When I started this blog, I made two promises to myself. I would aim for honesty and positivity. Unfortunately, those two don’t always go hand in hand. That became clear earlier when I wrote about the Netflix series La Palma, and this time I feel compelled to once again direct my criticism at the same platform.
Like millions of other fans, I was really looking forward to the final season of Stranger Things. The wait was long, but after being completely obsessed with season 4, I was convinced this would become one of the most spectacular TV seasons ever made.
But with only the season finale left to go, I have to conclude that season 5 has turned out to be a disappointment. And even if the nearly two-hour finale somehow ends up being a 10/10, which I seriously doubt at this point, there is no escaping that bitter conclusion.
Be warned: this article contains heavy spoilers for Stranger Things season 5.
Were We Spoiled Too Much Last Season?
Many fans swear by the first season of Stranger Things. The vibe was different. The show was more mysterious, smaller in scope, and more restrained. I understand why that appeals to so many people, and why those same viewers eventually fell off as later seasons became bigger and more visually spectacular.
That has never been the case for me. During season 4, the show transformed from “very good” into “this is the most spectacular television I’ve ever seen.” There were three years between seasons three and four, but the wait was worth every second.
So I told myself the same thing during the long, sometimes seemingly endless build-up to the final season. “It’ll be worth it again.”
But after seven episodes, I’m still waiting for moments like the ones from last season. Just off the top of my head: Eddie’s concert, Max in the graveyard, Murray’s fight on the plane, Hopper’s gladiator battle. Each of those moments had me staring at the screen, wide-eyed, thinking nothing but “HELL YEAH.”
Almost every episode of the previous season had at least one moment like that, and I expected the same from season 5. Instead, out of seven episodes, only episode four managed to evoke similar feelings. I can’t help but conclude that this simply isn’t enough.
And it doesn’t all have to be spectacle. If this season had returned to a more intimate, mysterious setting (which I realize is pretty much impossible by now) that would have been fine too. But what we’re left with instead feels like… a whole lot of very little.
When Is the Trigger Finally Going to Be Pulled?
The creators keep repeating that Hawkins isn’t Westeros. It feels like they’re pre-emptively covering themselves, signaling that no one is ultimately going to die, not even in the finale.
And if that were believable, there wouldn’t be an issue. But by now it has firmly entered eye-roll territory. Knowing that characters will survive everything drains every scene with the potential to be tense of all its suspense.
For a brief moment during Chapter 2: The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler, I was actually on the edge of my seat. They may not be main characters, but when a demogorgon forced its way into the Wheeler house, I at least braced myself for the predicted deaths of Mike, Nancy, and Holly’s parents.
But of course not. At this point, the writers are not even willing to kill off secondary characters anymore. Both parents are still lying in the hospital (with the father, Ted, conveniently forgotten altogether). Plot armor has been generously handed out to characters who add very little of value. The creators seem determined to hammer home the point that Hawkins isn’t Westeros, and in doing so, they overshoot it completely.
And then there’s the buildup toward the moment in episode five, where Nancy and Jonathan are supposedly about to make what Dustin describes as a catastrophic, fatal mistake. Nancy opens fire on the sphere of exotic matter, and for a moment the show wants us to believe the couple (are they even still a couple?) is about to bite the dust.
None of that happens, of course. It’s yet another total cop-out. Do the Duffer Brothers seriously think anyone was sitting there in tears, convinced the two of them were about to die? I was closer to tears when I realized they were still alive and that we would once again have to deal with the love triangle, which by now is really starting to wear thin.
Speaking of the Love Triangle, Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Understand That Scene at All?
Once I’d recovered from the “shock” of Nancy and Jonathan still being alive, he suddenly showed up with his so-called unproposal. What the fuck is that, anyway? After minutes of watching them finally air their long-buried frustrations, they decide to break up. Or stay together. Or get married. You tell me.
Maybe the intention was to keep us in “suspense” a little longer about whether they’ll stay together. What the creators seem to overlook is that I couldn’t care less at this point. But if they were trying not to give an answer yet, then yes, they certainly succeeded. Because I have absolutely no idea what the actual conclusion of that scene was supposed to be.
Strong Duos Can’t Always Shine Under the Current Circumstances, and Dustin and Steve Are No Exception
Stranger Things has a number of fantastic duos, with the standout being the friendship between Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery). Aside from the big spectacle, their interactions have always been among my favorite parts of the show.
But since the start of the season, things haven’t exactly been fun between the two. And I genuinely understand why. Eddie’s death (Joseph Quinn) in season four has left its mark and changed Dustin. He’s grieving the loss of one of his best friends, someone he deeply identified with, and he’s clearly in mourning.
So far, so good. If Dustin had remained the same cheerful kid, this grumpy blogger would absolutely have complained about that instead. Thankfully, that’s not the case. His character development makes sense and feels justified.
Unfortunately, the Upside Downside is that it also gets in the way of one of Stranger Things’ greatest strengths. The bickering between the two can be amusing at times, but eventually it becomes repetitive. I miss the chemistry and the humor they used to bring us in earlier seasons.
