Stranger Things 5 is officially the lowest-rated season of the Netflix original series after seven episodes, but there's still time to change that.
The season 5 and series finale arrives on Netflix (and in theaters) on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. EST, and fans should still have faith in Matt and Ross Duffer to deliver an incredible finale as they always have.
Some of the criticisms of Stranger Things 5 feel valid, while others are simply unfair
There's no doubt Stranger Things 5 has felt the most disjointed of the seasons. We've had really high highs, like "Sorcerer" and "Escape From Camazots," and there have been some lows.
There are simple reasons for this, too. Look at how many characters are involved this season. Look at what kind of story they're trying to pull off. It's impossible to give every character enough time. We're seeing the Duffers take some risks, but they're trying to pay off things set up seasons in the making while also entertaining.
If you have a problem with those story elements, I totally understand those critiques. There's a lot going on, and I don't agree with a lot of the reveals and pacing. Not knowing what Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) was really up to until Vol. 2 was probably a mistake, but it's not that big of a deal, honestly.
Have any of our main characters actually been in danger? The stakes don't feel quite as high as they have in previous seasons, even though literally everyone's lives are in danger with what's about to happen.
Some of those criticisms feel fair, and I admit to feeling that way, at times, about the season.
Other criticisms, specifically about Will's story and timing, feel really unfair, though. There's no way that "Chapter Seven: The Bridge" should be the lowest-rated episode of Stranger Things ever, but the discourse has basically been hijacked. That's the part of this that doesn't sit very well with me.
We know that Vecna works by isolating these kids and preying on them using their own worries, fears, and trauma against them. Will has not been ready to trust his family and friends with who he is attracted to. It's part of him that Vecna exploited, and I have no problem how it was handled in the show. It makes perfect sense to me why Will would want to share that part of himself with the people who put their lives on the line constantly for him.
I hope that part of the discourse ends soon after the Duffers, and the rest of the cast, crew, and creative team, deliver a special series finale.
The Duffers always deliver in season finales
We've all been wondering, and worrying, how Stranger Things is going to end for so long. While there are some concerns that the Duffers will be able to fit everything in just two hours of one last episode, I don't think fans should be worried at all about how the series will end. And, that's simply because the Duffers always deliver amazing finales.
We've obviously seen four finales so far, and every episode is fantastic. Not one season finale has been a letdown. Have we liked everything that happened in the finales? No, almost-RIP Hopper and RIP Eddie Munson. But, every season finale has been one of the best episodes of each season.
Don't believe me? Let's take a look at the highest-rated episodes of Stranger Things, according to IMDB.
Of the 44 episodes in the series, 10 episodes have a 9.0/10 rating or higher. Four of those 10 episodes are the season finales.
- "Chapter Eight: The Upside Down" (season 1): 9.3/10
- "Chapter Nine: The Gate" (season 2): 9.3/10
- "Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt" (season 3): 9.2/10
- "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback" (season 4): 9.1/10
I don't know about you, but I'm not worried that the Duffer and all these talented people behind the show are going to turn in an absolutely killer series finale. There's so much work to do to pull that off, but I have the faith, the faith, the faith. We've been here the whole time. Why would I abandon ship right now with so little time left?
It's going to be harder to pull off something epic in the series finale when this is literally the final episode than in the past, but I'm confident the Duffers know what they are doing. They've said for years that they know how the show is going to end, and I hope they were able to execute that vision.
I bet that they did, and I bet it will completely change the perception of the season. Will it be the lowest-rated season of the series? Possibly. At the end of the day, being the worst season of Stranger Things is better than most TV shows.
We all know one great rock show can change the world. Well, the same can be said about one episode of Stranger Things, and I bet that it will.