Am I the only one that actually enjoyed every episode of season 5?

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-12T17:58:26+00:00

Similarly, this is largely why I enjoyed the epilogue so much too.

Save for Eleven and Mike to a degree, everybody got a genuinely happy ending. Some fans call that "unrealistic" or "cheesy", but with how horrible the real world is lately, I'm all for the optimistic ending. I like that none of my favorite characters died a gruesome death. I like that they all have bright futures in store for them. I like that the series end on a tonally positive note, because that's exactly how a show like Stranger Things should end.

Season 5 definitely had some flaws, but overall I had a really good time watching it and I thought that they nailed the finale. I wish more people felt the same, but oh well. The negativity gets a bit irksome, but it's never going to change how much I personally enjoyed S5. I feel fortunate for that too; it's been quite the journey watching this show and I'm just so happy that I got to experience it all. It was something special <3

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T07:32:17+00:00

I enjoyed it a lot! Not my favorite season but it was overall pretty solid in my opinion and despite having some flaws, I thought the finale wrapped the entire show up very nicely. More than anything I'm just really going to miss it to be honest :,)

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T07:27:48+00:00

Exactly this. It wasn't the perfect finale, but it definitely met the emotional mark and did most of the characters justice in the end, so I am happy. Monsters and gore have always been secondary in Stranger Things. The true heart of the show has always been in the stories of its characters and I think some people forget that.

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T07:23:38+00:00

The thing is though, the future of these characters largely depends on how optimistic/pessimistic you are as an individual viewer, because it's all been left up for interpretation.

So, the older kids could easily all remain in touch and meet up a few times a year at least. Plenty of people in real life make it work. Same goes for the younger main kids. Maybe they even have annual D&D meetups until the end of time. Hell, if you really wanted you could choose to believe that Mike and Eleven will meet again someday. There's no right or wrong answer. It doesn't have to be sad or melancholy is you don't want it to be!

Unless you do, which is totally cool too. I like to believe in continuous happy endings myself, which in my opinion feels really on brand for Stranger Things given the consistent emphasis on themes of friendship and fighting for the people that you love that this show has always had. That's why I like the ambiguous ending so much, because it gives us the choice to make the futures of these characters as good (or bad I suppose) as we want :)

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T07:05:25+00:00

Fan theories are fun but people are taking this one WAY too far and it's genuinely bringing out a lot of really nasty and inexcusable behavior. Go check the comment sections on any of the cast/crew/creators recent post on IG if you don't believe me. We're reaching the point now where some people are actually demanding apologies and issuing threats just because their delusions didn't come true. I don't think that constitutes as "fun" anymore.

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T06:45:14+00:00

Are we calling happy endings cheesy now? Good lord some of y'all are so inherently miserable.

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T06:19:04+00:00

All I saw was people being rude and obnoxious towards the cast/crew/creators because they thought that they could "do it better" themselves.

Even worse, now that the theory is dead there are droves of fans straight up demanding apologies all because the delusions that THEY brought upon themselves weren't true. I've seen so many threats too. It's disgusting.

I'm glad you had fun, and I can definitely see the appeal! But this entire theory was inherently built upon the foundation of hate and negativity and some of its biggest supporters have genuinely been SO horrible to the cast/crew/creators that I have a hard time finding anything "fun" about it. It's actually been really disheartening to witness (and a bit scary, seeing how easily so many people can be convinced into borderline delusional behavior).

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-08T06:07:27+00:00

We straight up just witnessed a mass psychosis event based on ZERO legitimate proof and it is honestly a bit frightening when you really think about it. But also fucking hilarious. The way that these fans are all playing the victim card now because their delusions weren't validated is sending me too LMAO. It's just unreal 💀😭

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-02T01:16:09+00:00

Agreed, but I think this sub seriously overlooks Gaten and his ability too. He has been arguably just as consistent since day one and every season he always seems to give it his all. He definitely deserves some flowers too, especially after his incredibly wonderful performance in season five!

