Netflix dropped the final season of Stranger Things in three installments between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve.

Although fans of the show had anticipated the final season of the show for years, reactions were mixed, reflecting both excitement and disappointment. 

While many praised the season’s ambition and emotional references, others were frustrated by unresolved plotlines, rushed writing and a finale that fell short of the buildup of previous seasons.

Freshman Ainsley Brown said the early episodes stood out most. 

“I don’t really have [a favorite] episode, but it’s probably from volume one,” she said. “The overall writing was better, and it fit the show better than the other volumes.”

Several viewers echoed that sentiment, pointing to Episode 4 as the season’s turning point. 

“[My favorite episode] had to be episode 4 because that’s when everything changed, and it was just a well-written episode,” Sophomore Heeba Sossey Alaoui said.

Sophomore Maxwell Spyke agreed. 

“It made me think it was going to be a really good season,” he said.

Dustin Henderson stood out as one of the most appreciated characters. 

“I love Dustin Henderson,” Brown said.

Spyke agreed, describing Dustin as “funny” but also “really smart” and critical to the group’s success.

Senior Nao Okamoto felt Dustin’s ending was one of the few character arcs that felt satisfying. 

“I was actually really happy with Dustin’s ending,” Okamoto said. “I like how he was valedictorian.”

Even among fans of the ending, reactions were complicated. 

“It wrapped everything up, but there are a lot of plot holes, which I wasn’t very happy about,” Okamoto said.

Still, he appreciated the final moments.

“The epilogue was really nice to see, seeing everybody graduate together,” he said.

However, that sense of closure did not work for everyone, and dissatisfaction with the ending dominated many responses. 

“I think the ending was very anti-climactic, and I think it could have been written a lot better,” Sossey Alaoui said. “It was like an off-brand Marvel movie.”

Spyke agreed, calling the finale underwhelming. 

“I think the ending was really disappointing,” Spyke said. “They built up to it for years, and then it was just like nothing really.”

Much of the frustration stemmed from how Vecna and the Mind Flayer were handled. Sossey Alaoui felt the show damaged its own reputation by reversing previous discoveries. 

“I think the whole point of Vecna’s introduction was to show that he’s actually the “big bad”,” Sossey Alaoui said. “But they just changed all of that in the last hour of the show.”

Spyke said the merge between Vecna and the Mind Flayer lacked impact. 

“When they combined it didn’t really do much,” he said. “It kind of just killed one of them while the other one was in control.”

Okamoto felt the idea itself was strong but poorly executed. 

“It was such a good concept, and they could have done so much more with it,” he said.

Another major point of debate was the show’s narrative shift from Eleven to Will Byers, which sparked mixed reactions. 

Brown supported the idea but not the pacing. 

“It started with him, and now it’s ending with him as the main focus,” Brown said. “I don’t know how I feel about his ending, though. It’s rushed.”

Okamoto loved Will’s return to prominence. 

“I’m really happy how they brought his character back together,” he said.

Despite that approval, several viewers questioned why the show never fully explained Will’s connection to the Upside Down. Spyke said the writers failed to follow through. In earlier seasons, Will was shown experiencing pain connected to the Mind Flayer. 

“They said Will felt everything during the final battle, but he never really showed it,” Spyke said.

Newer characters and expanded roles also divided fans. Brown praised Holly Wheeler’s performance. 

“Holly is really cool, and her actress is so amazing,” she said.

Alaoui disagreed.

“I think we should have spent the last season more with the core four,” she said.

Even with all the criticism, most viewers said their frustration came from caring about the show for so long. Brown rated the season a “6.5/10,” while Spyke was more blunt. “I’d rate the first half an 8.5/10 and the second half a 3/10,” he said.

Many fans felt that Season 5 just came to an end rather than having a clear conclusion. After years of anticipation, theories, and emotional attachment to the characters, the conclusion left some viewers happy, others disappointed and nearly all wishing the story had ended with more time, clarity and consideration.