I have my own thoughts about the Stranger Things Finale. (As everyone else does lol)
I feel like they had something with the focus on their personal lives after it all closed up, but it still feels unfinished. As everyone said, plot holes.
I did enjoy it, in the moment. I will be honest. I just wanted everyone to be happy and had already lowkey accepted El and Kali would not have made it, it is very sad, but also like why did they bring back Kali just to kill her. I feel like if they left Kali out of it and El just decided she would go with the upside down it would be better.
The whole ending scene with Dustin and his screw the squares moment felt very out of character for me him. Like……I feel like he would have just accepted being valedictorian, no? Especially if he went to a college after that. If he was so……screw the squares, why did he still go to college.
There were a lot of characters that were screwed over. Mike being the main one. Cause that “no you’re gonna be my best friend” was bs. Like, Will obviously likes Mike. Mike is so oblivious. Also, that damn painting. I did like writer Mike, but that’s about it. Honestly, Will, get yourself a boyfriend and make him jealous please.
Robin should have just had a happy moment with Vickie, like be so fr with me rn. I liked her little Rockin’ Robin wrap up, but her crying at the graduation literally made no sense to me.
Jonathan being a film student makes so much sense to me. His character and Steve’s were not messed up in the finale. It makes sense that Steve is a coach and I will be accepting coach Steve x reader fanfics to fill my soul.
Nancy…..it wasn’t as bad for her. I feel like she was already headed in this direction.
For Lucas and Max, that’s good, but I feel like Max def got the short end of the stick the whole season. Like, bro, she would not have left Holly behind be so fr with me.
Okay, I feel like I was only kinda okay with the ending until Mike was like “omg the speakers” during the graduation. Like, bro, do not tell me he got that random El’s alive thing from those speakers.
I did enjoy that it ended with a DND campaign and that Holly and her friends played it at the end.
I, personally, felt like Byler was really hinted at this season, as someone who hasn’t always been a Byler fan. I was Mileven, until this season. Like, Byler just made sense. Mike could not even say I love you to Eleven since the roller rink (I think).
I thought it was cute that Hopper comforted Mike, but it did not make much sense since I feel like they barely interacted and could not see them interacting in those 18 months.
Also the scene between El and Mike kissing was literally so platonic. You can pry that from my cold dead hands. I didn’t care that Purple Rain was playing, it was there, but that scene was literally such a throwaway scene.
The whole ending feels rushed. Idk how to explain it. It all happened so quickly. There were parts I enjoyed and others I didn’t. I like the DnD end scene, but it made no sense. The graduation scene pmo, cause Dustin wouldn’t do that. The whole screw the squares Dustin was not fully fleshed out before this, therefore it didn’t make sense.
There are pros and cons to how it ended. I feel like the main two people that I felt like were the focus of the show (Mike and Will), were just blown off.
That is personally why I think everyone hates this ending. Mike had no character growth and Will was tormented to just follow him. The gay bar scene gave us nothing, while watching it I was like ‘yes, Will can be happily gay in peace’, but now I am like ‘they threw that in just to make people be like “he’s happy”.
I think the ending fell short because we were expecting huge things, it is was just sorta meh. Like, what did we accomplish here? Yeah, everyone’s happy, but why? Why was Dr Kay not like killed? It all led up to ‘fuck the government’, which I agree with, but it didn’t make sense. They just messed with the school government. There were no big international changes because of illegal government experiments. The Geneva Convention was defined broken by the government, yet nothing was done about it yet you want us to believe that the ‘squares were screwed’. Like, show us what was accomplished globally.
Those are just my thoughts after the fact and finally hearing other people’s thoughts on the ending. I was happy everyone was happy, as I tend to just take a story for face value when I want and I do refuse to believe they would do that to the ending.
Me and my family watched it. All thought it was good, then literally stopped talking about it. It didn’t sink with us. There was no emotional value to it. I thought I woulda been crying, but I didn’t. I almost did at points, but it got lost in the amount of storylines that were trying to be wrapped up.
From a writer’s standpoint, there is more to be desired and I feel like it felt openended even if it was ‘closed’. I would love to read rewrites because we all hold this series dear. I may make a rewrite, maybe not in a traditional sense. I would love to make a continuation of it after since it feels like not much was solved. If you count that as a rewrite and would love to see my ideas, tell me.
I saw what they were trying to do with the ending, but missed the mark with major and minor characters. Everyone is pissed off about the queerbaiting. I’m not pissed off, just disappointed, like let Will be happy with Mike, (after seeing ending Mike maybe not lol). It was a sad end in many ways. I felt for the characters, at other times it didn’t. The addition of Heroes at the end showed what they tried to do with the ending but could not accomplish because of rushed writing.
Anywho, just my thoughts, happy new years.
I will still be reading Steve and Eddie fanfic (x reader obv, send fic recs please 🙏)
