Credit: NetflixAfter what will soon be five incredible seasons of one of the most iconic shows on Netflix, fans of the hit series Stranger Things will soon be saying goodbye to the show. While the show has grown to its success due to its massive fan base, it appears that the Duffer brothers will be turning their back on the fan base when it comes to the fifth and final season.
Stranger Things, a science fiction horror drama series developed by the Duffer Brothers for Netflix, was officially renewed for its fifth and ultimate season in February 2022.
Set in the 1980s, the narrative unfolds in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, where residents confront the perils of the malevolent alternate dimension known as the Upside Down. This threat arises when a nearby human experimentation facility inadvertently opens a portal connecting it to the ordinary world. Casual, right?
At the core of the plot is the disappearance of a young boy who we know as Will Byers and the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities named Eleven. The show quickly gained cultural prominence, earning praise for its nostalgic references to 80s pop culture, compelling characters, and suspenseful storytelling (if you were not at the edge of your couch during the season 4 finale, you were doing it wrong).
The ensemble cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and Brett Gelman.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, show creators the Duffer brothers spoke out on the ending of the series, and how social media would play into it.
“Endings of shows are like opening a restaurant in terms of the success-failure rate – there’s an 80% failure rate, I’d say,” he continues. “But I think one very particular way to fail is to attempt to appease everybody. We have a huge variety of fans that span a huge age range and I’m sure they have all their own ideas of how they want the show to end. But we’re not consulting social media on this. Then you just hope and pray that it resonates. But it was funny: once we got there, it just felt right and we’re going to go for it!”
Stranger Things‘ conclusion is clearly something that was predetermined by the brothers at a certain point, and if we can pull something from this statement, it is that not everyone is going to be happy with the way the show ends. Considering it is the third biggest show on Netflix at the moment, behind Wednesday and Squid Game, this is certainly an exciting risk being taken by the brothers, which aligns with their approach to the show as an entity.
When they pitched the show only to be denied and told to change the storyline, they did not, and luckily, Netflix saw merit in where the series could go, so it is thrilling for fans to know that the creative direction has been maintained for five seasons.
So, how is Stranger Things going to end?
The Duffer brothers continued to talk on the final season, noting that it would be similar to the first, “This season – it’s like season one on steroids,” says Matt. “It’s the biggest it’s ever been in terms of scale, but it has been really fun, because everyone’s back together in Hawkins: the boys and Eleven interacting more in line with how it was in season one. And, yes, there may be spin-offs, but the story of Eleven and Dustin and Lucas and Hopper, their stories are done here. That’s it…
“Outside of the play,” he teases. “So if you want to see more of some of them, go see the play.” The play is titled Strangers Things: The First Shadow, and is currently live in the West End.
It is interesting to see that the brothers only said that the stories of Eleven and Dustin and Lucas and Hopper will end, when there are many more characters in the core friend group alone.
Mike Wheeler played by Finn Wolfhard, Will Byers played by Noah Schnapp (who is currently being requested by some to be written out of the show due to recent discriminatory and racist comments); and Max Mayfield played by Sadie Sink are among the main group of young friends,, but their names were not stated when listing whose story will come to an end.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Lead Abandons Franchise, “Let’s Get Out of Here”
This could mean a few things: perhaps these characters are being looked at for a spin-off series, or there is a chance that the ones that were initially listed are not able to carry out their stories because they will not survive this one. At the moment, things are unclear.
How did Stranger Things season 4 end?
Following the unsuccessful attempt by the kids to defeat Vecna, Max finds herself in a coma as Lucas and “El” couldn’t intervene in time to prevent Vecna from inflicting severe injuries, breaking all of Max’s bones, and causing blindness (one of the most heartbreaking moments of the finale).
Despite Dustin and Eddie’s effort to create “the most metal concert ever” in the Upside Down, it proved insufficient to keep the bats distracted throughout, leading to Eddie sacrificing himself (another heartbreaking moment of the finale).
In Russia, Joyce, Murray, and Hopper executed a daring escape and re-entry into the prison to close a small portal that the Russians had opened in an attempt to harness demogorgons and demodogs for their survival (a more romantic moment of the finale, to see the two lovebirds reunited).
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Will, Mike, Jonathan, and Argyle worked with Eleven to create a sensory deprivation tank, enabling her to confront Vecna and engage in astral projection to reach Max and Lucas. The outcome is ambiguous, but Eleven likely played a crucial role in saving Max from certain death, unveiling a new power of Eleven’s (the cliffhanger of the finale).
How do you think the Duffer brothers plan to end Stranger Things?