Welcome back to the best part of The Lance– Hot Takes! Hope you guys didn’t miss us too much. In this edition we will be discussing the finale of one of the most beloved shows of our generation: Stranger Things. Spoiler Alert: Don’t read this if you haven’t watched the finale yet!
Okay, we’re not going to lie. At first watch, it was very underwhelming. The finale ended just how we expected, but we really did think that the Duffer brothers (the creators of the show) would pull some insane twist out of nowhere. This show has been filled with twists since the beginning, and we found it disappointing that there was no twist in the finale. There was the fake body in season 1, Will being a spy in season 2, Hopper surviving in the end credits of season 3, Vecna being 001 in season 4, and so many more. Because of all these twists in the past, we kind of thought that the finale fell flat. After a rewatch and some reflecting, we agreed that it wasn’t necessarily bad, it just could’ve been much better.
Among the Stranger Things fan base, there were many mixed reactions and opinions, and we have many as well. Let’s get into it.
First, let’s start with the couples.
Nancy and Jonathan: We both thought that Nancy and Jonathan’s breakup was so pointless. The Duffer brothers’ stated in an interview that they could potentially end up together in a couple of years due to their ‘shared look’ in their last scene together and because they still love each other. But if they could end up together, why not just leave them be? Their breakup was so pointless and it also left many fans angry. We wished that their breakup scene was just them acknowledging the problems that they had and then moving past it rather than just throwing away their whole relationship. Additionally, the Duffer brothers’ explanation for breaking them up was incredibly stupid. They said that they wanted Nancy to be independent, but she already is! It has been clear since season 1 that Nancy is undoubtedly the most independent woman on the show. They also claimed that their ‘shared trauma’ suffocated them and made them feel like they were trapped in this relationship, which we both and I’m sure a majority of the audience disagrees with. It has been clear throughout the show (and they said it themselves) that they are both insanely in love with each other, and honestly almost every relationship on this show is trauma bonded in some way because of all the insane things that happened to them throughout the seasons. They definitely shouldn’t have broken up and we were both very disappointed that they ended this way.
Joyce and Hopper: Next, we have Joyce and Hopper. We love how they got their happy ending and had their date at Enzo’s. Hopper proposing to her there was such a perfect way to end their story. Overall, we were happy to know they got their fairy tale ending.
Lucas and Max: While Stranger Things fans are very divided when it comes to literally anything else, the one thing that every fan agrees on is that Lucas and Max are meant to be. They had such a wholesome ending, and we loved how they had their movie date like Lucas promised. The only thing we noticed was that they never said I love you to each other, but honestly, they didn’t need to. We think it is very obvious how they both feel about one another. The perfect couple got their perfect ending, and there are definitely no complaints from us.
Mike and Eleven: Finally, we have the biggest heartbreak of the season, Mike and Eleven. They should’ve had waaaaay more screen time this season. If you’re going to end their story with a big emotional death scene, you have to give them a bunch of heartfelt scenes before. In all of their scenes together they were hugging for just a split second or just simply looking at each other. They only had about two good scenes together, the one on the rooftop and the one in the cabin next to the bathtub. The writers spent way more time focusing on Eleven and Hopper’s relationship, which was great, but if you’re going to focus on them the entire season shouldn’t Hopper have been in the void?? Obviously we agree with their decision to put Mike in the void but we just wish there was more emotional buildup to the scene. In season 4 they did it perfectly with Max and Lucas. There was so much emotional build up between the two throughout the season that led up to that final scene in Vecna’s attic and the writers executed that perfectly… just for Max to live. If anything, Mike and Eleven deserved that emotional build up more because Eleven was the one who actually died. We’ll get more into the Purple Rain scene later on, but we really wished we saw more of them this season before Eleven’s death.
