Stranger Things | Season 5

Ending a show that has conquered pop-culture since 2016 is a monumental task, larger than any interdimensional creature the show’s protagonists had to defeat. After the phenomenal mid-season finale, it seemed impossible to keep season five’s momentum up for four more episodes. Unfortunately, that prediction proved correct.

The expertly written first half of season five kept the anticipation from the previous season running, making the faults of the ending glaringly obvious. Despite over five hours of content, the characters spend more time explaining plans than executing them, placing special emphasis on the origin of the Upside Down. While episodes five to seven included many emotionally resonant moments, vague writing left viewers unsure of how some relationships and character arcs ended.

The finale episode of this decade-long series might be the exact definition of fifty-fifty. Half of the episode seemed to be the touching, natural ending fans anticipated, while the rest was a confusing and generally anti-climactic final battle. Devoid of most of the monsters fans expected and the horror elements that skyrocketed season one’s success, the culminating battle concluded with 55 minutes remaining in the episode.

Despite the action of the finale wrapping up ridiculously early, the hour-long epilogue was expertly crafted. Fans may complain about side characters from past seasons never spoken of again, but considering hardly any major characters died over the span of five seasons, the writers already had enough ground to cover.

While the finale was a bit of a disappointment, the series itself was anything but. As the credits roll and the needle drops on Bowie’s “Heroes” one last time, a decade of television comes to a close.