As a popular and highly regarded show finally coming to a close, the “Stranger Things” finale met high expectations as well as conflicting opinions among the viewers.
The “Stranger Things” finale did quite a few things well, such as establishing the intensity early on in the episode. With a fake-out of Steve’s death happening early on in the episode, high stakes were quickly established. This was further evoked with Hopper’s increasing concern for Eleven. Viewers saw how his inability to protect her now would eventually play a role in the narrative. Eight’s role, despite being a rather unpopular one, existed to push that narrative even further, with the audience suspecting that their deaths will be inevitable for a happy ending.
Additionally, the finale put Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve’s love triangle—a source of conflict built up in previous episodes—to the side, making space for greater development and maturity for these characters. As a result, they were able to move past something that originally presented such a challenge to their bond.
The finale also successfully highlighted the storyline of Vecna’s manipulation of Hopper. Not only did this play into the key narrative of Hopper’s increasing concern for Eleven, it also created a clever plot twist: Vecna was able to interrupt Eleven’s access to the void by using an illusion to make it seem like she had been fatally wounded, leading Hopper to take her out of her comatose state.
Despite all these examples of the successes of the finale, it still had several issues. One example lies in Vecna and the Mind Flayer, the two major villains of the series. Despite how threatening they were previously depicted, they were not responsible for any of the major character casualties in the finale, displaying an awkward amount of plot armor and completely undermining the high stakes they established earlier. This is especially shocking as the military ultimately posed a more significant threat to the characters, causing the death of Eight and indirectly causing Eleven’s uncertain fate.
Furthermore, threats within the Upside Down were unaddressed. Another problem with the finale was the lack of threats within the Upside Down. In prior seasons, the dimension was filled with dangerous monsters such as Demogorgons. Despite this, they were nowhere to be seen, giving the characters an unexplained lack of obstacles. This completely changes the tone of the Upside Down, taking away much of the intensity and suspense.
Finally, the finale and the show overall struggled with the incredibly large cast. Many characters lacked a true purpose in the plot, with some storylines seeming rushed and out of place. For example, Vickie and Mr. Clarke only had involvement with the Upside Down for an episode or two before the finale, and Vickie didn’t even make an appearance in the epilogue. Another side character, Erica, also made extremely minimal contributions in the finale.
Overall, the finale was quite underwhelming. While the beginning built up intensity well, the rest of the episode did not meet the standard set by earlier seasons and episodes of “Stranger Things”. In short, it wasn’t bad, but it’ll leave you wanting more.
