Stranger Things (Show Finale)

Ah, New Year’s Eve. The time when glasses of wine clink and synchronized chants counting down from ten. But let it be known that on this New Year’s Eve before 2026, I was in my basement watching the Stranger Things finale. And I will proudly die on the hill that this was the only acceptable and elite use of my time. A big shoutout to the Duffer Brothers for making this NYE special. My thoughts on finale are below (spoilers ahead):

1. This finale had the safest ending that any writer can give. All the OG characters survived and each of them had a happy ending. Part of me says someone dying could have given this finale more visceral impact, but a more significant part of me is satisfied knowing everyone made it out safe and leading happy lives. When I think back on the previous seasons, Stranger Things has consistently been about developing connections with the characters, not the plot or the lore of the Upside Down. Ending it this way is a “feel good” moment for the audience.
   

2. I think Eleven is alive. I feel better interpreting it this way.
   

3. What was the point of the military? They were just a plot device to essentially be a pain in the ass. There is no other deeper lore or grand intentions, which was a bit disappointing.
   

4. If you can look past the fact that some eight odd high schoolers defeated a hulking Godzilla-size mindflayer with some Molotov cocktails and a machine gun in 5 minutes, but a couple of demogorgons easily eviscerated an entire military, everything else about the finale makes sense.
   

5. It looks like the demogorgons when out for a drink on NYE because they were NOWHERE to be found while their big boss was getting assaulted.
   

6. As someone who mostly listens to 80s music, I will hug whoever chose not one, but two Prince songs for the finale.
   

7. Kali clutched up at the end. I really thought she was going to betray the crew.
   

8. I loved Vecna's performance. There are hints of “Darth Vader” here as an unredeemable villain with a tragic background.
   

9. The existence of Dimension X / Abyss could be explained better. I am still curious about what the Mindflayer really is, other than that it is an otherworldly alien. Perhaps a story for a book.
   

10. Stranger Things spin-offs would be a good business decision by Netflix. I would watch it, but I don't want it.
    

11. The anticipation of new episodes and the finale was a huge part of what made Season 5 exciting. I would recommend anyone starting this show to take breaks in between seasons and avoid binging.

Stranger Things as a whole is one of, if not, the most successful TV show of this century that is not (for once) an adaptation of another work. In my opinion, it is just below the tier of Breaking Bad and The Office. Hats off to the creators. I haven't felt this emotional and satisfied about a motion picture culminating to its end since Marvel Avengers Endgame.