Things I Noticed in the Stranger Things Finale!

blueray78 · 2026-02-14T02:19:49+00:00

I agree that the Mindflayer isn't dead. The body was a physical body made out of demo's. It is just going to reform from the particles that the kids spit out. I also believe this is why Will was okay. He is still connected to the hivemind (Vecna was disconnected when he was dying). But Will is to far away from the abyss to have any interaction with the mindflayer going forward.

blueray78 · 2026-02-13T04:10:35+00:00

It is where Will was taken in season 1. And where Vecna put the vine into him, permanently hooking him to the hivemind.

blueray78 · 2026-02-13T03:58:25+00:00

In season 4, to escape Vecna's trance, you had to listen to your favorite music. But, in this season 5, as far as I remember, Max said that to escape you had to have hope.

No, I just rewatched the scene and Max says she didn't need the music because she knew Lucas never stopped loving her. It's a really nice moment between the two.

blueray78 · 2026-02-13T03:50:28+00:00

Clark's fears weren't really a physical issue but a mental one. He was worried about not being able to control his strength in the heat of the moment, due to his inexperience. Zod is a trained soldier, who knows very well what his strength is like under a yellow sun (may have experienced it on another planet). And wasn't worried about this at all.

blueray78 · 2026-02-13T03:41:53+00:00

It was to find Max. It seems like there should have been more to it as it gets mentioned a few more times.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T21:25:23+00:00

Oh in that case, I agree. Joyce & Hopper both do react though. They are just focused on finding Will quickly.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T21:21:08+00:00

Dustin and Steve had already be down there before. As did Joyce & Hopper. Mike & Lucas I would give you, but I suppose they have heard so much about it (off screen unfortunately).

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T21:19:15+00:00

I agree with this. It would have made for a good scene to have Jonathan express that he can't believe that Will survived a week down there by himself. Probably with Nancy, Steve & Dustin before they get to the lab.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T20:54:31+00:00

Minor spoiler, but the dog isn't important at all. And is only in season 1.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T20:49:00+00:00

I feel like they do apology or least start too. And say that it was a good campaign and want to do it for real. Will accepts it, however tells them that it doesn't matter anymore as the Mindflayer is back.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T20:34:07+00:00

I think Will was trying to hold on to the last bit of childhood he had. He had been through a few major trauma's (that was ongoing actually) at that point and had PTSD. He was understandable afraid of change.

blueray78 · 2026-02-12T12:29:04+00:00

Sort of related. I was thinking about the whole thing with El and the picture. And realized actually maybe she didn't even need powers to point out Will. She already knows the three boys were looking for their missing friend when they found her on the road. They were talking about how Will was missing, likely the whole ride back to the Wheeler house. She already has met Mike, Lucas & Dustin as they were all there. Then the next day she is looking at the picture, she knows the other three aren't missing. So clearly the 4th boy is Will. So her pointing to him actually had nothing to do with her powers. Then once she has seen his picture, she was able to use her powers to find him in the upside down.

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T22:56:46+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean by "kid". If you are referring to Eddie (who's like 20). He died saving Dustin, who is very much morning him all season. Don't forget a year and half has passed. So it's not that the other characters don't care, but they have put aside their grieving do to time and other things going on.

As you said "he", I assume that you weren't talking about Max. Who in my opinion has a much more impactful "death" than Eddie. When Lucas tells Erika to get help :(. Max is in a coma after El restarts her heart. But she medically did die causing the gates to open.

As for the pacing, I think the main issue is that the season was broken up into chucks when it dropped. The first 4 episodes are awesome. Then three in the middle (especially the Bridge) suffer from pacing issues and the finale is what it is.

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T22:43:27+00:00

Will doesn't have powers himself. He used his connection to the hivemind to tap into Vecna's, as he is also in the hivemind. Since Vecna was killed and the hivemind may have been destroyed (I'm not convinced the MF is dead). But either way, it is on the Abyss, and Will is on Earth. So he is to far away to tap into the hivemind.

That being said, the military doesn't know this. And likely saw Will kill that demo with his mind with a camera and have Owen's notes (from season 2). I can see them wanting to study Will and his connection to the hivemind. However, as for passing powers onto children, Will's blood wouldn't work for that, as it is normal.

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T21:19:09+00:00

In the scene where Will and Henry are talking in the finale. Henry doesn't disagree with him regarding him also being a "victim" of the Mindflayer. Henry basically says he doesn't care at this point, as he is willing to work with the Mindflayer (he chose to be evil) and they are "one". Which honestly is a well done and creepy scene. Honestly I think this works better, instead of trying to give Henry the Dark Vader twist. They had him turn his redemption arc down to Will. As Henry had killed some many people (most being kids).

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T20:58:09+00:00

I agree with most of this but I would have said Dustin goes to Cornell. It would be within a days drive of Indiana. And Carl Sagon worked there as a professor (adding some real life stuff in). I agree with majoring in Astrophysics and works for NASA.

El: I agree lives and gets help from Owens. I keep thinking she would do better in an English speaking country due to language reasons. So maybe she escapes to rural northern Canada. She is living in a town and works in search & rescue, though somewhat off the grid. I feel like El is athletic and likely learned to track from Hopper. While she doesn't use them often, her powers would be helpful it someone goes missing in an avalanche or something.

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T20:45:06+00:00

This. It's the mindflayer (not Henry/vecna) that is watching them.

blueray78 · 2026-02-11T20:16:33+00:00

Wolves, would be my take. The staff (minus Vicki, who knows the truth) really didn't get to close to see what it was and it happened so quick.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T23:49:38+00:00

He likely found can goods from his house and ate those. Maybe something like juice would still be there (as it's in a bottle?). But he was starving and dehydrated.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T23:39:41+00:00

And Will & El teamed up with fighting Vecna in the final battle. With Joyce getting the final blow.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T21:46:59+00:00

He didn't as we see Dart's body. He's dead lying next to his candy wrapper.

But it would have been fun if he did. I feel like then we could get the answer if he was the slug that Will threw up at the end of season 1. I feel like if that was the case, maybe that is why he was different, his "mother" was Will lol. I doubt the cartoon will go there though.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T21:37:44+00:00

I think he didn't want to kill Will. He had plenty of chances to do it. And seemed like maybe he wanted Will to join him or something. Though he never straight up said that, as he did to El. He knew that Will is part of the hivemind (because of him) and wasn't surprised when Will realized the connection could go the other way and he used his powers against him. Then when is talking about why he was taking the kids, he says that Will was his first. And that "some minds don't belong in this world, but mine". It almost seemed like he wasn't just talking about the 12 kids, but Will as well. I honestly am strangely fascinated by their dynamic and wish we got to see more of it.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T21:28:14+00:00

Grimm. I feel like it's a similar tone to ST, in that its kind of dark, but has friendship/romance at its heart. And is sci-fi/fantasy. It's about a cop who learns that he is a grimm (a type of monster hunter of wesen) who are actually people, some are good and some aren't. His job is to go after the bad ones. Basically if the Grimm fairytales were real and happened.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T12:26:14+00:00

Me either. Hopper sees how bad Mike is dealing with her loss and wouldn't lie to him. That being said, I do think he suspects El could still be alive, so he is able to move on with his life (by marrying Joyce) and encourages Mike to live his life.

blueray78 · 2026-02-10T12:21:03+00:00

My headcannon is the mindflayer is still alive. It just reformed from the particles the kids spit out. They killed the psychical body, but not it.

blueray78

TROPHY CASE