WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
The Duffer Brothers have officially done it: Stranger Things has come to an end with the much anticipated final episode! As of December 31, 2025, “The Rightside Up” has provided fans of the show answers to all (or at least most) of their lingering questions and endless theories. The real question, though, is if, after 10 years of waiting, these answers sufficiently satisfied fans sky-high expectations.
Many fans have criticized Season 5 for its overly expository writing, lack of action, loss of its horror element, and, as some say, terrible acting. Reviews have noted that the stakes were low and too much focus was placed on unnecessary subplots instead of keeping attention on the overarching story and villain.
Personally, I think one of the most disappointing parts of the series was the fate of Vecna. As a character who had previously been portrayed as very intelligent, strategic, and emotionally complicated, his character’s quick one-on-one combat death seemed like an abrupt ending. Some fans have even commented on the fact that most of Henry’s “reveals” had already been mentioned in the Broadway play, The First Shadow (such as the cave scene, the origin of the other test subjects’ powers, etc.). Thus, no new information actually came out as a big reveal in the finale, leaving fans underwhelmed.
Furthermore , the lack of major character deaths was somewhat surprising. While many people expected at least one of the main four boys or fan-favorite Steve Harrington to die, it only turned out to be Kali, Lt. Akers, Vecna, and (possibly) Eleven. It had been known that the Duffers said that their ending wasn’t meant to be a Red Wedding-style ending (a la Game of Thrones), but it was still surprising (and pretty unrealistic) that everyone escaped unscathed, especially since Vecna is supposed to be such a formidable opponent.
That being said, most people did think each of the characters’ endings were individually well-deserved. It felt good to see each of the main characters graduate and take on new paths in their lives while still holding onto some of their memories from their adventures. The full-circle moment of their DnD game in the basement was another well-executed moment, especially seeing Holly and her friends carry the torch. And, Hopper and Joyce finally got their long-awaited Enzo dinner-date!
Fans must have loved the song choices because, according to Spotify, “Following the show’s series finale, streams of ‘Purple Rain’ by Prince increased 243% . . . globally.” Other songs that have been recently popularized by the series finale include Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, David Bowie’s “Heroes”, and Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”
The Duffer Brothers have stated that, though they will not be continuing Stranger Things, they do intend to create a spin-off series — besides Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 — which will remain in the same universe and continue the Stranger Things lore, but will feature a completely different location and new characters. The Duffers said that a hint for this spin-off has already been revealed in the show, leading some fans to speculate that it will truly reveal what the “rock”-looking thing was in the briefcase that Henry found in the cave as a young boy. This was one of the only plot points that was not truly wrapped up, and mostly confused viewers, prompting more questions. So, if you’re still not ready to let this series go, you are in luck! More will eventually be on the way.
If you don’t think you can wait that long, however, be sure to check out Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway and One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 on Netflix!
