Almost a decade of love for “Stranger Things” ended in a disappointing goodbye. The final season of the show is the worst one yet.
After nine years, the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” was released in three separate parts on Netflix during major US holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
To put it simply, the conclusion of the show, following a group of friends witnessing bizarre supernatural events and uncovering government secrets in 1980s Hawkins, Indiana, sucked.
I have been watching this show since I was 10 years old, and when the final season was announced, the hype that grew, not only in me but across the internet, can be similarly compared to that of “Game of Thrones.”
Both shows, unfortunately, suffered a similar fate: a generationally loved show up until an extremely disappointing and subpar final season.
It would be naive to think that no matter what happened, everyone would be pleased, especially with several battling love triangles and fan ships splitting the fandom. But whether you wanted Stancy (Steve + Nancy) or Byler (Will + Mike) to be endgame, this set of episodes was just bad TV.
To preface, I am a huge advocate for just taking a breath and enjoying media for what it is, even if it has flaws, and recognizing that sometimes overanalyzing a piece of media can be the downfall of enjoyment. Even though I tried so hard to be happy with how the show ended, I kept finding myself distracted by its faults.
The season was riddled with awful writing and the destruction of multiple character arcs to cringe-worthy acting, things the previous seasons didn’t suffer from nearly as much.
Perhaps it was the pressure of the situation, or the fact that the show had initially been planned to last 3 or 4 seasons, according to Fox News, Esquire and Slash Film. Regardless, with the amount of time it takes between seasons and the bar set by previous seasons, it just should have been better.
Not only did I find myself baffled by the quality of some performances, specifically Noah Schnapp’s, but the awkward and clunky dialogue did not help performances from key actors such as Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown and Winona Ryder.
I truly have to thank Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink for acting like their lives depended on it. Whether that can be attributed to some child actors outgrowing their talent or the actors being ready to move on is unclear, but the result on screen was impossible to ignore.
Another issue the season suffered from was its pacing. Episodes and key moments felt rushed, despite every episode running close to an hour, and the final episode lasting over two.
Storylines were unevenly prioritized, with excessive screen time devoted to fan service, such as Will Byers’ confession and coming out scene – an abomination compared to Robin Buckley’s in season three. Meanwhile, major plot developments were crammed in at the last minute, making the season feel exhausting rather than epic.
The Duffer Brothers, the minds and directors behind “Stranger Things”, were the nail in its coffin.
They spent significant time leaning into the hype before and during the release, promising a “dark Christmas” and a “depressing New Year’s,” which built anticipation that felt meaningless.
The show continued to mislead by using iconic scores associated with death during scenes, such as “Eulogy” and “When it’s Cold I’d Like to Die,” that never resulted in actual loss or consequences.
Releasing the season during three major holidays only amplified nostalgia and excitement, encouraging viewers to focus on the moment rather than the material. It also forced many people to choose between watching and holiday commitments or risk being spoiled online.
The promise of major loss, especially during times usually focused on happiness and family, functioned more as marketing than storytelling, masking a chaotic and emotionally uneven conclusion that failed to deliver on its promises.
In the end, Stranger Things 5 relied too heavily on anticipation, nostalgia and the promise of emotional devastation to mask weak writing and uneven execution. Nostalgia overshadowed the fact that the goodbye was poorly handled.
While I am someone who is heavily influenced by my love for this show and the nostalgia attached to it, the finale of “Stranger Things” fell way below the bar, and given a few months for everyone to get over their initial emotions about it ending, I’m certain the general public will agree it is the worst season.
Stranger things have happened, but hype alone shouldn’t be enough to carry a final season.