It’s not often a series ends with a finale that does justice to every season and episode that came before it, but it happens. Stranger Things has just delivered a finale that may as well be the very definition of perfect; it’s the most beautiful, epic and fitting end to this long-running series. Due to the impossible nature of reviewing this without spoilers, there will be spoilers throughout, but I also won’t be touching on every single moment.
Right off the bat, this episode is a brutally tense ride. Our team is preparing for their final confrontation with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), while Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her army are hot on their tail. The stakes which have been set up over the course of the season are at an all-time high and every second is drenched in edge-of-seat tension. The first hour of this episode is a masterclass in not only maintaining suspense, but gradually building on it minute after minute. Every single character, from Vickie and Max to Eleven and Hopper, is in constant danger. Couple that with the feeling that almost anyone could bite the dust, and you’ve got a recipe for nail-biting nervousness that crosses seamlessly from scene to scene. Within the setup for the big confrontation, there’s so many small moments between characters which break up and enhance that tension with hits of emotion. There’s a beautiful conversation between Will and Mike, touching on Will’s coming out scene from episode seven. Plus Hopper and Eleven have a few moments of bonding and mutual understanding. The Duffer brothers did a great job at ensuring the majority of key character relationships are bookended prior to, during or after the big battle.
Speaking of said battle, the final confrontation between the Mind Flayer ft Vecna and Eleven ft every other character is, plain and simply, epic. It may be somewhat brief and everyone escapes unscathed (aside from Vecna) but it’s the perfect way to hammer home the fact that when our crew puts their skills and knowledge (and luck) to good use, they can overcome anything the Mind Flayer throws their way. Both aspects of the fight, from Eleven and Vecna having a force battle to our crew fire bombing the Mind Flayer and chipping away at it, are entertaining to watch and immensely thrilling. It’s packed with edge-of-seat moments where you think certain characters could bite the dust, and it’s enough to have you holding your breath in anticipation. Eleven and Will are able to have their big moments as they combine their powers to kill Vecna, and then Joyce strolls in to (fittingly) deliver the final blow. The decision to have her chop off Vecna’s head is just perfect. She’s had a rough time throughout the show, losing a boyfriend (twice) and almost her son (multiple times), so it only makes sense that she’d finally get her revenge.
Within that first half we also get to unpack a little more of Vecna’s backstory, going all the way back to the moment he first obtained his powers. The revelations come as we realise it was the Mind Flayer calling the shots from the beginning, using Henry to do his bidding and try create a connection between the Abyss and Earth. It brings a little more context to the events of earlier seasons, and allows us to view the lore and mythology in a slightly new light, all while still making sense in the grand scheme of things. Speaking of Vecna, I can finally highlight Jamie Campbell Bower for his incredible performance and just how terrifying he is both in and out of the Vecna makeup. To be honest, he’s almost scarier when he’s looking like Henry due to how menacing his movements and facial expressions are.
One of the big surprises in the episodes comes when it’s around an hour in and Vecna is dead. Things seem to be all sunshine and rainbows, but of course there’s one more little caveat. Dr. Kay ambushes the crew upon exiting the Upside Down, which prompts Eleven to stay behind and sacrifice herself in order to ensure a gate to the Upside Down can never be opened again, thus keeping all of her friends safe. It’s a painfully emotional sequence that’s still a tough pill to swallow, but it’s quite possibly the most fitting end for the character (if that is the end you choose to believe). The moment is handled beautifully and executed to perfection, giving Mike and Eleven one final moment together before saying farewell for good.
Following the destruction of the upside down and death of Eleven, the finale goes all Lord of the Rings on us and rewards us with a nearly 60-minute epilogue. While the whole episode is packed with emotion, this epilogue is where ALL of the tears were flowing. I love that the Duffer brothers dedicated time to providing genuine closure for all of our key characters, showing us how they’ve moved on in the 18 months since Eleven’s death. The ending that they gave to every single character fits their respective journey through the series and I have absolutely no complaints. This epilogue is truly a love letter to the fans, allowing us (and the actors) to say a proper goodbye to all of the characters we’ve fallen in love with over the last 10 years. As a die-hard fan of the series, every other moment in this epilogue left me an emotional wreck. The writing is utterly perfect, and every moment is handled with such care that it’s nothing short of satisfying and rewarding in every sense of the words.
I have to talk about the brilliance of the final scene, a true full-circle moment which gives us a look at the future of our characters while having them play D&D one last time. Getting to see Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas tap into their youth and play D&D again, now with the addition of Max, is a touching moment that really allows you to see how much they’ve grown. The scene is special because it’s not just us saying goodbye to the characters, it’s the actors themselves saying goodbye to the roles they’ve carried through their entire youth and have kickstarted their careers. Because that emotion is so raw and real, it impacts us in a way only that visibly authentic emotion can. Within the scene we get the clever moment in which Mike present his own “theory” as to what really happened to Eleven. He believes she actually escaped the Upside Down before its destruction and fled to a secluded town to live the rest of her life completely off the grid to the knowledge of no one. As it’s purely a theory, there could be no truth to it, or it could be exactly what happened. The beauty is that you can believe whatever ending for Eleven that you like. I personally believe she perished as we saw earlier in the episode, but it’s all a matter of what you choose to see.
Music has always been a big part of this series, renowned for its retro soundtrack, so I have to touch on the killer needle drops within this episode. From Purple Rain by Prince to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, every song choice was perfect for its respective scene, exponentially increasing the emotional impact and fitting the content perfectly. It’s hard to imagine something surpassing the impact that Running up that Hill had, but these needle drops come incredibly close.
This type of finale won’t suit every series out there, but it is undoubtedly the perfect finale for Stranger Things. It’s an epic, feel-good finale that celebrates the characters, the actors and the legacy the show has left. Stranger Things is one of those shows that’s a true cultural phenomenon; it has captured the love and attention of audiences of all ages and has been a part of people’s lives as they’ve matured, changed and grown alongside the characters themselves. It’s the type of show that only shows up once every now and then, and potentially even the only show of its kind. Stranger Things dropped as one of Netflix’s earlier original series’ and was one of the first big ones to really take off. Granted Netflix had a lot of popular shows, but the child-like wonder, gripping mystery and pure feel-good nostalgia of this series made it an instant hit. From there it only grew into the cultural icon it is today, one which warrants a finale as epic as the one we just got.
In the end, I’ve thrown the word “perfect” a lot in this review, and that’s because it’s the simplest way to describe this finale. It’s a 2+ hour masterpiece that bookends not only the season, but also the entire series. The first half of the episode is filled with tension, suspense and great action sequences, putting our characters in all sorts of dire situations that have us fearing for their lives. Then you have the huge release at the halfway point followed by a truly beautiful and poignant epilogue that honours the legacy the series has left. People will always complain and they’ll have their opinions, especially as a series finale is the hardest episode to pull off outside of a pilot. But I choose to believe this finale couldn’t have gotten any better.
10/10
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