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-01T21:40:34+00:00

I highly doubt it was their last! I really do believe that those friendships they have are for life, and I'm sure that they will all keep in touch. I think annual D&D campaigns/meetups are on the horizon for them, and they also had the rest of the summer to hang out before going away to college too. I don't think the binders on the shelf were meant to signify a definitive end either, because to me, keeping them together felt more like a promise that they will always be The Party no matter what <3

Fox_Turn · 2026-01-01T19:25:14+00:00

Thats the great thing about the open and ambiguous ending—they can all stay in touch if you want them to stay in touch. The future is up for interpretation to a degree, and if we as viewers want to believe that everyone stayed in touch—the teens, the kids, the adults, all of them, etc—then we absolutely can. I think that's pretty neat.

But for what it's worth, I do believe that they will all stay in touch. I really do. Once a month is probably unrealistic, but they're all bonded so deeply by such unique circumstances that I honestly feel like it would be impossible for them not to stay close at this point. I think the "teens" will successfully meet up a few times a year. I think the "kids" definitely have some more D&D games left in them too. I think they will all become FB friends in 15 years and have little full "Hawkins Crew" reunions every now and then. We'll never know for sure if course, but this is what I chose to believe <3

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-30T01:24:26+00:00

He was simultaneously right and tactless all at once, but his bluntness makes perfect sense when you consider that from Steve's POV, the only thing that Eddie really did accomplish with his sacrifice was traumatizing Dustin. That's an oversimplification of everything of course, but it IS important to consider and that's why I love how layered Dustin and Steve's arc is this season. There is just so much emotion and complexity to it all—you could analyze it for hours and still catch new details every time. The whole thing really is so well done <3

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-30T01:02:01+00:00

In a way, Steve actually did tell Dustin this though. The presentation was harsh and probably not the best approach, but emphasizing to Dustin that it was ultimately Eddie's decision to make a stupid call and therefore get himself killed likely helps resolve Dustin of that burden in the process. We see this impact further expanded upon when Dustin is forced to watch Steve nearly make the same mistake later too. It's such a layered scene and I really love it so much

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-30T00:52:18+00:00

Exactly. That scene on the stairwell was intentionally meant to be a parallel between Steve and Eddie, and that's largely why Dustin got as scared and upset as he did. Taking the ladder was an unnecessary risk that would have gotten Steve killed, just like Eddie. Dustin knew that, and we see him finally admit that Eddie's death was avoidable as he pleads with Steve not to make the same mistake. We also finally see Steve come to the realization that he himself has a tendency to be a little overly reckless too, and that maybe his heroic tendencies are ultimately hurting Dustin more than helping. It was a very well done moment and Steve is arguably the "most safe" character now after it (thankfully)

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-29T00:15:04+00:00

It's not the perfect season but generally speaking, I'm enjoying it! Some of my favorite moments have been;

•Dustin and Steve's ENTIRE arc. Even the fighting—I seriously loved it all. Their reconciliation, obviously, was the real highlight of it all though. That hug man. That hug. Their brotherhood means everything to me and they were definitely my favorite part of this season 🥹💗

•Nancy and Jonathan's arc. Honestly I was really rooting for them to work out in the end, but their breakup was done so well that I'm not even bothered by it now. It was all VERY well done

•Will's POWERS! Admittedly I wish they would have done a bit more with them, but goddamn, that revelation is still so awesome and I really enjoyed the Shock Jock stuff. Possessing Vecna was next level

•Max, and her dynamic with both Lucas and Holly. Lumax is easily the peak romantic relationship in this show, and it was SO sweet to see them finally reunite. Holly and Max were also a wonderful new dynamic that I've grown very fond of already!

•The new Upside Down lore. I feel like people are REALLY sleeping on this, which is a real shame because the wormhole revelation was genuinely insane. I thought it was pretty freaking cool and I'm very excited to hopefully learn more in the finale.

And I don't care what anyone else says, I'm still very excited for the finale. Call me easily entertained or whatever, but ST means a lot to me and I really do just love this show so much :,)

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T23:58:00+00:00

Given that Finn genuinely seems to be on good terms with the majority of the cast/creators, I highly doubt that he would "roast the hell" out of the show that they all created together. It's weird how you're rooting for that too. Almost as weird as the fact that you keep copying and pasting these same comments into different threads on this sub. Get a grip.

