After years of anticipation (and a whole lot of fan theories) the fifth and final season of Stranger Things has come and gone — and no, there is not a secret ninth episode on the way, as online rumors would have you believe.
Despite a few mixed reviews, the Stranger Things 5 finale ultimately stuck the landing. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer played it relatively safe, offering up a finale that was perfectly satisfactory. In short, the show ended where it began: with our main group in Mike's basement playing Dungeons & Dragons. This time around they are young adults, and they reminisce about their adventures and what's in store for the future. The topic ultimately falls on Eleven, who sacrificed herself inside the Upside Down. Mike imagines a world where she survived, living out her life in peace. While his story may only be a made-up fantasy to provide closure, they each choose to believe it.
In the final moments of the episode, the friends each place their D&D binders on the shelf, and Mike closes the basement door, beginning the final credits.
The ending was bittersweet and an emotional rollercoaster for all involved. "Everyone came in for that last day emotionally locked in. The only thing was that occasionally there would be too much crying. And we’re like, 'We can’t be sad yet.' The honest truth is everyone was so just dialed in," Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter.
The original plan was to have Mike shut the basement door as the final take of the series, but Noah Schnapp thought up a better idea. "We originally were going to end the final shot of the show on just Mike shutting the door. And then Noah, the day before, came up to us and said, 'Wouldn’t it be nice if the last shot [we film] was something we are all in? So that we could all wrap together, as opposed to wrapping one of us at a time?' So the actual last shot we ever did was them from behind the bookcase, putting the D&D books away. Once we knew we had it, Matt and I told them this was going to be the last take, no matter what."
However, as the tears flowed, that final take the team filmed was a little too much for the cast to handle. "That take is not in there because there’s too much crying,"
Furthermore, Matt Duffer weighed in on the final shot. The suggestion by Schnapp worked perfectly as a farewell for the cast as well as for viewers:
""It was a brilliant suggestion by Noah. I can’t imagine doing it any other way, but also that’s not them acting. When they’re putting away their books and walking away, that’s them saying goodbye to the show. So, that’s the most emotional and heartbreaking shot we ever did on the show. That’s why you see Finn break the way he did.""
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.