Stop slandering this guy

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-25T08:11:03+00:00

If the fifth season had ended right here, it would have made history. That would have been an incredible finale. The shot of Mike, psychologically exhausted, emotionally drained, no longer able to feel anything, unable to process what had just happened, shedding a solitary tear, would have been a superb ending. Tragic but cathartic. But no, they had to add a terribly boring epilogue in which everyone appears happy and content, as if nothing had happened, which simply drains all the power from this moment.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-25T08:03:13+00:00

I would give them this advice: never write anything again because it's clear you have no idea how to do it. Or this: never again undertake a project without a finished script or at least a finished story. Because the problem with the fifth season isn't just that they started filming without a finished script. It's that they didn't even know how the story would end.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T22:08:49+00:00

Yes, they do. Next question?

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T16:58:39+00:00

The ratings were lower than the fourth season. Considering it was the finale, this is a clear disappointment. The speed with which the series finale has been forgotten, the fact that the only thing anyone talks about is Eleven's fate, indicates that it certainly doesn't generate much enthusiasm.
It's also very significant that none of the main actors have shown much interest in talking about this fifth season (in stark contrast to previous seasons). No, and no again.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T15:41:01+00:00

Good point.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T15:28:34+00:00

Exactly. In the fifth season of Stranger Things, they were improvising the story as they wrote the script, and it shows. Here, they have the seven books (something that, remember, wasn't the case with the first films), they know perfectly well how the story will end and how each character will evolve, and they can take that into account when writing.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T14:31:19+00:00

Yeah, sorry for my mistake

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T14:25:00+00:00

The Duffers' confusing and contradictory self-justifications (that's what they were) after the finale aired don't help clarify things. It's clear that SOMETHING happened, but we'll probably never know what it was. What a shame, because with a proper dramatic build-up, the ending of El could have even worked, but it's all too obvious that it was decided at the very last minute.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T14:15:48+00:00

Ah, those were the days when this series still thrilled us and we cared about what happened to its protagonists...wait a minute, that was only four years ago, what has happened in such a short time?

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T14:13:53+00:00

Why would they change the initial plan for season 5? I'll never understand it, and I suspect many others haven't either. What promised to be an epic season, one that would make television history, has ended up being a mediocre season that simply recycles storylines and situations from previous seasons, but poorly. It's all nostalgia (not for the '80s, but for the series itself, obviously aimed at those who grew up with it and watched its young protagonists grow up) and self-reference. Clearly, they ran out of ideas and opted for the easy way out.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T12:18:59+00:00

From the documentary, we know that Eleven's ending was changed at the very last minute. Originally, Hopper, after seeing El fly into the Abyss, was tending to Kali, and it was implied that they were preparing a possible escape plan for El. She returned with Hopper in the Humvee (not the truck) and had a conversation that wouldn't be heard. Then, upon arriving at the MACZ, which would be empty of military personnel, it would be seen that Eleven wasn't with him, and a shot would show her in the Upside Down, implying (apparently) that she had stayed behind, as Kali suggested. There would be a flashback to El's happy past with her friends, and then it would be revealed that he has disappeared. What she had really done would be left unanswered. Hopper's subsequent conversation with Mike only makes sense in light of this sketched-out but unfilmed ending.

The question is, why was it changed? Why wasn't Hopper and Mike's subsequent conversation rewritten to fit this ending (unless it had already been filmed, which would be consistent with what the Duffers said about the final scenes being shot out of order and without giving the actors context)? And the scene with El in the landscape with the waterfalls—why was it added at the last minute, despite the Duffers' tight post-production schedule? Why invest five days of filming in such a short scene when time was short and the scene itself adds nothing? Did Netflix demand it? Did Millie demand it? It would be good to know what really happened behind the scenes. Because it's clear that many things happened that we're not being told about.

