I’m actually fine with the finale with one exception. The military. What the hell was even the point???? And then after 11 presumably “kills herself” the military is just like “ah f*** it, I guess we will just let these kids go and just go back to whatever base we came from.” It made no sense whatsoever
140
BenFranklinsCatMar 19, 2026
+56
I felt like it would have only taken a couple lines to establish that the whole thing was a rogue operation.
Maybe one phone call from Linda Hamiltons character to an off-screen higher up to establish that if she didn't succeed the government would _have to_ call her a traitor and convict her as a cover-up, and then maybe Hopper reminding Joyce they signed NDAs in exchange for their freedom.
56
SpeedUpMyBreathingMar 20, 2026
+8
Oh thanks for the new head canon.
8
JackHandsome99Mar 20, 2026
+45
Nancy and Hopper straight up murdered numerous soldiers and the US military is just like “yeah, no worries”
45
Fickle_Asparagus_657Mar 20, 2026
+9
Military: We weirdly kidnapped children, threw them in a bunker, and didn’t keep them safe from this monster/human guy, so let’s call it even?
9
Proper-Mobile-6438Mar 20, 2026
+22
Of all the scenes in this show, Nancy just taking out soldiers from a moving vehicle was when I was like “meh, that jumped the shark.”
22
Draw-Two-CardsMar 20, 2026
+19
They got so focused on making Nancy "badass" that they forgot she is human first.
19
HeadfulOfSugarMar 20, 2026
+7
I think there were so many ways to play it off, initially I thought that maybe Murray would lie about having a dead man’s switch (or knowing him having a real one) or *something*, but no they just literally never address it again in any way shape or form which is totally nuts to me. Like that’s just objectively horrible writing imo, I know a lot of people like to think that peeps are hating for no reason but like cmon man lol
7
jeno_aranMar 19, 2026
+10
As soon as I saw the hell-fissures from last season covered with some sheets of tin I knew it was about to be a bad time
10
MrZeDarkMar 20, 2026
+1
Don’t know if I cared really, felt like they saved the world - and I assumed the military dealt with it self, the unit felt rogue like and independently operating - so when it ended with a sort of flash forward, I could accept They got out of it by saving the damn world, and the legitimate government letting them off the hook.
Never felt like they were the point, and just in the way of the plot. So I never felt a need for closure there.
1
TheChrisLambertMar 20, 2026
+1
Yeah, like…everyone involved would be put into a Guantanamo to extract everything they know
1
SuperDizzMar 20, 2026
+24
Me when I convinced myself that GoT season 8 would be remade
24
Liminal_AspectMar 20, 2026
+22
To be fair, the original ‘conformity gate’ was that Vecna actually won at the end of season 4 - that’s why the town is okay being occupied by the military, there’s a wall in the upside down now exactly where the town walls are, and characters Vecna never met like Argile and Suzie are missing, and how the logic of the upside down not longer applies - like the vines aren’t triggering Vecna since he already knows where they are… they’re all trapped.
This is way more interesting and a good head canon to deal with the atrocious writing
22
St0n3yM33rkatMar 20, 2026
+7
It also makes even more sense if you add in that near the end of season 4, he had them all trapped and had already won. 5 was a dream/nightmare and Mike recognizing the audio/visual issue in the end was a significant push in that general direction. The prison color scheme of the graduation. The 12 kids around them with glasses. The symbol for the D&D god being. There's too much to list but either Vecna lost and the final season was awful or Vecna won and it was all so fantastically crafted that it even went over the heads of its creators and chatgpt.
7
UserWithno-NameMar 20, 2026
+16
Well when you failed the ending so bad
16
BusyBeeBridgetteMar 19, 2026
+75
Well it was a matter of "Is this it?" It is like the last season of Game of Thrones all over again. Rushed utterly and not fulfilling.
75
Reasonable_Basket_82Mar 19, 2026
+52
At least Stranger Things felt like it stayed true to how the characters were throughout the series. GOT just threw that away for rushed and lazy writing in the final 3 episodes so the show runners could go make a Star Wars series that never happened.
It wasn't perfect, and very silly, but GOT this was not.
52
sk1nnyjeansMar 20, 2026
+24
I gotta disagree about Stranger Things. I felt like the characters had become parodies of themselves compared to previous seasons, with their cliched character traits dialed to 11 and their dialogue feeling too formulaic.
Final season GOT was ass through and through though, I’m with you there.
24
HeadfulOfSugarMar 20, 2026
+14
Totally agree. In reference to Maya in particular they took Robin who was initially super fun, unique, charismatic, interesting, & full of depth, only to turn her into an ADHD stereotype lol. Talks really fast, stutters like crazy, can’t focus on anything, stumbled around, has that *quirky* vibe, they turned her so surface level. I’ve got ADHD (medicated + diagnosed) so I related to her so much initially & she was def one of my favorites, I still really liked her but this last season it was like someone with a TikTok understanding of ADHD wrote her character lmao.
