TV Review - Stranger Things Series Finale

One last fight.

Wow. After nearly ten years of fantastic television, Stranger Things has finally come to an end.

Let me just preface this review by saying that it is going to be difficult for me to be unbiased. I am nineteen years old. This show came out when I was ten. I have grown it up with this story and these characters, so saying goodbye to them was going to be a highly emotional experience for me. I have plenty of other posts planned talking about why this show is so special, so I will try to offer my criticisms and be fair...but just keep in mind that this was a very emotional experience for me and a lot of the things that were problems in this episode don't really affect my feelings on it.

The Sweet

A great finale does not make you say, "Wow, what a great ending." A great finale makes you say "Of course that is the only way it could end."

Stranger Things is the latter.

There are essentially two halves to this episode, so I am going to talk about each of them separately. The first half is our real final battle. The party has a plan to take down Vecna and end the Upside Down nightmare once and for all. And, immediately, the finale feels like it executes the stakes that were maybe lacking in volume two. Part of the reason that volume two was so divisive was because it did not feel like we were building to the final showdown. Well, the final showdown felt like the last battle. The stakes felt huge. Seeing the Abyss crash down on the Upside Down felt massive, and it really allowed for you to feel every single moment in this final battle.

I also loved that every single character got a great moment in this last fight. Like, literally everyone had a moment that made me smile and feel satisfied. From Nancy shooting at the Mind Flayer to Jonathan saving Steve to Mike using the flare to Will using his powers to Joyce decapitating Vecna, everyone just had something to do. And that was awesome. It really felt like we needed the whole party to stand together one last time to take down the Upside Down once and for all.

I also thought that the visuals and the action were really great. The final boss is this crazy amalgamation of the Mind Flayer and Vecna, where Vecna is controlling this giant spider monster from the inside. Normally, a big CGI boss battle is not my favorite thing, but the way this was executed felt earned and exciting. I like having the exterior battle between the party and the Mind Flayer while also having Eleven battle Vecna from the inside of the Mind Flayer. Was the battle over a bit too quickly? Maybe, but do I really care that much? No.

Stranger Things has always been good at creating these epic plans that come to a head in the finale so you know exactly what needs to be done. When something goes wrong, you feel the stakes and the urgency rising. That element was missing from volume two, but the finale brings that back. You know exactly what the characters need to do, so every time a wrench is thrown in there, it makes the rest of the plan feel more desperate and dire.

One of my main criticisms of season five was Eleven and Hopper feeling sidelined. It felt like, in pushing the focus of the season in on Will and Max and Holly and others, we lost a little bit of development and screen time for El and Hop. The finale completely remedies that. Eleven is the main focus of this finale, and Hopper is really the secondary focus right behind her. They both get so many great, heart-wrenching moments and conversations that bring their characters to a satisfying conclusion.

So, of course, the major talking point in this episode is Eleven's ultimate fate. Stranger Things has been criticized for not killing off main characters, so it felt like it was necessary to do so in the finale. And the one that makes the most sense is Eleven. It started with her, so it feels natural that it should end with her. Her final decision to stay behind in the Upside Down was one of the most emotional moments in the show. It was, in my opinion, a perfect way to wrap her character up. They properly built to it and it felt earned and right when she stayed behind.

And, while I was initially hesitant about leaving her fate ambiguous, I think it was actual the right decision. Stranger Things has always balanced darkness with hope. Eleven killing herself because she doesn't want to be chased by the military anymore is a very dark plot point. So giving us that glimmer of hope that Mike's story might be true is just a really beautiful and cathartic way to leave us on a lighter, more touching note. Either way, her being gone has the same affect, so leaving it a mystery as to whether she is out there somewhere is a perfect way to leave things off.

The epilogue (the second half of the episode) really felt like this sweet, powerful way to say goodbye to this story and these characters. Everyone gets a satisfying ending that leaves their characters off in a nice place. Almost every scene in the epilogue hit some emotional note that had me on the verge of tears. After ten years of this story, seeing this epilogue and watching the payoffs of Hopper proposing to Joyce at Enzo's or Dustin honoring Eddie in his graduation speech or Max and Lucas on their movie date just hits you. This is where people who are hating on this finale (which is a minority at this point) are just missing the mark. These are the perfect endings to these characters.

I don't have much else to say. Season five was not perfect. Hell, this finale wasn't even perfect. But the way this story wrapped up was so emotionally poignant and satisfying that I really don't care. Stranger Things was my favorite show of all time going into this, and this finale cemented that. After the episode finished, I came up from my basement and my mom asked me how it was. I couldn't respond, because I just started crying. That's how you know this show has hit the perfect ending.

The Sour

Honestly, I don't even really want to criticize anything. This is a special show and it just means so much to me, so none of my criticisms really have an effect on my thoughts or feelings on this episode.

Sure, there are some lapses in logic. I think killing off Kali was a pretty predictable and safe bet, and I wish they would've been bolder with some of the story choices in regards to that. As much as all of the conversations between characters are fantastic, having them happen in the midst of the final battle was a little bit awkward.

I think that the execution of the cave scene and revealing that Henry was a vessel for the Mind Flayer all along was a little bit weak and rushed. Although they kept teasing the cave throughout the season, it just felt like it was a bit late to reveal that Vecna is more of a pawn for the hive mind and the Mind Flayer is the true evil behind everything.

I still don't love the inclusion of the military. It felt like their only purpose was to motivate Eleven to sacrifice herself, and I wish they could've found a better, more satisfying way to include them. Dr. Kay just feels like an underwhelming character who has none of the layers or complexities of Dr. Brenner. She just feels like she's evil for evil's sake, and that is frustrating.

But again, none of these complaints really matter. This show ended beautifully. And I am going to miss it so much.

Final Thoughts and Score

Stranger Things sticks the landing with a very emotionally satisfying ending that solidifies this as my favorite show of all time.

Of course, I am going Sweet here. Age range is 13+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)

"Stranger Things"

"Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up"

Fun Factor: 9.5/10

Acting: 10/10

Story: 8.5/10

Characters: 10/10

Quality: 9/10

Directed by Matt and Ross Duffer

Rated TV-MA for strong bloody violence, language, frightening themes and images, thematic elements

Premiered on December 31, 2025

2 hours and 8 minutes

Millie Bobby Brown as Jane Hopper / Eleven

David Harbour as Jim Hopper

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield

Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley

Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel / Vecna

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers

Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair

Linnea Berthelsen as Kali Prasad / Eight

Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman

Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler

Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow

Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler

Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay

Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers

Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler

Randy Havens as Scott Clarke

Amybeth McNulty as Vickie Dunne

Catherine Curtin as Claudia Henderson