It’s been three weeks since the finale of the beloved tv show Stranger Things, and now that the dust has settled, I wanted to share my thoughts on it. Stranger Things is a show I’ve enjoyed since its premiere in 2016, and the finale represented a bittersweet moment for me. It was a satisfying send-off and goodbye to characters I grew up watching through my young adulthood. Admittedly, I was a bit concerned that the Duffer brothers were going to “Game of Thrones” the finale, i.e., butcher it, but fortunately that was not the case. The Stranger Things finale is an emotionally satisfying conclusion to one of the most beloved modern tv shows out there.
One of the most important things the Duffer brothers accomplished was that they left no loose ends and gave each character proper closure, especially during the epilogue after the big final fight. The epilogue was filled with many emotionally satisfying moments, namely the graduation scene, the rooftop scene with Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, and Steve, and the final scene with the kids playing D&D. The Duffer brothers supposedly had this final scene in mind for years, and they pulled it off beautifully. It’s a testament to how well thought-out and planned this show was from the start. The Duffers clearly had a vision, and luckily they stuck to it.
For as much as I liked the finale, I did wish that the final fight against Vecna/The Mind Flayer was longer. The fight only lasted around seven minutes or so, and for all the buildup throughout the season, I thought the fight was going to be a bit longer. An extra five minutes or so would’ve felt just right. Also, it was odd that the fight featured no demogorgons or demobats. For all the trouble that these monsters caused throughout the show, you would think they would’ve been included. The Duffers recently said in an interview that it was because Vecna was surprised and didn’t see the attack coming. But for a villain that can read minds and do all sorts of other things, this doesn’t make a lot of sense and it ends up feeling like a plot hole.
The question that everyone seems to be talking about/debating is, is Eleven dead? It’s an interesting conversation, and I think the Duffers left it open enough so that it ultimately comes down to how the viewer interprets it. I slightly lean towards her being dead. From a logical standpoint, it makes more sense. Eleven’s sister, Kali, clearly died in front of her, so it wouldn’t make sense or be possible for her to use her powers to aid Eleven’s escape. This is Stranger Things though, so stranger things have happened (no pun intended), but from a purely logical perspective, Eleven being dead makes more sense. In my eyes, Mike’s story at the end is him finding a middle ground of moving on but also hoping/believing that Eleven is out there somewhere. It’s his way of finding comfort and coping with her loss.
While I’m sad that Stranger Things has come to an end, it ended on a high note and just at the right time. Oftentimes, we see tv shows go on for too long and end badly, but fortunately the Duffer brothers had a plan in mind from the start and wrapped things up super well. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
The Reelist 
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