This past December, a decade-long journey came to an end on Netflix. The iconic show ‘Stranger Things,’ written by the Duffer Brothers and starring a huge, ensemble cast, premiered its fifth and final season. It released in three parts, with episodes 1-4 out shortly before Thanksgiving, episodes 5-7 Christmas Day and the final episode, an extra-special, two-hour wrap-up on New Year’s Eve.
The show has been a staple for many, telling the story of a small town overtaken by monsters and saved by a group of children, including Eleven, the girl with psychic powers. With the hype surrounding the show being so massive and the fact this has been a 10-year commitment for those involved, expectations from loyal fans were incredibly high.
Going into the final season, I had two questions: Would it live up to the expressed expectations as a finale, and would it be worth the wait?
One thing the show’s final season did exceptionally well was its cinematography. The use of angles, lighting and ways one shot would flow seamlessly into the next were impressive. Actor Noah Schnapp delivered a standout performance as Will Byers, capturing the full emotional weight of what his character was experiencing. Another strong performance came from Nell Fisher, who took over the role of Holly Wheeler for the final season. Despite Fisher being young, she nailed the role, which was essential to the season.
Unfortunately, that’s where the praise mostly ends for me. Overall, the actors weren’t bad, but the writing this season didn’t give them the chance to shine or live up to their full potential. The biggest casualty of this season’s writing was Linnea Berthelsen as Kali Prasad, also known as Eight, who was given dialogue written in a way no one would typically speak.
Since the show follows the “we need to save the world” format, nearly every cliché made an appearance; resolving relationship issues, fighting just to quickly
make up and inevitable “it’s not going to end like this” moments. It felt like the Duffers tried to juggle too many emotional storylines at once, and at the end, it came across as cheesy. Again, that’s not to say the actors did a bad job. Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler and Charlie Heaton as Jonathon Byers did well acting out their characters’ tumultuous relationship. The cast is clearly talented, but they weren’t given the writing to showcase their abilities.
There were also an overwhelming number of cuts and blackouts, which can be effective when done right. While a portion of such cinematic effects were effective, due to the excessive number of them, they eventually felt unnecessary.
In episode 8, the long-awaited grand finale that people had been waiting for, the big conclusion was just okay. The final battle was anticlimactic. Given how long the episode is, I was expecting something much more intense. There also weren’t many personal stakes for the main characters, which seemed to cheapen everything they had been through.
Did it fulfill expectations? Many fans seem to think this was the worst season, and I’m inclined to agree. Writing a finale for a show of this scale was never going to be easy, especially considering the hype. Plenty of beloved shows have final seasons or finales that fans are disappointed by; it’s just such a shame this show seems to have fallen into that trap.
Was it worth the wait? That depends. In some ways, yes, but in others, no. It may not have been the most satisfying conclusion, but it was an ending nonetheless.
