‘Stranger Things’: A Critical Look Back at the Final Season

Stranger Things: All Five Seasons

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With a sigh of satisfaction and sadness, we are closing the file on the bizarre goings-on in Hawkins, Indiana, from 1983 to 1988 in Netflix‘s series Stranger Things. The relatable kids that brothers Matt and Ross Duffer brought to life in this sci-fi horror hit, which first premiered in July 2016, were our friends, so much so that we are pretty sure they heard our cheers and sensed our tears during the supersized finale. Our loudest roars came watching them use teamwork to take down the Mind Flayer, relying on bonds forged early on, playing Dungeons & Dragons in a suburban basement. Legendary.

But we ugly cried too. Especially when it ended how it had to end for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who sacrificed herself to save the world. The telekinetic girl who first appeared as a scared, unsocialized waif raised in a cold government lab became a brave leader in a loving company of friends and family. Creators the Duffer Brothers bestowed a kindness on fans, and Eleven’s pals, with the “maybe she’s alive” theory, her boyfriend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) later lays down.

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Wolfhard delivers one of his best performances of the series, begging Eleven not to volunteer to die and then wailing in grief as she is swept away. That’s only a sample of the stunning acting in this send-off. Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton give a deeply emotionally honest portrayal of Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers’ “unproposal” breakup in Chapter 6. Gaten Matarazzo plays a new, angry, and grieving side of his usually cheerful Dustin Henderson. The brilliant Jamie Campbell Bower inhabits multiple iterations of the same twisted soul: Vecna, Henry, and Mr. Whatsit.

Revealing how those baddie personalities fit together is another deft accomplishment of the Duffers. It’s woven into the explanation of the Upside Down, which turns out to be a link to the Abyss, a world that the Mind Flayer, using Vecna as a conduit, wants to merge with Earth. But once upon a time, Vecna was Henry Creel, a Boy Scout who was exposed to a substance that put him under the Flayer’s control. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) — an emotional zenith in the final round as he comes into his own power — offers Henry a shot at redemption, but it is tragically denied.

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The story’s sprawling scope was matched by massively high production values, including spectacular SFX, especially in the Abyss battle. But it is a human moment that hits hardest. Tough Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) uses the trusty axe she’s wielded since Season 1 to administer Vecna’s death blow. She isn’t the only mother to get her day. Earlier in the season, Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) had nearly died fending off a Demogorgon in her home, and in the finale, she wears her deep scars proudly.

An epilogue set 18 months later provides closure to fans long invested in these characters’ fates. The older crew (pictured above), including our fave unlikely friendship — jock Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and chatty Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) — vows to keep in touch. The younger pals close out their D&D game. Grandmaster Mike predicts their futures in game-speak, with Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) getting the happy ending they so deserve.

The new gamemaster is Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), once Mr. Whatsit’s victim and now a confident leader. Everyone heads into adulthood on paths that feel right. Yes, Eleven, this is a world worth saving.

For an extended celebration of Stranger Things, from a Season 5 preview to must-see photos and more, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Stranger Things: All Five Seasons special issue, available online now and on newsstands now.

Stranger Things, Seasons 1-5, Streaming now, Netflix