Just before the finale, there’s a heartfelt moment where Dustin and Steve embrace after Dustin admits he’s afraid of losing Steve as well. It’s a beautiful scene and a solid payoff for a strained friendship. A painful but honest truth is spoken, and my favorite duo heads into the finale as brothers.
Still, I can’t help but feel disappointed that this friendship couldn’t truly shine for seven out of eight episodes, with the finish line already in sight. As logical as that may have been.
Robin and Will Don’t Work Nearly as Well as Robin and Steve
Robin (Maya Hawke) was introduced in season three. Looking back, I can hardly imagine Stranger Things without her sparkling personality. She’s one of my favorite characters thanks to her energetic, upbeat, and completely unfiltered nature.
And just like with Dustin, she shares an incredible and essential chemistry with Steve. Their interactions always put a smile on my face and, at times, were genuinely moving. They grew alongside each other, and that was a joy to watch.
In season five, however, the duo is split up, costing Steve his second favorite sparring partner. As a result, the season loses two incredibly strong dynamics, a loss that simply sacrifices too much quality.
All of this is to fuel the next point on this list. Robin is positioned as the catalyst for Will’s (Noah Schnapp) inevitable coming out. On paper, this makes sense, given that her own struggles with her sexuality were already explored in earlier seasons.
In that regard, she’s a strong and fitting example. Even someone as outspoken as Robin finds it difficult to voice her true feelings, something that was an even greater obstacle in the 1980s than it is today, or at least should be. Robin is the one who best understands what Will is grappling with, offering him encouragement and reassurance.
It’s a new dynamic that has its merits, but unfortunately Robin can’t be in two places at once. The loss of her interactions with Steve outweighs the necessary scenes with Will. Coming to terms with one’s sexuality is a major topic, I’m fully aware of that. But it shouldn’t have to be. Not in television, and not in real life.
Defeating Vecna Through the Power of… Love?
It’s as cliché as it gets. Will has to stop running from himself, embrace his true identity and feelings, and fully accept who he is. That is apparently how Vecna is ultimately supposed to be defeated. To me, it feels like an unimaginative answer.
I’m not speaking from personal experience here. I don’t know what it’s like to have a sexual orientation that isn’t universally accepted. Because of that, I can’t fully place myself in the shoes of people who struggle with their sexuality. I can try, but I’ll never completely understand what that feels like.
What I do know is that coming out is a real thing. I understand why it matters and why it deserves a spotlight. The more it appears in TV shows, games, and any other medium, the more it will hopefully be accepted. That said, it shouldn’t have to be necessary in the first place.
In my ideal world, a coming out would go something like this: my best friend, uncle, niece, or even myself would say, “I’m attracted to men” or “I’m attracted to women.” The response would be: “Okay. And I like gaming. What’s your point?”
Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. That’s why shows like Stranger Things are still used as weapons against hate. It’s a shame that this is necessary, because so close to the end, it feels misplaced.
Will gathers the group while they’re in the middle of a race against the clock, with Vecna capable of triggering the end of the world at any moment. This doesn’t feel like the right time for a revelation that, in my view, should be entirely ordinary, but in reality isn’t. Especially not in the 1980s.
The scene disrupts the pacing of the episode, coming immediately after we learn what the real stakes are. In my view, the creators should have built toward this moment earlier, so that all focus heading into the season finale could remain squarely on Vecna.
I also believe the scene would have landed better if it had been handled in a more intimate way. It was a perfect opportunity for Will to share meaningful scenes with his immediate family, moments that are unfortunately underused. I can’t recall a single truly intimate scene between Will and Jonathan, and this would have been the ideal chance to explore that relationship a bit more, before sharing it with the rest of the group.
Bringing Back Kali, a.k.a. Eight, Feels Like a Joke Your Drunk Uncle Tells at Christmas Dinner—And One I Can’t Help but Quietly Laugh At
Despite the fact that the Duffer Brothers seem afraid to kill off characters, I wouldn’t call them cowardly. By now, the penultimate episode (season five, episode seven), which includes the scene discussed above, is by far the lowest-rated episode of the season. That distinction used to belong to season two, episode seven: The Lost Sister.
In The Lost Sister, Eleven’s sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), also known as Eight, was introduced, much to the frustration of a large part of the fanbase. The episode interrupted an existing cliffhanger and took a detour to introduce a new character with powers.
Many viewers felt Kali and the gang she was part of were unnecessary and amounted to little more than filler. If there’s one episode people tend to skip during a rewatch, this is often the one, largely because it doesn’t feel meaningfully connected to the rest of the series. Characters are introduced without long-term relevance and are quickly forgotten.
The creators clearly took the poor reception to heart and, for the most part, never really referenced the character or the episode again. As a result, the whole thing started to feel like a bad dream. That is, until Kali suddenly resurfaced in episode four of the final season.
It almost feels like the writers are giving a big middle finger to their critics, and I couldn’t help but grin at that. The return also makes sense. An additional character with superpowers deserves a more meaningful place in the Stranger Things universe. It would have been strange if Kali had never returned at all, and her existence was something that ultimately had to be acknowledged, for better or worse.
On to a 10/10 Finale?
So far, the fifth season of Stranger Things feels like pure buildup. The only way to kind of justify that is if all of this leads to a grand, explosive finale with fantastic payoffs. I no longer expect it to happen, but I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
