M F ALFREY

This article contains spoilers for the whole series, so if you have not watched it and want to enjoy all the twists and turns at which this series excels at, tread no further!

Conformity Gate, conspiracy theories, secret endings. Mass media was ablaze in the wake of the Season 5 finale of Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things. As fans seem divided between contentment and grasping at the possibility that the Duffer brothers had something more for them. Yet, as it stands, Episode 8 was what we got and seems fairly final, but did it leave us all the right way up or sink into a glowing red hell hole of dissatisfaction?

To answer that question well, from my point of view, it’s important to keep in mind the writing behind the whole series. Initially written by the Duffer brothers, the writing team grew as the show was quite obviously a hit, later becoming the flagship show for Netflix. When it was clear to the Duffers the show was going to run longer than one season, they were smart to keep Eleven alive. She was initially penned to sacrifice herself in the first season, believe it or not. So a very smart move from the Duffer Brothers and the rest is history. By all accounts they had envisioned a five-season run and the audience has been blessed to see the show run its course. As we well know, there are a lot of awesome shows out there that don’t make it beyond the first season.

Season 1 was a belter. Apparently, plenty networks thought it wouldn’t be, and the show was turned down many times before Netflix finally picked it up. Other networks weren’t convinced audiences wouldn’t be interested in the adventures of four kids. Which seems odd to me considering the success of films like the Goonies, Stand By Me, E.T., and Monster Squad. Those films, and plenty others like them, struck our hearts as kids back in the 1980s and stuck with us into adulthood to become the films which that generation shared with their kids and also riding the waves of ‘80s retro-cool revival.  Let’s also give a thought to what Stranger Things has done in terms of sparking new interest for D&D and Eggo waffles too. Let’s not even delve too deep into the dungeon of nostalgia the shows unlocks during its entire run.

But stories can’t simply survive on nostalgia and easter eggs alone. The fact that Netflix was happy to run it for so long demonstrates that something in the writing was pulling audiences and more importantly, hanging onto them. And let’s take into consideration the scale of the show. It’s truly epic. In terms of story and its closeness to a D&D campaign, but also in terms of character arcs and development. The audience has watched these kids, characters and actors, grow up and the relatability to these kids was managed well as the Duffer brothers allowed the actors to influence that development rather than doggedly sticking to how they imaged the kids would be, keeping the themes and issues relative to today despite being set in the ‘80s. Again, a shrewd move.

Personally, not all seasons were a hit with me, but let’s be real here – it’s hard to please all the people all the time. And although good, I found Season 2 to be the weakest out of the lot when compared to the others. Season 3, which centred around Starcourt Mall, was a banger. I loved the Billy and Max arc. Season 4 just dialled in so well with the Soviet arc and Eddie Munson’s story was heartbreaking. There again, is another shrewd writing move: supporting characters we care about. Barb Holland, Bob Newby, Billy Hargrove, Eddie Munson. We were really shown the souls of these characters and loved them, so their deaths mattered. Redeemable baddies too. Not all the antagonists were flat-out evil. They were layered. Even with the big bad, Henry, we are shown he too was a victim. Yet it’s how those characters decided to respond that led them to their fates and for us as an audience raises the tension and our investment, keeping us coming back despite the occasional story miss.

Which brings us to Season 5. Hit or miss? I can’t say for others, and social media would suggest a great division, but for me, I reckon it was a hit. As a writer, I’m all too aware how hard it is to write an ending to a story, let alone get it to land. And again, think about the scale. Five seasons of quite an ambitious story, that’s a lot of denouements in terms of plot lines. Even my wife and I are divided. She wasn’t too keen on the sudden pace change after the battle with the mind Flayer and Vecna’s defeat, and I can see how it might have felt like someone slamming on the breaks at 87 mph. Yet, for me, I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings style ending. The Duffer brothers were being neat and tidy and I appreciate that. Though, the real stroke of genius for me, was that final scene after what feels like the last D&D campaign for a while for Mike and the gang. A passing of the torch. Mike’s theory on Eleven’s faked death is genius because rather than make the decision for the audience, the Duffers hand it over to the fans to decide. No, it’s not lazy writing, it pretty darn clever.

From a writing perspective, it shows the respect. It says, “Hey, you guys know the story, know the players, and have been loyal followers for five whole seasons – what do you think happened?”. And let’s face it, if the Duffers had specified either way, they would have inevitably been wrong. Leaving it open allows people to choose their own ending to believe in. Whether, Eleven lives or not, or whether Vecna ultimately won and what we see as viewers in the end is simply another one of his illusions. It matters not. This is as close as you get to pleasing most of the people in some form or other. Frankly, I choose the happy conclusion. We need happy endings now and then and it is kinda subverting the trope of most horror stories that usually end quite darkly or hint at the big bad having not truly perished or perhaps potentially rising again. The kids deserved a form of happiness anyway. At least maybe it will soften the trauma and potential therapy anyone involved in the Hawkins hell mouth fiasco is going to need once they get over their initial success.

Finally, finally. Let’s not forget the epic soundtrack composed by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein. From the highly memorable and repeatable opening titles to the range of nostalgia-soaked retro synth work and (my favourite) some classic dungeon synth scores, especially in Season 5. Their tunes set the tone, maintained it, and made the show iconic.

Was the ending of Stranger Things perfect? Probably not, but I think it was pretty close, and what would perfect look like in this case anyway? One thing I would change, is cut to the final game scene and Mike’s theory a little quicker. Perhaps some fans think it should have ended right after Eleven’s sacrifice? Personally, I think we the audience and the characters themselves needed some kind of closure. Yet the open-ended nature of how that closure was delivered is the master stroke: it caused a media storm, and wild speculations and discussions, which will perhaps lure curious newcomers to the show or at least spur wave of rewatches with fans looking for clues that confirm their theories on which ending is the truth.