After years of waiting for the final season, many fans were left disappointed. Viewers thought it was rushed, and there were too many plot holes. Season five carried the heavy responsibility of wrapping up a nearly decade-long series, and for some, it fell short. This review examines season five and its impact on the Stranger Things storyline as a whole. Spoilers appear later in this article, so readers who have not yet watched the final season should proceed with caution.
Season five places a strong focus on Holly Wheeler and how she is finally involved in her family’s chaotic secret life. The season gives the parents a more active role in the plot instead of keeping them in the background. The crew also figures out more about the Upside Down and how Vecna has been using it. Compared to the past four seasons, season five carries a noticeably different vibe. Earlier seasons were special because the characters were still children. This season had a different feel because the main characters have grown and changed so much compared to the past.
Season five struggles with several plot holes. One major issue is the zero appearances of other Upside Down creatures in the finale. The main characters travel to Dimension X, which is the world where the Mind Flayer and all the creatures are from, yet none appear during the final fight scene. While the Mind Flayer emerges to fight the group, it raises questions about why the Hive Mind was never alerted.
The season also explores Henry Creel’s descent into evil. Viewers see Henry as a child going into a cave and getting a briefcase from a Hawkins Lab scientist. Whenever he picks up an object that looks like a stone inside of the briefcase, the Mind Flayer consumes him, and viewers see how his journey starts. However, the explanation surrounding the stone itself is unclear, leaving unanswered questions about its origins and how Hawkins Lab got its hands on it.
Another disappointing aspect of the season is the time jump between seasons four and five. Many fans expected to see the apocalyptic chaos in Hawkins after Vecna split the town into four. The final scene of season four created a strong buildup, but season five moved past this moment. It was shocking when the opening scenes showed that everyone was at school instead of panicking about their town.
Fans’ dissatisfaction with the ending led to widespread theories about a hidden final episode called “Conformity Gates.” It was theorized that the finale was just Vecna making viewers believe that the crew had a happy ending, and the new episode was going to show a more gruesome ending for the main crew. Unfortunately, this remained a fan theory and was never released.
Although many fans weren’t happy with how the series ended, there are others who appreciated the conclusion. Senior Kyla Kephart shared her thoughts on the final season: “I think the final season was great. It was filled with so many interesting things. I personally think there should be at least one more episode to show viewers what actually happened to Eleven, but overall I think the season was good.”
Overall, season five provides closure for the characters, even if the plot execution was inconsistent. Fans had high expectations for the ending of Stranger Things, and not every viewer walked away satisfied. Still, the series leaves behind a lasting legacy, reminding fans that endings rarely meet every expectation, but they can still be a meaningful wrap-up.
