptly that it doesn’t exactly feel right.
Fan favorite characters Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson get substantial scenes to grow their friendship, and Max Mayfield and Lucas Sinclair evolve their partnership beautifully. Yet apart from them, it all feels muffled, filtered with questionable dialogue (or no moments at all) that feel like they’re coming out of the blue with very little build-up leading up to them. Nancy Wheeler ending up alone because she should be independent is literally the opposite of Feminism 101. The whole point is the importance of a woman’s agency by allowing her to choose, and hi, yes, she can choose a partner and a career simultaneously. Signed, a feminist romance author.
And this all brings us to Eleven’s fate and the ambiguity surrounding her death/disappearance. We’re talking about a child who was experimented on for years and tirelessly lost her agency while she set herself up as bait to fight for an entire town, so to leave her story without a concrete ending is a disservice in more ways than I have the mental energy to get into. If she sacrifices herself, it’s horrible. But if she does indeed move on, then it shouldn’t be a storyteller’s vision; it should be real at the very least. The ambiguity here doesn’t make the finale prestigious or edgy; it makes it sad and disheartening. And it’s the very reason for the uneasiness lodged right at the center of it all.
There’s a lot that happens in Stranger Things Season 5, yet at the same time, it feels like we get very little. We’re still left pondering instead of being satisfied, even if it’s heartbreaking. One of the reasons why the epilogue scene between Steve, Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan’s work (to a small degree) is that it’s an accurate account of life after high school today. As much as we want to see our best friends every day, it turns into months at times. Life happens, and it crushes us. The world gets harder and harder to exist in, and those simple moments become distant memories we’ll always find ourselves trying to recreate. For the sake of the story, the timeline should’ve been explained better to justify the choices, but even that’s missing, so it’s all pretty and fine, but it’s just…sad.
It feels…fine. There’s no nostalgia, there’s very little heart, it just feels like something, but what that something is, I don’t know if we’ll know for a while. Stranger Things will always be remembered as a series, but its finale will likely always bring in a slew of mixed feelings. There’s no neat bow or any sort of ribbon around it to tie the whole thing together, but I suppose I should be grateful that Steve Harrington survives it all. In the end, when I look back, I’ll turn to earlier seasons because if nothing else, we’ll always have those moments to hang onto. The new beginning of Mike Wheeler watching his little sister and her friends start playing D&D. A new campaign, and the end of a childhood. A reminder of some of the things we’ve all lost along the way, and all the ways that life keeps moving forward.
Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix. What are your thoughts on the final season? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Netflix