Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Sparks Mixed Reactions Among Fans: “It’s a Mess, But I’m Still Satisfied”

After nearly a decade, the beloved sci-fi series Stranger Things has wrapped up its journey. The two-hour finale has sparked mixed reactions among fans, with some thrilled by the conclusion while others feel shortchanged by the lack of a climactic showdown.

Spoiler Alert: The following discussion contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 5 episode 8, so make sure you’re caught up before diving in.

The fifth season of Stranger Things concluded on New Year’s Eve, featuring our favorite heroes from Hawkins facing off against Vecna one last time. In a dramatic turn, Joyce Byers delivers the final blow, taking down Vecna with an axe after he’s impaled by a spike in the Abyss. The episode also explored the aftermath for Will, Mike, and the other survivors as they adjusted to life after the chaos, culminating in a heartfelt epilogue about the Hawkins AV Club’s future.

While the finale offered an emotional and somewhat uplifting conclusion to the action-packed series, opinions are split. Some fans were left wanting more, with one sarcastically commenting on social media, “I love when my scary mist monster conveniently becomes a comically weak fleshy Kaiju so that the heroes can defeat it via literal video game logic in 5 minutes after 9 years of buildup.”

Others echoed this sentiment, with one stating, “The finale to Stranger Things was one of the most anticlimactic, safest, and unsatisfying endings to any show I’ve ever seen.” Many viewers expressed confusion over unresolved plot points, with one noting, “Main villain killed halfway in, nobody important died, no explanation on Henry Creel’s origin story, and only an 18-month time jump.”

However, a significant number of fans appreciated the Duffer brothers’ approach to concluding the series. One fan shared, “I loved the ending to Stranger Things so much, I don’t know what you’re all talking about,” while another remarked, “Stranger Things finale is a mess highkey, but I’m still happy with it.”

One fan articulated that despite its shortcomings, the finale felt fitting for the series. “The Stranger Things finale was amazing and, in my opinion, ended the show in the best way possible. The final fight was intense, Vecna’s death was satisfying, and Eleven’s ending was exactly how I wanted her story to end,” they stated. “I understand why some people will be upset that not many characters died, but after seeing how everyone’s stories were wrapped up, it made sense.” Ultimately, it’s clear that no matter how the series concluded, not every fan would leave satisfied.

The entire Stranger Things series is now available for streaming.