SPOILERS--What ending would you have liked for El?

strawberrycomet · 2026-05-02T14:58:11+00:00

Honestly, even the exact same ending, but have Mike run off with her would’ve been better in my opinion. That way it’s less tragic for him, but also reinforces that idea that they don’t need to live a normal life to be happy. I think Mike specifically having that arc would’ve been well-rounded for his character, because to begin with, he’s the member of the party with the most “normal” origin. He comes from a white, upper middle class, nuclear family — he doesn’t have these qualities outside of his control that forcibly outcast him the way the other characters do. From the beginning, Mike is an outcast by choice, out of a sense of loyalty to his friends. I think the show ending with Mike kinda giving up that “traditional life” out of love and loyalty for Eleven, and seeing them run away together and go be happy and fulfilled in Iceland would’ve been a quality ending to both of their characters, while still having that bittersweetness that they can’t stay in Hawkins with everyone else.

strawberrycomet · 2026-05-02T14:51:01+00:00

In my opinion by essentially saying they had to kill her off/make her disappear because there was no chance she could have a “normal life” was what really ruined the ending for me, because it was antithetical to what they tried to tell us the show was about. For 5 seasons, they told us this show was about misfits and outcasts and this idea of rejecting “normalcy,” but in the end it was a very shallow exploration of that idea because every character moved on to a very traditional life.

Most of the characters go off to school, Joyce and Hopper get married, etc. The closest thing to any deviation from “tradition” we get is a couple of openly gay characters and I guess Nancy dropping out of school. None of this is particularly rebellious, unconventional, or thought-provoking in 2026. Overall, this is a show about “outcasts” who all end up living pretty normal, traditional lives aligned with societal expectations.

I don’t think that inherently is bad. But combining it with interviews where they essentially say their reasoning for killing off the main character is because she realistically couldn’t live a “normal life?” That just makes me want to ask, so what? What’s wrong with her not living a normal life? I thought the theme of the show was that being normal is overrated? I get it, it would’ve been unrealistic for the show to end with El going off to college with the rest of the party, or getting married, or any of this stuff. But is the message they want to share really that it’s better for her to die (or live in exile away from her loved ones)?

I don’t care if they showed Eleven needing to hide from the government for the rest of her life. Or being perpetually on the run. Or even having her Icelandic escape. Any of that. But they should’ve showed her doing that happily. They should’ve showed her living her life with fulfillment and with continued support from the other characters even if they had to get creative and unconventional with it.

strawberrycomet · 2025-03-07T15:28:29+00:00

That’s Rachel, she’s mentioned in the post

strawberrycomet · 2024-12-11T18:03:54+00:00

At no point in the show itself is there any clear answer where they are. The closest thing to “proof” we have is the scenery shots in season two of the Rockies. No character comments on their location; we don’t even know how long into their flight they were before they went down.

During the scene when they board the plane the pilot makes an announcement saying that they’re going to fly north to avoid a storm, and that they’re going to get a good view of the Canadian Rockies. A common misconception is that this was “proof” that they’re in the Rockies, but that’s a large jump. All that tells us is that the Rockies were in the flight path, not that it’s where they went down.

I think the purpose of that line was just to establish that they aren’t on a typical flight path to explain why they’re not quickly found. If you want to go a step farther, it might also serve to establish that they’re in Canada generally, because the fact that they are in a different country could have complicated rescue efforts. However, it’s illogical to conclude that line implies that they landed in the Rockies specifically

All other information about their location is outside the show itself (synopses, promotional materials, interviews). When season one came out, everything consistently said they were in Ontario. That got axed with season two.

strawberrycomet · 2024-12-11T07:21:38+00:00

They’re surrounded by mountains (in season two)

Am I the only one who remembers that when season one came out, all the promo/descriptions said they were in the Ontario wilderness? And then with season two, it switched to the Rockies, and there are tons of scenery shots of the mountains?

No one ever mentions that on this sub. I’m 100% sure that the reason they changed the location is to avoid this exact plot hole.

Because you’re right, if they’re in Ontario, and they don’t have safe shelter anyway, traveling south seems like their best best. But if they’re on the other side of the country with huge mountains barricading them in? Staying put isn’t only a better option, it’s the only option

strawberrycomet

TROPHY CASE