I really don’t like how the Duffers described their reasons for El’s ending. Because before I read that, I fully interpreted the ending as Mike’s theory being real. That the Party would have to choose whether or not to believe but that we the audience knew it to be true. And while it was heartbreaking for her to be separated from her Hawkins friends/family, I saw it as a beautiful chance for her to go live a full life. Just because we see her alone at the waterfalls doesn’t mean she settles somewhere and makes new friends and finds happiness. And while 1988 Mike doesn’t have the resources to go searching for her, it’s clear that he doesn’t actually move on and I truly believe they find each other again in the future. Hopper’s reaction was harder to swallow but I think El gave him a gift when she told him to accept her choice. His whole arc has been about being stuck grieving Sara. He can also go on and have a full life now (although I think it was odd that we didn’t see him grieving more. Grief never truly goes away but life does continue). I really thought that she was going to actually die or be stuck in the other world forever so this seems like a happy ending to me.
But FUCK what the Duffers said. Her ending wasn’t about maintaining the magic for the Party. It was about choosing a path for herself. She chose herself. That’s the ending I’m going with. (And obviously Mike finding her somewhere down the line).
Also we all know I love angst lol
Oh Lara, I hated how the Duffers described her ending. It made it seem like El was just a vehicle for their story to accomplish the goals and happiness of other characters, rather than her own. I 100% know that Mike's interpretation of events is reality because he KNOWS El and El knows him and knew he would figure it out.
I genuinely am so fine with the idea of El living in her lil village, having her own life, and making her own friend outside the party but her friends/Mike finding her later down the road (I actually read a wonderful fic about El in Iceland here in which this scenario happens) - my issue was they showed her all alone in the end with no hint of Mike ever finding her and the Duffers also said in some interview she would never speak to the party again, basically. I think my issue was with the way El presented her choice - yes she made it on her own and it was technically the right thing to do, but in a lot of ways she deserved to be selfish and ask Mike to join her and consider her own happiness for once but she just hadddd to be the sacrificial heroine.
I would have loved an ending with El in the village living it up and taking lessons from friendship with the party and transferring them to her new friends (which they easily could have cut some scenes and shown that) and then a hint that Mike would come find her or them reuniting in the end years down the line, but that's what fanfiction is for LOL.
I honestly was a lot more okay with Hopper learning to move on and was healthy considering his grief from Sara, but I wish we saw more of his process/reaction considering it had been YEARS since Sara and he never got over it. Especially since the Hop/El relationship was such a focus in the season and finale it felt like whiplash to see him be just fine and chastising Mike for struggling to move on.
I thought of you Lara while watching because you do love angst and I will say that the Mileven angst in the finale did activate something in me and made me realize how deeply I love them and how they are soulmates and meant to be together (which is why I cannot see them romantically moving on with anyone else, frankly) That Purple Rain scene when El said he was the only one who understood her and he would understand her choice someday... chills. We've been deprived of this goodness for SEASONS.