The Final Battle: The final battle against Vecna inspired a lot of criticism online that we also agreed with. The scene was way too short and very anticlimactic. We understand how everyone was more prepared for this fight compared to past seasons, but it still should’ve been more dramatic. Sure, Eleven’s stronger than ever before and Will also gained powers, but for the final fight they should’ve made it more exciting and suspenseful. We were also very confused as to how all of the other characters came out unscathed. I mean, how did a bunch of random unathletic (besides Lucas) teenagers all survive against this thing?
Not only did they all survive, nobody so much as broke an arm.
On a more positive note, we both loved how Joyce was the one to deal the final blow and kill him for good, and we also liked how they showed all of the character’s flashbacks of the horrible things that Vecna caused. The final battle could’ve been better, but it wasn’t too bad overall.
Eleven’s Death and Purple Rain Scene: The “Purple Rain” scene in our opinion was definitely the most sad and memorable part of the finale. However, Mike’s hand placement on her was insane. Like. The love of your life is about to die and this is how you put your hands on her???
It’s fully flat. Fully. It really threw us off and also received A LOT of criticism from fans all over social media. And the biggest criticism of all about this scene was the fact that Mike didn’t say I love you back to Eleven. Some people argue that Mike didn’t say I love you back because saying I love you back to her would be like saying goodbye and he obviously didn’t want to say goodbye. While this is true, their entire relationship plot in season 4 was about Mike’s problems with saying I love you- which he did end up getting over at the end of the season. So all of that arguing just for him not to be able to say it back to her in her final moments?? It’s like they gave him all that character development last season just to throw it all away.
Additionally, we really wished that as they individually showed each character’s face/reaction to Eleven’s sacrifice they showed one or two flashbacks of her with all of the characters. We didn’t like how her only flashbacks were just of her and Mike. It was almost like her whole character was being summed up to just her relationship with him. She had so much development throughout the show and her character is so much more than her boyfriend!! Tell us why Max’s almost death in season 4 (the “Dear Billy” episode) was more dramatic and had more flashback scenes. It should’ve been just like that and more for the finale. Also, Max’s reaction!?!?!? You’re telling me that your best friend is about to die and you just got a little teary?? Meanwhile, in season 3 she was full on sobbing when her abusive step brother died (not that she shouldn’t have cried when he died, but we don’t understand how her reaction wasn’t like Lucas or Dustin’s, if anything it should’ve been WAY more emotional than theirs). Even Robin’s reaction was more dramatic. How does that make sense?!?!
We also thought that Eleven’s death was insanely predictable and we wish that the Duffer brothers’ made it more shocking. Honestly as soon as she had that conversation with Kali it became obvious as to how the show would end. We almost wish that Kali’s dying words were her telling Eleven about her experience and all about the pregnant women and then see Eleven struggle with whether or not she wanted to end the cycle. But even then, it would’ve been obvious as to what she would choose to do, because since season 1 we have always seen Eleven putting her friends first. Also, if they did that then the writers wouldn’t have been able to make her death up to interpretation. Honestly, we can’t really think of a way for the writers to have made her death shocking, but that’s their job, not ours. On top of that, Millie Bobby Brown quite literally said in an interview, “I just saw my ending and thought ‘Ohhhh’, and then I walked away very slowly” which is pretty much a giveaway that she ends up dying, because if she had a happy ending why would she be walking away very slowly? There were also some leaks on social media of the epilogue, specifically the scene that Mike and Hopper share. Those photos had a lot of fans speculating on what it could’ve been about, and basically all of them ended up being right, with the scene being Hopper and Mike essentially mourning Eleven together. Overall, Eleven definitely needed to die in the finale. The show’s problems started and ended with her, and while she deserved a happy ending more than anyone else, her death just makes sense and made the show come full circle.