Plus the way she came out to Steve in S3 felt so real & genuine, compared to the tone of how they made Will do it is *insanely* stark to me & a good example of the change in writing.
14
WeWantMOARMar 20, 2026
+3
So much nothing.
3
TravusHertlMar 19, 2026
+17
Comparing it GoT is crazy
17
heisenberg15Mar 20, 2026
-3
Disagree. The finale itself was good for the characters send offs (the climax was a bit lackluster, but I digress) but was overall a fine season whereas GoT had a pretty awful as a whole final season
-3
mouseymodMar 20, 2026
+6
The johnlockers went through the same thing.
6
Cimorene_KazulMar 20, 2026
+9
When an ending sucks, it makes sense for fans to be bewildered and grieving what could and should have been. As someone who followed along but felt everything after season 1 was lesser, season 5 was still one of the worst seasons of television I ever put myself through and a total letdown to all that came before.
9
ifuckedyourmilkshakeMar 20, 2026
+7
Sat there with my 20 year old son, who was 10 when it started, and spent every episode like "surely the next one will be good" and it never was. It was all just weirdly paced and the performances were....well, they were what they were.
7
lovesdogsguyMar 20, 2026
+1
Yeah. It was ass. Just one big moon from the fluffers
1
BlerghTheBlerghMar 20, 2026
+2
I keep saying, the fans gave Netflix a perfect excuse for a reunion movie 3 or 4 years down the line.
Perfect scenario, they don’t have to let go
2
scott_peregrinMar 20, 2026
+3
This is in past tense when, in reality, they still are in denial I think.
3
QBRisNotPasserRatingMar 19, 2026
+7
The finale was good. Anyone comparing it to Game of Thrones is being ridiculous.
7
WreckTangle1995Mar 19, 2026
+18
There will never be anything comparable to Game of Thrones, not because it's the worst final episode of all time, there are more than enough contenders for that title, but because of the last season as a whole destroying everything people loved and were waiting to see, no other show has shit the bed in the same way or ever will.
18
GaryTheCabalGuyMar 20, 2026
+5
The Stranger Things fandom is one of the more toxic ones out there. I couldn't believe how terrible the discourse around the final season was and continues to be
5
saint_traneMar 20, 2026
+3
Same. I'm not on any fandoms, poked my head into that one around the finale releasing, and nope. Immediately reminded why. Fandoms are awful, toxic places that self enforce memetic narratives that don't leave *anyone* satisfied.
3
ShakeZulaOblongataMar 20, 2026
+5
Breaking Bad’s subreddit is hunky dory
Same with Mad Men’s
Same with the Wire’s
The Sopranos subreddit is filled with nothing but memes born out of appreciation, not slandering it as terrible.
Fandoms become jaded when there’s actual egregious writing decisions involved.
5
saint_traneMar 20, 2026
+2
I will admit that none of those were fandoms I'd associated with in any way. I'll paint with a less broad brush next time.
2
EcstaticBoysenberryMar 20, 2026
+1
Agreed. It may not have tickled all my fancies but it was no GOT finale
1
TheChrisLambertMar 20, 2026
-4
It was worse than the GOT finale
-4
Acceptable-Till2948Mar 20, 2026
+1
Honestly, it’s hard to accept when a show you’ve followed for years just ends like that.
1
Grizzybaby1985Mar 20, 2026
+1
Kinda pathetic really
1
Bravos_ChopperMar 20, 2026
+1
Grief? More like psychosis. No employed person I know believed in that shit
1
blackweebowMar 20, 2026
+1
Age old tale of an IP wrung dry.
*nods in GOT S7/8*🙂↕️
1
Derpykins666Mar 20, 2026
+1
I was onboard with the idea that it wasn't over, only because the theories of what 'could' have happened would have been so cool to see, and would have cemented the series as a total mindfuck and would have been inclusionary and meta towards the audience. That was the only reason I was rooting for it. The finale was mid at best, and the whole last season was extremely meandering and illogical. Going back and watching S1 is like watching an entirely different and much better show. It had greater moments throughout the show as a whole, and could have ended at any one of those moments in a better place than the finale. Perhaps doing the 'Vecna' arc was a mistake. Everything was obviously too rushed and not really well thought out or planned out well enough.
Too many shows or movies we've seen now where the creators start pretty strong and just f****** flop towards the end because they're burnt out, want to move on to other projects or are just tired of working on the property after being on the project for years and years. Don't blame them, but this is why having most if not all the story well thought out ahead of time is important.
1
4everbananadMar 20, 2026
+1
dumb-people shit
1
phil_the_bluntMar 20, 2026
+1
Why the hell do people care so much about a tv show? Like ya it was bad so like get over it and move on? Lol so weird to keep hearing about this show.
45 Comments