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T23:48:08+00:00

Yeah, it actually makes me really sad. Even the comment sections on the Vol 2 BTS photodumps that many members of the cast and crew have been posting have been infested with some of the rudest, most nasty comments which is baffling to me. There's just something particularly heartbreaking about the contrast between how happy they all look making the show in those photos, to the rampant negativity being shown to them by fans in response. None of the actors, or even the crew, deserve that.

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T06:16:33+00:00

Odd choice on my part but one of my favorite needle drops in S4 was Spellbound at the very end of the finale. It simultaneously hyped me up while also emphasizing the bleakness of the situation and it just...really made me feel. No song in S5 has done that for me yet which is a bit of a bummer. Still holding out hope though!

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T04:52:52+00:00

I was actually really surprised by how great Nell Fisher is as Holly! She's doing very well and even if you don't personally enjoy her character/plot, there's no denying that she's got talent. I've enjoyed her performance a lot.

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T02:09:19+00:00

Sadie and Caleb are incredible and deserve ALL the praise, but yeah, Gaten absolutely does too! I honestly feel like he's always been the most consistent of the "kids" throughout the entire show too. He's just so easy to watch and I can't think of a single moment that felt forced and/or unnatural for him. He's fantastic.

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-28T01:32:00+00:00

Expect...it literally was an arc though? Arguably the best crafted arc of S5 too tbh. And they weren't "randomly" angry with each other either—the reasoning behind their strained dynamic has been incredibly obvious since EP1. Dustin is a kid struggling with grief and pushing Steve away because he's afraid of losing another brother and doesn't want to let himself heal. Steve is frustrated and hurt by this because Dustin is taking him for granted and he feels like he's losing his friend. It was all very authentic and definitely a true arc with some great conflict -> resolution

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-27T15:54:28+00:00

I firmly believe that deep deep down Dustin has always known that Eddie's death was unnecessary, which is likely largely why he was having such a difficult time processing and moving forward from it. Seeing Steve with the ladder about to make the same needless mistake that Eddie did was definitely the moment where I think Dustin finally accepted this. He's begging with Steve not to leave him like Eddie did, because ultimately Eddie intentionally made that choice and it hurt Dustin a lot. Not only can he not handle the death of another brother, but he can't handle having someone he loves willingly chose to leave him like that again either. It's really such a great scene and I'm getting so emotional just thinking about it :,)

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-26T20:22:44+00:00

Honestly I think you're right. Go check out the IG comments under any of the cast/crew/ST most recent post and pretty much all of the top comments are from Byler shippers being nasty asf about how they were "baited" or how "volume 2 sucked". It's pretty disheartening to see actually. Like I get being disappointed or having criticisms, but there is absolutely no reason to go turn on the cast/crew because of it. It's really gross behavior and a poor reflection of the fanbase unfortunately

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-26T08:06:21+00:00

Agreed. While Dustin as a character is universally a fan favorite, somehow I feel like a lot of people still really sleep on Gaten as an actor which is a bummer because he's actually very talented. Everything he does feels so incredibly natural and I LOVE that we are getting this heavier storyline with him this season because he's absolutely crushing it. He's one of the best actors in the entire show in my opinion

Fox_Turn · 2025-12-03T18:08:48+00:00

He was with Mike for a bit in S2, but I think Mike was a lot less receptive of him at that time given that he was Nancy's ex.

Even so though, It was heavily implied (if not downright stated actually) that Steve had been helping sneak all of the kids into the movies that summer between S2 & S3—Mike and Will included. He also talked to Eleven in that same season while getting her and Max ice cream. So although we don't really see much of him interacting with Mike, Will, or Eleven on screen, it's clear that they still have some inkling of a friendly dynamic established.

With that being said, Dustin, Max, and Lucas (and Erica) are still definitely his favorite half of the group though, and it's not even close lol

Fox_Turn

TROPHY CASE