One whole decade of knowing Hawkins and the demons living in the upside down – Stranger Things has finally come to an end. And the fans have a lot to say.
The stranger things finale date in the US was December 31st and since then – social media has been filled with questions and explanations.
For almost 10 years, we followed the Demogorgans, Upside Down Nancy-Drew level of mysteries and some unforgettable character arcs – every Stranger Things fan knows just how memorable this show was for them irrespective of the final season.
In this stranger things season 5’s review, we discuss what was and what could have been.
The road to the finale
Stranger Things was not just a fan favorite but it was also one of Netflix’s biggest franchises which we saw grow from a one season show to a five season ending.
Season 4 left Hawkins in shambles, with four earth-destorying gates opening up towards the end and Hawkins turning into a near-apocalyptic weather and environment.
One good thing that the ending showed was all of the cast reuniting once again.
Vecna was injured, but disappeared. Mike and Eleven were back together while in the meantime the Upside Down merged with the real world. Season 5 picks up shortly after all of these events with Hawkins completely sealed and closed off from the real world.
Netflix opened season 5 with military rule being established in the town and concrete filled aluminium sheets covering the gates. They also show the military’s ruthless efforts to find Eleven. Stranger things season 5’s reviews all across talk about the strong start of the show.
Story and Pacing:
One of the main focus points for Season 5 was to have a clear objective and not be distracted by any other storyline.
As a ST season 5’s guide, we can tell you season 5 focuses on without spoilers:
- The final confrontation with Vecna
- Eleven’s powers evolving and her connection with Kali
- The fate of Hawkins
- The connection between Upside Down and Hawkins
- The fate of Max
According to many stranger things season 5’s reviews, fans were left wondering why this season was so rushed when all the previous ones had their storyline played out perfectly.
Some criticised the directors over their comments about how they created the storyline as they directed the show.
Cast performances:
This ensemble is honestly one of the strongest casts chosen after Game of Thrones which also played for almost 12 years.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) has grown, married and had a kid throughout these 10 years while delivering one of the most powerful performances of her career yet.
We also see Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) do justice to all their characters throughout this season.
And David Harbour and Winona Ryder also provided the strongest emotional support to the character arcs and created an emotional foundation for the show.
Visual Effects and Production Quality
Season 5 had some of the best visual effects seen in the series. In fact, while doing a stranger things season 5 review, the most impressive was their visual and VFX effects to describe the Upside Down which is bigger than before in season 5.
The production design also blended horror, fashion, science fiction and 1980’s look all into one and in the most successful way possible.
What worked well: Stranger Things Season 5 review
(Spoilers ahead – scroll at your own risk)
Emotional Payoffs:
Stranger Things Season 5 ending is explained the best by talking about the emotional relationships Eleven shared with her Hawins family.
To sacrifice herself because her D&D group taught and showed her the importance of love, sacrifice, kindness and sweetness was the perfect arc for her to not even hesitate before taking that step.
Vecna was a strong villain till the end:
He did not lose his impact even in the end. One perfect aspect for his storyline was to show his past and a certain humanness to the villain that he was. It made him more realistic and gray.
Strong episodes:
The first four episodes were extremely solid and strong, with the storyline being direct, well composed and directed.
The stranger things 5’s ending was explained better by the Duffer Brothers when they mentioned they needed to find a way to finish the army’s search for Eleven.
Where the season stumbled:
In all honesty, not a lot of finales have ever satisfied the fans. Sitcoms – maybe. But a show like ST or GoT? Impossible.
Stranger things 5 ending explained:
Some viewers said that the side characters should have gotten more screentime like Derek and Holly, while a lot of others mentioned that the ending felt rushed and mismatched according to the destruction Vecna has caused all these years.
The ending did emphasise friendship and love but many those doing a stranger things season 5’s review have mentioned their dissatisfaction with Eleven’s fate and that the cliffhanger it ended on, was unnecessary.
The ST5 episode guide opens with episodes about Hawkins and ends it with Hawkins as well – making it feel like a poetic justice after a large-scale global event was just prevented by a bunch of normal people who were leading normal lives before Vecna.
According to multiple Stranger Things season 5 reviews, the fans have given this show a strong 9/10 for all the countless memories, emotions and storylines they got in.
