Oh no! They made Sarah Connor a human monster. BTW, she aged poorly in my opinion.

^^ I had to ask chat gpt what the heck was going on with the mind flayer, vecna, henry creel, and will and how they were all interconnected.

And then it led me down a rabbit hole about the differences between Max's and Will's escape from Vecna, i.e., Max escapes from Vecna by running toward love and memory and friends (remember Running Up that Hill?) Her escape is literal through physical movement, sound and memory.

Will, on the other hand, was resistant. He tried to escape by hiding his fear, trauma and identity and therefore Vecna's grip on him is emotional/psychological, not physical. Will's escape was through naming his truth and self acceptance. Vecna lost power over Will when he shared his buried emotions. Will speaking his truth was equivalent to Max's running away.

I didn't really watch the last 2 seasons very closely - mainly it was background while I was doing other things. But I think I lost interest after the first few seasons because I wasn't seeing the big picture. Maybe will re-watch now that I understand the overall framework better.

I love how the personal stories wrapped up for the most part, but I am still kind of lost on all of the science fiction.

Anonymous wrote:Nice to see the 80s kids move right on with their lives. These kids today would have fallen apart.

“Kids today are way too sensitive to travel to another planet to fight a giant supernatural force of evil inside of which lives a monster sucking the life force of children who were kidnapped by demogorgons that emerged through a rupture in the fabric of the universe.”

Nice to see the 80s kids move right on with their lives. These kids today would have fallen apart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't blown away by the ending, but it was good and kept the ethos of show.

Stranger Things suffered from the same issues that a lot of supernatural mystery shows have - the backstory gets too complicated to wrap up neatly.

I was ok with that because the wrap up was kind of meta - at its core the show was about adolescence and friendships and the finale was a preview of how all that was going to change.

I don't know what happened to Vicky though.

Vicky was dumped by Robin, obviously. She’s probably still in Hawkins.

Yes, when Nancy, Robin, Steve and Jonathan were on the rooftop, they committed to staying friends through different pressures. Pretty sure Robin was the one who said “overbearing girlfriends,” which I presume was a reference to Vicky.

Really bittersweet to seeing them all head down their different paths.

Anonymous wrote:I wasn't blown away by the ending, but it was good and kept the ethos of show.

Stranger Things suffered from the same issues that a lot of supernatural mystery shows have - the backstory gets too complicated to wrap up neatly.

I was ok with that because the wrap up was kind of meta - at its core the show was about adolescence and friendships and the finale was a preview of how all that was going to change.

I don't know what happened to Vicky though.

Vicky was dumped by Robin, obviously. She’s probably still in Hawkins.

I thought it was perfect. I was emotional.

I really liked that I got to experience it with my kids.

It's a special thing, like something they'll one day talk about loving when they were kids. Hopefully it will be a nice memory they shared with their mom.

Anonymous wrote:Loved it! Although it was not believable at all.

A science fiction/supernatural thriller featuring monsters, a wormhole and an alternate universe isn’t believable? Huh.

Anonymous wrote:So cliché that the lesbian character, Robin, ended up at Smith College.

Supposedly that was Maya Hawke's idea. The Duffer Brothers discussed with the cast what they hoped for for their characters.

Yes, what happened to Vickie?
And are the Turnbows still tied up in the barn?

Overall I loved it. I was grateful we got to spend a lot of time with the characters in the rightside-up world, I appreciated the sliver of ambiguity about El, and I was very moved by the end, as the kids who had once been young hung up their D&D books and went upstairs as a new generation tumbled down the stairs. Really a joy to have watched these kids grow up alongside mine.

And how about Karen Wheeler with those scars! Her eye roll about Mr. Wheeler at the graduation was perfect.

Loved it! Although it was not believable at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ending… I loved some of it but overall it was too meh. The only one to die was a minor character. Everyone got their happy ending. Except Mike and El. Surprised they didn’t write in a meet up somewhere.

Because El is really dead. The story was a coping mechanism.

The creators intentionally left it open-ended, giving viewers two possible interpretations:
Eleven truly died in the explosion.
She survived in secret, which is what Mike and the others choose to believe.

That ambiguity is by design, not a plot hole — it lets the finale be hopeful or tragic depending on how you want to interpret it.

Yes, I really loved that and how it was woven into their final D&D game.

I cried at the ending. I also think it’s beautiful. A lot of the minor plots didn’t get wrapped up but I’d rather have that and focus on the core characters.

I loved how the flashed to El’s human, sweet, short girlhood. It wasn’t much but she did get to experience real life for a little while.

It was heartbreaking for her and Kali, but Kali is right… they won’t be left in peace. Ender from Ender’s game could never return to earth after saving the world for the same reason - he was too valuable a weapon. Wherever El is, she has peace now. And if she’s alive, she has peace but also some pain, which is a part of life and growing up.

I thought the ending was beautiful. They really took care with these beloved characters and the story they wanted to tell. I am heartbroken for El/Hopper/Mike, they deserved a happier ending. But it was beautifully done; thank you, Duffers.