🚨 STRANGER THINGS 5 BACKLASH EXPLODES – Duffer Brothers SPIRALING in Shock: “We Can’t Believe This Hate!” 🚨
The finale was supposed to be the perfect goodbye… but now it’s total CHAOS. Fans are RAGING over Will’s coming out scene getting review-bombed into oblivion, Eleven’s ambiguous fate called “misogynistic trash,” and the Duffers admitting they REGRET spilling details in interviews – Matt straight-up saying he’s “fried” and begging for slack!
Homophobic trolls vs. disappointed shippers vs. plot hole hunters – everyone’s turning on Hawkins! The brothers swear they didn’t see the venom coming after building Will’s arc for NINE YEARS… but is this the meltdown that ruins their legacy?
Drop your hottest take – is Season 5 ruined forever, or just misunderstood? The drama is REAL!
Read more:
Just days after Netflix dropped the supersized series finale of Stranger Things on New Year’s Eve, the beloved sci-fi phenomenon finds itself at the center of a heated online storm, with creators Matt and Ross Duffer openly expressing shock at the intensity of the backlash and admitting they may have jumped into explanatory interviews too soon.
The two-hour-plus finale, “The Rightside Up,” wrapped the saga with emotional epilogues, a decisive defeat for Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), and an ambiguous fate for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) that left her seemingly sacrificial but open to interpretation. Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) delivered the killing blow in a full-circle moment, while the core group – Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and others – passed the D&D torch in a tearful basement scene.
Yet what was meant as a bittersweet farewell has divided fans sharply. IMDb ratings for penultimate episode “The Bridge” – featuring Will Byers’ long-teased coming out as gay – plummeted to a series-low 5.6 amid apparent review bombing. Social media erupted with complaints ranging from plot holes and “safe” storytelling to accusations of queerbaiting, poor production values, and mishandled character arcs.
In interviews shortly after the Christmas Day drop of Volume 2, the Duffers defended Will’s scene as a nine-year buildup essential to themes of self-acceptance and defeating Vecna. “No is the honest truth” when asked if they anticipated homophobic backlash, Matt Duffer told Variety. Ross added they were “proud” of the episode and Noah Schnapp’s vulnerable performance.
But the wave of criticism caught them off guard. On Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matt Duffer candidly regretted the rapid-fire postmortem press: “I am not in a good place… Why the hell did we do any of them yesterday is beyond me. I’m like fried. I was getting over the flu. So anyone mad at any answers we gave you… cut me some slack.”
The brothers explained Eleven’s open-ended fate as deliberate – “There was never a version where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end,” Ross said – emphasizing her representation of childhood magic and the need for the Hawkins story to close. Mike’s hopeful belief in her survival allows characters (and viewers) to move on, without restarting cycles of trauma.
Fan discontent spans multiple fronts. Some decried the lack of major deaths, calling it too tidy after hype for “brutal” stakes. Others slammed perceived inconsistencies, like Eleven’s powers functioning despite dampeners, or unresolved threads from the stage play The First Shadow. Shipping wars intensified around “Byler” (Will/Mike), with accusations the show teased romance only to confirm Mike’s heterosexuality.
Production critiques targeted sets (Upside Down lab called “amateurish”) and pacing, with the epilogue’s extended goodbyes drawing both praise for sentiment and groans for dragging. Petitions for “extended cuts” or debunked “secret episodes” (like #ConformityGate rumors of a January 7 alternate drop) gained traction before fizzling.
Reddit threads on r/StrangerThings dissected everything from “off-screen” developments due to real-life aging delays (COVID, strikes stretching production) to the finale feeling “rushed” despite its length. Mixed X reactions ranged from “10/10 emotional payoff” to “major disappointment – plot holes unreal.”
The Duffers, exhausted after nearly a decade, stand firm: The ending prioritizes closure over shock, with no plans for live-action returns of core characters. “Our story is over once [Mike] shuts that door,” Matt told Tudum.
Netflix hasn’t addressed review bombing directly but promotes the upcoming January 12 documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5, promising raw insights into debates over Eleven’s arc and tearful farewells.
The franchise marches on sans the original gang: Animated prequel Tales from ’85 arrives 2026, a live-action spinoff explores new mythology, and The First Shadow play continues delving into Vecna’s origins.
As passions cool, the backlash underscores Stranger Things’ cultural grip – a show that flipped nostalgia, horror, and friendship into a juggernaut. Divisive finales are TV tradition (think Game of Thrones or Lost), but the Duffers’ raw admissions highlight the personal toll.
One X user captured the split: “Emotional highs nailed, but stakes felt low.” Another: “Thank you Duffers for nine incredible years.” For now, Hawkins’ gates are closed – but debates rage on.
