Season 5 of the hit Netflix show, “Stranger Things,” concluded Dec. 31, and it seemed to be a letdown to viewers. After Season 4 dropped in May and July of 2022, it took the show’s creators, Ross and Matt Duffer, three years to write, shoot and edit the show’s ending. The brothers teased at this last chapter through Instagram posts over the last few years, but even with so much anticipation, the season fell short compared to previous seasons of the show.
This final season was released in three separate volumes, which aligned with national holidays: Nov. 26 (the day before Thanksgiving), Dec. 25 (Christmas) and Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve).
The first volume consisted of four episodes. The opening scene of the gang planning their “crawl” to the Upside Down was a perfect way to bring these characters back to the screen, working together to beat Vecna once and for all after three years. The beloved group of teenagers listened to Robin Buckley’s (Maya Hawke) radio show to decipher a secret message through her talk show. Additionally, Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) and her daughter Holly (Nell Fisher), who were mostly background characters in the past, got to take a bigger role in this season by saving each other against attacks from monsters in the dark and frozen in time, the Upside Down.
Volume Two did not have much action but it seemed necessary to create a buildup to the series finale. The only shocking moment from these three episodes was Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) taking a moment to express his secret about his sexuality to his family and friends. The scene felt out of place, especially because many of the characters in the room for his emotional monologue had never had an on-screen conversation with him before.
The biggest letdown was, unfortunately, Volume Three. So much about the final episode felt odd and empty. The final episode felt rushed, even with a runtime of over two hours, especially because the first half of the episode completely takes place in the interdimensional world. The battle sequence that was built up the entire season only took a few minutes, making the final fight seem too easy. The second half of the episode took a time jump of 18 months to when the main characters were graduating high school. It was all very happy and cheerful, unlike the somber feeling that the show used to carry, making it feel very out of place: an ending too simple compared to past season finales.
Many plot holes were left open as the credits rolled for the series finale. After the first volume, demogorgons, which have been the most common creature to come to attack the group since Season 1, and any Upside Down monsters were never seen again. The hive mind between Will and the Mind Flayer should have killed them both because they were connected. In earlier seasons, it was unsafe to go to the Upside Down because of the toxic air, yet they all go in with no face coverings of any sort.
Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays the complex villain Vecna/Henry Creel/Mr. Whatsit/One showed his impeccable acting skills this season more than the last. His character is manipulative and terrifying all at the same time when staring into his victims’ eyes. When embodying his Mr. Whatsit persona for the children he has taken, he appears to be endearing and warm while secretly trying to harm them.
It was unfortunate to see that Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) was given minimal screen time for this final chapter. Ryder was a driving force of the show’s popularity when it started, but her screentime seemed to die down over the years and noticeably in Season 5. She only has one pivotal scene in the final battle. At other times, she is put so far in the background that it is hard to remember that she is there.
While the finale left quite the impression, with some fans creating their own theories over a secret episode, there was an announcement made Jan. 5 that there would be a documentary about the making of the show’s final moments, releasing Jan. 12. The film featured many behind the scenes moments on set, as well as in the writing room.
Near the beginning of the documentary, which first showed the earlier days of writing Season 5, the Duffer brothers said they wanted to make sure they left no unanswered questions about the show and to truly wrap the series up entirely. Yet, they did the exact opposite with the ending they gave Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) by leaving the viewers to decide what happened to her.
The most notable part of the behind-the-scenes movies was the inclusion of intricate details put into the set and design of the show. It was astonishing to see how production designer Chris Trujillo created the “goo room” in the Upside Down by the carving of the set and the white splatters of paint on the walls and on Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer).
Something disappointing to hear through the documentary was that the finale was not written when they started filming the season. Unfortunately, this is shown through the quality of the finale because of the lack of details and lazy writing. While the brothers may have warned viewers that it would be a dark Christmas, the finale was mostly full of disappointment. Over the course of the 10-year run, “Stranger Things” continued to grow in its fanbase with every season. However, the final episode showcased the lack of creativity in the Duffer brothers’ writing, making this ending a complete letdown.
