[Review] Stranger Things Season 5 Finale

[Review] Stranger Things Season 5 Finale | A decent, mediocre ending

Stranger Things Season 5 finale is the final part of the Duffer Brothers’ incredibly popular and highly acclaimed science-fiction fantasy series developed for Netflix.

Starring Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven / Jane 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, Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler & Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna / Henry Creel / One, the first volume released on Netflix on November 27, 2025, with Volume 2 scheduled for December 25, and the grand series finale scheduled for December 31.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Synopsis:

As Vecna prepares to destroy the world as we know it, the party must put everything on the line to defeat him once and for all.

Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Review:

If you’ve read my Vol 1 review, you know how I was mostly content with where this show was headed. But then, Vol 2 completely derailed the hype with its boring and tedious episodes. I was honestly not excited for the finale, but I was curious to know how the Duffer Brothers planned to wrap everything up with their epic show.

Here’s my honest review of the finale, the final episode of Stranger Things. Spoilers ahead!

Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven : Jane Hopper, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, & Linnea Berthelsen as Kali : Eight

A Decent but Underwhelming Finish

First off: did Stranger Things nail the finale? Almost. From a plot perspective, I think every story arc ended neatly. Literally everyone on the roster (the good guys) got their happy endings that were in line with their personalities and individual arcs. The only tragedy was El (Millie Bobby Brown), but Mike’s (Finn Wolfhard) theory of her faking her death kind of contradicts that. Of course, we will never know what the truth is, and you’re free to believe what you like. Either way, the open-ended nature of El’s ending actually felt fitting to me. All the senior kids embrace adulthood with grace and a smile. Hell, even the adults get their happy endings, with Joyce and Hopper getting engaged. The important thing is that everyone is happy and comfortable, and moving on to achieving their goals and dreams.

However, I am getting ahead of myself. Because all that I mentioned in the last paragraph is the last half an hour of the show. The epic climax that we got 7 episodes (over 8 hours) of build-up for… was very underwhelming. Neither was the twist surprising or shocking, nor was the climax sequence thrilling. After everything we’ve been through, the climax and resolution felt very underwhelming. Honestly, when I say underwhelming I really mean generic. For a show that had such heart and creativity in the first three seasons, the grand finale felt like generic-Netflix garble. The heartfelt moments didn’t feel genuine enough, and the climax’s mediocre treatment was more distracting than it was accommodating towards the finale.

Not a bad finale for the show, but one that’s certainly going to disappoint many fans.

Too Hyped To Be Satisfying

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson & Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers

It’s been clear from Season 4 that Netflix’s treatment of this show is quite hurtful for fans. On the one hand, there’s the expansion into an epic scale world-ending threat. On the other, there’s the need to be second-screen friendly. What was once a simple show about a small town now has become a monstrous entity that’s doing too much without having enough to say.

The hype around this finale has done a disservice to it. The two-season build up basically sets this show up to fail. Because couple these two reasons, and you’re challenging yourself to do the impossible. Stranger Things was one of Netflix’s best flagship shows. Sadly, it has become just another generic cash grab and nothing more. While I do believe the Duffer Brothers have done the best they could with the demands of the platform, it’s not enough. It was never going to be enough.

The gang beat the Mind Flayer in the fourth season, with Vecna becoming the big bad, only for that to switch back again in the finale. I honestly feel Vecna was an interesting character who become frustratingly convoluted by the end. The twist and resolution, as a result, felt so mediocre and easy that the build up feels like a waste. What’s worse, the fantasy elements of the show sadly did not hold up in the later seasons, and it didn’t seem like the writers really cared. It’s not as bad as Game of Thrones, but that’s not a comparison you want to make at all.

The ending is good, but you really didn’t need all that build-up, and a 2+ hour episode to wrap this up. I partially blame Vol 2 for this, but really it’s Netflix’s algorithmic demands that gave this great show its mediocre end.

Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Ending Explained

Our gang enter the Upside Down and immediately get to work. El and Kali link with Max and attack Henry. They also show the kids who the real Henry is, resulting in them breaking from their trance. Later Kali is fatally shot by one of the soldiers still in the Upside Down, but Eleven overpowers them and has him shoot himself.

Last volume, we find out that Henry killed someone in the cave. In this one, we find out that the person was a scientist who possessed a piece of the Mind Flayer. Touching the piece is what connected Henry with the Mind Flayer, resulting in him getting powers. The gang finally make it to the Abyss, where they find Vecna fused with a gigantic Mind Flayer. While El fights Vecna, the rest of them fight the giant kaiju Mind Flayer. Together, they incapacitate both. With Will’s help, El impales Vecna on a spike, but he still lives. Joyce then hacks his head off, finally ending the nightmare.

The children are free, and they make it back to their original dimension. But that’s when the military arrests them all hoping to catch El. El stays beyond the portal, saying her last goodbye to Mike.

Eighteen months later, everyone graduates. Everyone seems to have moved on, and Hawkins’ curse no longer exists. Mike has trouble moving on, but Hopper has a heart-to-heart with him. Everyone’s story ends happily, and while playing a last round of Dungeons and Dragons, Mike makes up a story that El faked her death and is secretly living faraway, happy and safe. We never really learn the truth, but it’s what the gang decides to believe in.

As the gang leaves for dinner—supposedly for the last time since everyone is moving out of Hawkins—their younger siblings take over and begin a round of DnD.

Is Stranger Things Season 5 Finale Disappointing?

The Final Episode

A little, yes.

Given how low standards are after Game of Thrones Season 8, you can cherish the fact that Stranger Things did a significantly better job. For the most part, all of the storylines tied up neatly. While I had an issue with the treatment and narrative, the plot points themselves were decent. Yes, it’s just meh, but that’s how this show has been since Season 4. Despite some really great moments in the season, Season 5 still pales in comparison with Seasons 1-2.

It’s not a bad ending, but it’s not great either. It’s emotional, but feels hollow at times. The ending is fitting, but leaves you wondering whether there was a better climax they could have gone with. And overall, it’s worth watching at least once, but it might not make you want to rewatch the show. At least not beyond Season 3.

In Conclusion:

Stranger Things Season 5 Finale delivers on a satisfying, if not a little underwhelming, conclusion to the Duffer Brothers’ epic series. Honestly, I might never rewatch this show, except maybe the first three seasons.

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What did you think of Stranger Things Season 5 Finale? Let me know in the comments below! Any other manga, anime, series, book, or movie you’d like me to review? Let me know your recommendations, and I’ll be sure to check them out.

Until next time!

ronitjauthor