Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for “Stranger Things.”
The finale of the global phenomenon “Stranger Things” has been prophesied as one of the biggest television events of the 21st century. With five seasons spanning nine years, the show has grown both its audience and the scope of its story, tapping into, and in turn creating, a cultural zeitgeist. Now, the last episode is here.
Ending a somewhat controversially received season, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up” positions the entire gang for an epic final battle with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Mind Flayer. The goal is to destroy the Upside Down — and all of the evils that stem from it — for good.
The ensemble cast of “Stranger Things” is one of the show’s strongest features. The breadth of endearing, compelling personalities the series strings together is as impressive as its sci-fi worldbuilding. But there comes a tipping point where more is not better. With the addition of Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) as a main character, the show now feels glaringly crowded. Furthermore, while Holly’s scenes in Vecna’s mind are intentionally framed to feel like they are in an alternate universe, they still don’t jive with the rest of the season.
Given that the stakes have never been higher and the characters have never felt more numerous, the issue of death looms heavily over the episode. But “Stranger Things” has never shied away from its plot armor, and the finale is no exception. So teasing — but not consummating — the death of the beloved Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) in a fall from the radio tower was a predictable move. The only character whose life is established to be in real, grave danger by the laws of the show is Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is a very good choice. It started with her, and it must end with her. Jim Hopper’s (David Harbour) distress over the possibility of losing yet another daughter is visceral. Of all the plights of the “Stranger Things” characters, Hopper’s is the easiest to sympathize with.
The exploration of the Abyss is a compelling aspect of the finale, expanding the supernatural world of “Stranger Things” beyond our dimension. The barren sci-fi hellscape the show presents for this alternate dimension somehow feels very 1980s — à la David Lynch’s “Dune" (1980). Rendering the Upside Down a wormhole, and therefore substantially demystifying its horror, was, in some ways, a lame reveal. But at the same time, this explanation of the Upside Down allows for a dramatic escalation in “Stranger Things” world-building — and that’s not bad.
There comes a point in the episode where a redemption arc for Vecna, also known as Henry Creel, is on the table. We get Vecna’s humanizing villain origin story when he finally enters the cave. This explanation again softens the horror. Luckily, despite Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) telepathic pleas, Vecna remains allied with the Mind Flayer. Placing the ultimate power and evil back in the hands (or legs, as it were) of the Mind Flayer is a very good decision on the show’s part, reviving some of the supernatural mystery of earlier seasons.
The final battle with Vecna and the Mind Flayer in the Abyss goes down just too easily. The Mind Flayer’s true physical form is the largest beast the gang has ever faced, yet it is thwarted pretty quickly. What once seemed an unfathomable interdimensional evil is now easily lured towards a cave and ambushed – on its home turf, no less. But “Stranger Things” has always been about the underdog’s triumph. Perhaps the gang has earned this victory thematically, even if it’s not a satisfying final smackdown.
Eleven’s decision to sacrifice herself on the cusp of the Upside Down gate puts a sudden spotlight on her relationship with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard). They share a tragic, heartfelt goodbye, yet after all these seasons, their love still feels half-baked — more propped up by the plot than by character chemistry. This contrasts with the relationship between Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) relationship, which, though given less screen time this season, feels much more believable.
The flash-forward portion of the episode, in which life in Hawkins is finally peaceful, is a nice epilogue. Getting a small taste of the gang’s future is a welcome diversion from the typical form of the show. Eleven’s disappearance is the last necessary piece needed to restore normalcy for the other characters — and it’s good that the show leaves her gone. “Stranger Things” doesn’t need to be a bloodbath, but it does need at least one final tragedy to make the ending appropriately bittersweet.
The return to the Dungeons & Dragons game is the perfect note to end on. Mike’s resumption of his role as storyteller especially brings the series full circle. His suggestion that Eleven is still out there and may have faked her own death is eye-rolling, but it does fit with the magical pedestal he’s put her on throughout the years. And it’s kind of cool to leave the interpretation of the story up to the characters as much as it is left up to the audience. When the kids leave their D&D binders behind in the Wheelers’ basement, they bring the “Stranger Things” campaign to a literal close.
