Stranger Things Said Goodbye Forever And Critics Can't Agree If It Stuck The Landing

There's something uniquely nerve-wracking about watching a beloved show take its final bow. You've invested years, maybe a full decade, following characters who feel like old friends. You've argued about theories online, rewatched episodes during lazy weekends, and quietly hoped the ending would do justice to everything that came before.

That's the weight the Stranger Things finale carried when it dropped on Netflix. For millions of fans, this wasn't just another episode.

It was the closing chapter of a cultural phenomenon that defined a generation of streaming television and turned a small fictional Indiana town into one of the most recognizable settings in pop culture. From Eleven's first terrified steps out of Hawkins Lab to the Demogorgon that launched a thousand Halloween costumes, this show became part of the fabric of modern fandom.

The two-hour finale promised answers, closure, and one last trip to the Upside Down. It delivered all of that, but whether it delivered it well depends entirely on who you ask. Critics walked away with wildly different takes, some calling it a fitting farewell while others felt the magic had faded long before the credits rolled.

Viewers flooded social media with reactions ranging from tearful tributes to frustrated rants. The divide was real, and it was loud.

So what actually happened, and why can't anyone agree on how to feel about it?

The finale wasted no time diving into the action. Vecna, the season's big bad also known as Henry Creel and Mr. Whatsit, met his end at the hands of Joyce Byers. Kali fell to Lieutenant Akers. And Eleven, the heart of the entire series, made the devastating choice to stay behind in the Upside Down as a bomb threatened to destroy it all.

Her goodbye with Mike in the void hit hard for longtime fans. But the episode didn't leave things entirely hopeless. In its final moments, Mike theorized during a Dungeons & Dragons game that Kali may have cast an illusion, allowing Eleven to escape and start fresh somewhere no one could find her. It was a bittersweet ending with just enough ambiguity to let viewers choose their own interpretation.

Critics, however, couldn't find that same consensus.

The Telegraph's Ed Power gave the finale four stars and praised its emotional punch. "Having lost its magic touch once or twice during this final run, the last-ever Stranger Things might so easily have been another underwhelming conclusion to a beloved series," he wrote. "But ultimately it delivers a sucker punch of emotion, as all proper goodbyes should. At the end of a decade of terrible television finales, here is a farewell that actually justifies the hype."

The Wrap's Bob Strauss took a measured approach, acknowledging that while the ending might not satisfy everyone, that's part of the fun. "Matt and Ross Duffer's magnum opus came to a satisfying enough finish, while leaving room for the countless millions who care deeply enough about it to nitpick the thing to death," he wrote. "The creators probably know that's fun or cathartic, depending on how much the show meant to you."

Not everyone felt the same warmth. The Independent's Nick Hilton gave it three stars and lamented how far the show had strayed from its roots. "This fifth and final season has deviated so far from the show's established character work, and become just another CGI rock'em sock'em adventure," he wrote, though he admitted "the Duffer Brothers just about manage to right the ship in the final act."

The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han was more direct in her frustration. "This is the ending of a series that's completely run out of steam," she wrote. "Having reached the limits of its curiosity and creativity, it has turned around to burrow further and further into its own convoluted lore, throwing everything at the vine-covered wall in hopes that something might stick."

The Standard's Vicky Jessop landed somewhere in the middle, noting that while the Duffers threw everything they had at the finale, something felt missing. "It's a finale that shows off the best and worst instincts of this megashow," she wrote. "What there isn't, really, is a sense that the gang are in any danger."

Netflix

On IMDb, the episode currently sits at 7.9 out of 10, suggesting most viewers found something to appreciate even if perfection remained elusive.

Saying goodbye to Stranger Things was never going to be easy. A show that meant this much to this many people will always face impossible expectations. Some finales disappoint, some surprise, and some simply give fans enough to walk away feeling like the journey was worth it.

Whether you loved it, hated it, or landed somewhere in the complicated middle, one thing is certain: this show left a mark. It gave us characters worth caring about and a world worth revisiting.

What did you think of the ending? Share this with a fellow fan and start the conversation!