Stranger Things, the hit show by the Duffer brothers, has come to an end. Lasting over ten years, the show has had 5 seasons and 42 episodes. Over the show’s life span, the impact it has had on society and entertainment culture is vast, from reviving the 90s to highlighting factors of teen life. Part of what made Stranger Things so iconic was its moments that made a lasting memory, such as Logan Clayton’s (10) favorite part of the whole series.
“[My favorite part was] definitely Eddie’s guitar solo. Him playing Metallica’s Master of Puppets to distract everything in the upside down was epic. With Metallica being one of my favorite bands, it was just really cool,” Clayton said.
To some, the series finale left much to be desired; it felt like it was cut off too short and didn’t give the resolution viewers wanted. This led to some fans coming up with a theory about the ending. Conformity Gate is a fan theory that claims the ending was an induced dream by the main villain, Vecna, in hopes of receiving a new ending and more episodes. This, of course, ended up not being true as the Duffer brothers have not released any new episodes since the finale on December 31. Gray Roy (10) gives his opinion on the fan theories.
“I really tried to believe that Conformity Gate was real. The ending was awful in my opinion, it felt so abrupt and didn’t give the resolution I wanted. I loved the first four seasons and watching the characters and their relationships. One of the things I disliked the most was El’s death; it was so unceremonious and disappointing, and they had a big setup and did nothing with it. My whole point is it had a really lazy, unclear ending, and a lot of it didn’t make sense because key parts of the whole show weren’t addressed,” Roy said.
Despite not having the best ending, the show had a great run. Stranger Things explored a more kid-friendly horror genre, and it united people in its oddity. They employed stars like Wynona Ryder and David Harbour to draw in an audience, and had every character grow in some way. Character development and change led to a wide variety of favorite characters and times that you liked them. Treven Jacobs (12) goes into how his favorite character changed.
“My favorite character was Dustin. In the earlier seasons, I liked how upbeat and intelligent he was. But as the season changed and his friendship with Eddie and Steve changed, he became more solemn and relatable to me as a teenager.” Jacobs said.
Even with such a long run, it can still be enjoyed and rewatched by people all over the world, and it makes a point to stay weird. Everyone has a connection to Stranger Things, and despite any controversy, Stranger Things has stood the test of time and will be remembered for the ages. Whether it be for its memorable characters, awesome moments, or the controversial ending, the Duffer brothers have created a phenomenal show that will last.
Image source https://omnivorous.substack.com/p/tv-review-stranger-things-season