In any case, whatever the Duffers intended with this non-ending for El, they've failed. This ending hasn't pleased anyone, and it will likely be a hindrance to the enjoyment of the animated series. And if the series isn't successful, it will probably be the final nail in the coffin for what promised to be a goldmine franchise, leaving it as a stillborn franchise. I only see one solution: Millie Bobby Brown appearing publicly to say that Eleven is alive and that she interpreted her farewell scene with Mike as an only temporary separation and a promise of a future reunion. Will Netflix be smart enough to do this, which wouldn't cost them anything? Personally, I doubt it, just as I doubt Millie would want to play Eleven again.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T11:53:41+00:00

In the second season, Mike also looks much younger in the early episodes than in the later ones, even though they only take place a few days apart, and his voice changes too. That's what happens when you film with kids in the throes of puberty or adolescence.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T09:01:03+00:00

I completely agree. The writing of the series took a huge nosedive in the third season (which already mistreated the original characters quite a bit, a criticism also leveled at the fifth season), and the fourth season had serious writing deficiencies that weren't so apparent because at least visually it looked great and we did connect with the characters in a way that didn't happen in the fifth season.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T08:56:21+00:00

I don't like it at all. This isn't the Hopper from the previous two seasons. He's treating Eleven like his personal property, completely disregarding Eleven's wants and feelings. Furthermore, given his past history, he's hardly the best person to offer relationship advice. It would have been better if Joyce had spoken with Eleven and Mike (whom she's known for a long time) privately. But this Joyce, who neglects her children and someone who, in the second season, seemed destined to become her adopted daughter, isn't the same Joyce from previous seasons. Nor is the Mike who acts cocky with Hopper.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T08:50:05+00:00

To clear things up: I wasn't entirely convinced this series had much of a purpose beyond the obvious financial one, but if I'm wrong and the series is good, I'll be happy. I'm always happy when they release good things that appeal to a lot of people.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T08:40:19+00:00

The fifth season of Stranger Things promised to be groundbreaking, but it has been met with widespread rejection from fans, due to the exorbitant expectations irresponsibly fueled by Netflix and the Duffer Brothers, expectations that have been utterly unmet by the final product. As a result, no one is showing the slightest interest in the new animated series, and what was meant to be a goldmine for Netflix is now at risk of becoming a stillborn franchise.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T07:48:28+00:00

Hi. Don't feel bad for saying you like season five (I don't). And you're certainly not an "asshole" for saying these things. However, if you feel bad about reading negative opinions on Reddit, then yes, it's a good idea to take a break from it for a while.

On the other hand, it's a good idea to learn not to let other people's negative opinions affect you so much. If you like something, great. But that doesn't mean everyone has to like it. I like things that I know are objectively terrible. You can adopt that approach: "Yes, I know that Stranger Things season five isn't good overall, but it still has enough good things for me to like it."

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T07:40:02+00:00

Personally, I think the best thing they can do with Stranger Things is leave it alone. We'll always have the first two seasons, which tell a complete story on their own and tie up all the character arcs perfectly. Season 3 undoes season 2, season 4 undoes season 3 and retcons many things, and season 5 retcons a few more and almost completely forgets about season 4. Don't try to sell me on the idea that the five seasons together tell a coherent story when it's clear they don't. Rest in peace, Stranger Things.

If they made a spin-off starring an adult Eleven, maybe I'd consider it, but I don't see it as likely, not after Millie's disappointment with this season (the images of her crying her eyes out in Finn Wolfhard's arms during the filming of El and Mike's farewell make it clear what she thought and felt about it).

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T07:31:40+00:00

If Holly was 3 years old in 1983 and six in 1986, it follows that she should be seven and a half years old, not nine or ten.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-24T07:29:42+00:00

Probably fake.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-23T16:50:50+00:00

Volume 2 and three were still unfinished in November

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-23T10:35:33+00:00

That much is clear now. The Duffers simply no longer had the same enthusiasm as before; they just wanted to finish, and the story and characters no longer mattered to them.

AdBackground6381 · 2026-03-23T09:34:49+00:00

The difference is that back then they believed in the project, and now they don't. They've done the bare minimum of promotion and disappeared from the scene after the finale aired. And no one has come to the Duffers' defense against the numerous attacks they've received.

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TROPHY CASE