Epilogue: Considering how the first part of the finale went, the epilogue was very good. Steve becoming a baseball coach was so fitting, Dustin’s valedictorian speech at graduation was great (although we are a bit confused on how people were cheering for him when everyone thought Hellfire killed three people), and ending the show with the Dungeons and Dragons scene and passing it on to the next generation was perfect. The last clip of Mike smiling and closing the basement door was so bittersweet and emotional. We wished that before the kids came down Mike looked back at the little tent place that Eleven slept in during season 1 or went under the tent and had a little monologue where he talks to Eleven one last time on the walkie talkie under the tent like he did in season 2 when he thought she died. Another thing they could’ve done was a light flicker either as the new kids are playing Dungeons and Dragons or before they came down and Mike noticing it and smiling. We also loved how Mike and Hopper had that moment together where Hopper advised him not to go down the same path he did when his daughter died. It was nice to see such a wholesome moment between the two after they beefed for like 4 seasons straight. Also, everyone in this show got away with SO MUCH stuff at the end. How did Hopper magically become chief of police again after everyone thought he died in a mall fire and then killed multiple military men? How was Robin not arrested for stealing drugs from the hospital? How did Murray not get arrested for blowing up the helicopter? How were all of them not arrested for interfering with a government project? If Max missed 18 months of school and also had bad grades on top of that, how was she able to graduate with the rest of them? What happened to the Turnbow family after they had their house destroyed and were left unconscious in a barn? There are sooo many unanswered questions that the finale just didn’t address at all. Despite these plot holes, we still thought that the epilogue was great.
Eleven’s Open Ending: The biggest debate that came from this season is whether Eleven survived or not. While most people say that she obviously died and that Mike’s theory is clearly a coping mechanism, some argue otherwise. A big part of their theory was obviously the kryptonite, since usually Eleven can barely even walk when it’s blaring, nevermind use her powers to place herself into the upside down and put Mike into the void with her. Her nose also wasn’t bleeding, which was very strange considering that it always does whenever she uses her powers. Additionally, in the past seasons, whenever Eleven went into those voids she always was either in one of those saltwater baths or had static from either a radio or a television playing in the background, and neither of those things occurred. So, some say that it definitely is possible that Kali put up an illusion and then Eleven spoke to Mike from the little building. We also see Kali have a change of heart when she sees Hopper and Eleven’s relationship, making it plausible that she could’ve changed her mind last minute and helped Eleven fake her death. Another piece of evidence, if not the biggest piece of evidence, is that the song Heroes by David Bowie has only been played in the show twice, and both times it played when they want you to think a character is dead (Will’s fake body in season 1 and Hopper’s ‘death’ in season 3). Guess what song played in the end credits? Heroes by David Bowie. Coincidence?
Music: All of the music in the finale was amazing. We loved Purple Rain by Prince during the emotional climax between Eleven and Mike. Many fans made the connection that Eleven’s favorite color is purple and the two characters met in the rain, so the song choice was just perfect. However, after Purple Rain stopped playing there was an awkward melody playing as Eleven died, and we wish that they played another emotional song like Eulogy or When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die, the song that played during Eleven’s ‘death’ scene in season 1. Additionally, playing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac when Robin was reflecting on the past 18 months in Hawkins set up a nostalgic tone as the show came to an end. Playing David Bowie’s Heroes during the credits was also an excellent choice and received a lot of positive feedback from fans.
Overall, we thought the ending was good, but it should’ve been great. Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest shows and there were such high expectations for the finale. We also think that social media made the ending predictable with all the interviews and leaks. Maybe if none of that existed it would’ve been better, but it was still a little disappointing.
Although Stranger Things has come to an end, there are still several other things to look forward to. On January 12th, a behind the scenes of season 5 documentary is going to be released on Netflix. Along with that, Duffer brothers’ are coming out with a new Stranger Things animated series later this year called Tales of ‘85 and are also planning a spin off with completely new characters.
The Stranger Things finale definitely turned the internet ‘upside down’; it sparked endless discussion, mixed reactions, and proved just how deeply this show has impacted fans worldwide, even if the ending didn’t fully live up to everyone’s expectations.
We hope you all enjoyed our hot takes. Don’t be too sad, we’ll be back soon. Be sure to stay tuned for more!!