Why ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Failed

Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 are below!

When the Duffer brothers first created Stranger Things, they could never have anticipated the sensation it would become. The Netflix sci-fi series exploded in popularity, becoming one of the streamer’s most-viewed shows, with a rabid fan base eager to embrace the characters and creepy thrills. It may have taken longer than expected to tell the story, but year after year, audiences returned to Hawkins, Indiana, digging into the mysteries of the Upside Down.

After almost a decade, the fifth and final season of Stranger Things finally arrived, ready to deliver one last adventure with all the characters fans had come to love. Whether it was Eleven’s journey, the search for answers, or needing to know who would die, every fan was rushing to watch on Netflix. While many felt the finale delivered, the season overall was notably lacking in areas, with even satisfied viewers pointing out flaws. Ultimately, the final season of Stranger Things may have been plagued by a few too many mistakes, failing to land the dismount.

Season 5 Got Bogged Down in Exposition

Max hugging Holly in the Upside Down in Stranger Things.

One of the biggest fan complaints surrounding the final season of Stranger Things is an overabundance of exposition, most notably with the Volume 2 batch of episodes. Sure, the show had plenty of questions to answer, and some of those weren’t easy to explain. When the characters finally gathered to hear Dustin’s explanation of the Upside Down, it felt overly long, even though it was necessary, as it reiterates several points that audiences already understood. Other notable moments, like Holly and Max’s lengthy talk during their escape, have even been mocked online for being mired in heavy dialogue versus action.

Viewers understand the need for exposition, even craving it in some instances of Stranger Things, as they beg for answers to burning questions. The problem Season 5 faced was seeing fans who felt bored by episode after episode that merely felt like setup. Rather than taking audiences on one last grim adventure, fans were treated to a trip back to school, making them think they needed to cram information for a test instead of enjoying the story. Episode 7, “The Bridge,” has the lowest rating of any Stranger Things episode on IMDb, with a 5.6/10, despite giving fans a definitive answer to what the Upside Down is, showing there are better ways to approach info dumps.

The Duffer brothers and promotions leading up to the final season of Stranger Things promised devastating emotional blows, teasing the possibility of characters dying. Yet, more often than not, audiences were treated to a desperate need to divulge information rather than to deliver on tense battles or expand beyond a few character dynamics. Some fans felt so cheated by what they saw that they became convinced the show had released alternate cuts, and a petition demanded that Netflix and the creators release the unedited cuts audiences deserved.

Fan-Favorite Characters Were Sidelined

stranger things joyce will hug — Joyce and Will in Stranger Things

Season 5’s most egregious crime may be in sidelining beloved characters in favor of new ones. Holly took on a prominent role this season, and her story was worth following, to a point. Still, even with great additions, like the “delightful” Derek, others suffered from a lack of screen time. Joyce was notably relegated to a secondary role, often serving as a sympathetic ear throughout the season, with fans hoping to see her play a more prominent role, as she has grown into her own dynamic character throughout Stranger Things.

Glaring problems also come from there simply being too many characters, leaving many without the time they deserved, or even a great final moment. While Joyce got to lop Vecna’s head off, there was also Mike, who got to hang out with a flare gun. Nancy and Eleven got stellar moments to tear through the Mind Flayer, while Lucas was around somewhere. Throughout the season, while Will and Eleven were getting strong character arcs with impactful emotional hits, others like Steve and Hopper often felt woefully underutilized. Being the final season, this was the opportunity to spend meaningful time with these characters before the show ends forever, with Stranger Things doing a disservice to several favorites and the fans who were hoping for more.

Ending ‘Stranger Things’ Posed an Impossible Task

the cast of stranger things play dungeons and dragons one last time in episode 8

There was likely no perfect Stranger Things finale that was going to satisfy every fan. Ending a show is notoriously difficult, as meeting fan expectations versus a creator’s intentions is always tricky, with social media delivering quick responses on whether things hit the intended mark. Given the popularity of Stranger Things, finding a way for every character to shine while landing a satisfying, cathartic finale was likely a task the Duffer brothers could never deliver on. Still, they tried, and that poses its own issue.

The Season 5 finale, “The Rightside Up,” stumbled with a few attempts. The episode gave audiences the showdown with the Mind Flayer that they had waited so long to see. It was met with cheers for sheer scale and criticism for being too short and far too easy to win. Even the military presence, a consistent issue throughout, posed only a minor problem at best, rearing its head only to ensure Kali died. Stranger Things also attempted to kill off Eleven, but couldn’t decide if the audience would be okay with it, leaving her true fate open to interpretation. That alone feels like a cop-out to many fans, as rather than delivering the dark beat that serves the narrative, it skirts it with a story meant to mine emotions rather than provide definitive answers.

While the finale holds a 7.9/10 on IMDB, that’s a noticeable dip from the show’s generally high ratings, with fans making their disappointment known where they can. Stranger Things may not have satisfied every viewer going into the final episodes, but the season left much to be desired, failing to highlight every character and getting lost in explanations over the tense thrills fans wanted. While there are still plenty of moments to enjoy, like the final Dungeons & Dragons game, Stranger Things Season 5 missed more than it hit and failed in the end.