By Natalie Wadin ’28
Updated 11:50 a.m., EDT, 06 February 2026
Warning: Major Spoillers
The Netflix show, Stranger Things, captured hearts over the last ten years. This year, the show wrapped up with an intense season worthy of a watch party with Eleven’s waffles and some tissues. The final season brought crazy plot twists, emotional highs and lows, and a bittersweet ending that satisfied fans who wanted to see the characters experience a peaceful ending after enduring years of chaos.
While some fans may have wanted more small-detail explanations in Season Five, it wrapped up the show’s important aspects well: a group of underdog friends going on unthinkable adventures and making it out the other side–or out of the Upside Down.
Relationships were resolved and strengthened: El and Hopper’s struggle and resolution to trust one another helped them find peace. Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve ended on good terms, putting earlier tensions aside. Finally, Steve and Dustin’s fight led Dustin to express his grief, and care for Steve, strengthening their relationship and bringing tears to viewers’ eyes.
Along with the emotional plotlines, Stranger Things also delivered entertaining and shocking plot twists. Will’s ability to control Vecna in the episode “Sorcerer” was a twist to rival Henry Creel himself. The Upside Down turning out to be a wormhole brought back the Sci-fi element from previous seasons. Additionally, Steve’s near-death scene had fans on the edge of their seats. Besides nail-biting twists, the CGI leveled up the Upside-Down world, the demogorgons were even more savage, and the final villain, the Mind Flayer, was not a smoky being anymore, but a larger-than-life, terrifying, gory monster.
Overall, Season Five delivered an impactful ending to the series, with emotional scenes of resolved conflicts, dramatic plot twists, intense action, and the continued well-loved theme of friendship. The show creatively wrapped up the series by mirroring its beginning: the main group of Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas, and now Max too, playing one last round of Dungeons & Dragons and closing with the younger generation of kids filling in for them. While the world doesn’t want to admit it, the show is done. But I’m sure you’ve heard stranger things before. ★
By Lily Worden ’28
Updated 11:50 a.m., EDT, 06 February 2026
Warning: Major Spoilers
After waiting three and a half years with eager anticipation and high hopes for a mind-flaying wrap-up to the Netflix favorite, fans across the globe spent this past winter holiday season watching the final installment of Stranger Things – only for it to be a complete flop. From plot holes to bad writing to scenes that were just plain disappointing, Season 5 served as a less-than-satisfactory ending to the series that kept watchers on the edge of their seats for almost a decade.
If you thought Season 5 would answer all of your questions about the Stranger Things universe, you thought wrong. In fact, you may be left with even more questions than you started with. Why did Henry need twelve kids in order to close the space between his world and Hawkins? Who is Doctor Kay and when did she come into the story?
Further still, some of the scenes were poorly written such as Jonathan and Nancy’s “un-proposal,” which sparked so much confusion that the Duffer Brothers had to come out and confirm that they had broken up.And a five-season build just for a five-minute final battle scene? What happened to Starcourt Mall-level brawls? By the time fans had wrapped their minds around how exactly Vecna and the Mind Flayer were connected,they were both dead.
Stranger Things has never been a happy and optimistic show, so why did everything wrap up with a neat little bow? Aside from Eleven’s annoyingly ambiguous ending, all of the characters came out unscathed.While we don’t necessarily want anyone to be scathed, it feels unrealistic that everything would end so perfectly after five seasons of mayhem. The ending was anticlimactic and uncharacteristic to the show fans have known and loved.
Viewers sat down to watch Season 5 with high expectations, desiring a nostalgic, satisfying, and clarifying ending to their favorite show. Unfortunately, many were disappointed, and I would recommend they rewatch the earlier seasons to relive the better days of Stranger Things. ★
