Tumblr posted this before I could finish it, don’t read yet I still got more to say!
I haven’t, but I’m glad you did! I have a lot of thoughts & feelings about this season lol. I’m gonna start off by saying I don’t think the season or finale was outright bad, just… very lackluster. Let me explain
(Warning for spoilers seasons 1-5)
One of my biggest problems with stranger things as it went on was how they kept continuing to bloat the cast. What I mean is that they just kept adding more & more characters to the main cast we’re supposed to focus on
It was fine in the earlier seasons because they weren’t afraid to kill off characters to compensate. In the first season we lost Barb, & it tied the older kids’ plot in with the main one. We see how her loss affects Nancy & her relationship with others & sets a heavy tone
Then we get introduced to Bob Newby. Now I’ve always been a Jopper truther, so I was skeptical of him at first, but he proved himself to be healthy for Joyce and her boys, & he was just all around a sweet, goofy guy. The scene where he talks to Will about being brave & facing his fears comes back later at an integral moment. We see that he’s had a positive effect on the Byers, we see that they care for him, & that makes his death pack such an emotional punch. Something this final season severely lacked
At first when we got introduced to Max, I was ready to roll my eyes ‘cause I thought they were gonna go down the love triangle route with Mike & El, with a focus on female rivalry like so many shows have done before. I was pleasantly surprised when they let the focus of the relationship shift to Lucas & Dustin, because up until that point they were treated more so as side characters, & Max’s introduction gave us a reason to focus more on them, & gave us one of the best romantic couples in the show (YES I’m talking about Lumax)
Not only did we get a great character in Max, we also got a great antagonist in the form of her brother, Billy. Billy represents a very real, very human threat amidst the sci-fi horrors we’ve grown used to. He’s abusive & possessive towards Max, & his racism directed at Lucas creates heavy tension & fear for our characters that comes to a head when Steve has to fend him off to protect the others, & gives Max a chance to stand up for herself. We know what Billy is capable of on his own, & it’s terrifying. Which makes it even worse when he’s possessed by the Mindflayer the next season. (The 3rd season is still my favorite, it has some of the best action, antagonists, & overall scenes from the show as a whole, at least in my opinion)
Billy’s death needed to happen in order to save our main cast, & arguably, himself. As a viewer, I was ready for it. I was excited for it! & they handled his death really well, especially in terms of Max & her conflicting feelings on the matter
Remember Alexi? Probably not. But he was that snarky lil Russian who kinda got along with Murray, & it seemed like he was genuinely helping Hopper & Joyce, if only for his own interest. Pretty likable, but not very important, yet they managed to pull out a pretty solid death scene. He was finally having some fun, exploring the carnival & enjoying what America has to offer, only for his past to catch up with him. He gets shot in a very public place, but so much is happening around them that other people don’t seem to notice or care. It’s a sobering moment within bright lights & flashing colors, & ultimately lets us know that the danger has officially arrived
Hopper’s initial sacrifice was extremely heartfelt, & the fact he survived doesn’t erase those initial feelings we all felt when it happened, but it does feel like a cheap move to bring him back. I am glad that he was okay, & I did enjoy the Russian prison subplot (especially after such a heavy focus on the Russians the previous season) & it introduced some very interesting use of the demogorgon as a way to kill prisoners, creating a sort of gladiator atmosphere
Remember Chrissy? The cheerleader with an implied eating disorder, who got absolutely obliterated by Vecna at the beginning of season 4? They did a great job with her introduction & characterization, despite her being there for such a short time. But what we do see sets up the plot of the entire season. & her chemistry with Eddie makes her death hold weight to us as an audience. At that point, we don’t know very much about Eddie other than the fact that he’s the dungeon master for the dnd club. The fact that he’s in that role automatically means that he is close with our main characters, & that he’s a person they look up to as a friend. The fact Chrissy is killed in his trailer, thus framing Eddie as the murderer, gives us a genuine reason to care about him & the subsequent consequences. It adds a satanic panic witch hunt on top of an already intense & stressful situation, & ultimately, left only one conclusion for Eddie’s arc. Because an entire town was convinced he was guilty, & the true murderer was a powerful monster using supernatural powers to hunt his victims, there would be no way to prove his innocence. A heroic sacrifice to save someone he loved was the perfect end to Eddie’s story. He was obviously traumatized by seeing Chrissy’s mutilation, & his inability to help. His sacrifice was a way to subconsciously atone for standing by & doing nothing. It’s certainly more satisfying than if he had survived, only for the town to form a mob & finish him off that way (whether convicting him of the murder or straight up killing him in revenge)
Stranger Things has proven that it can give us emotional, plot significant ends for beloved characters. So why now, after 10 years, do they chicken out? This season was severely lacking in any kind of high stakes or serious threats.
I’m just gonna come right out & say it: they should’ve killed Holly. That’s not to say I don’t like her, quite the contrary! Even though I thought it was weird to bring her in so late in the game, I knew they had a plan for her & how to tie her in. I just… wish they would’ve done it better. Because can you imagine if we had gone most of the season getting to know her on a personal level, only for Vecna to get the upper hand at the last second & rip her away? Imagine how it would’ve affected Nancy & Mike to lose their baby sister- it would’ve hurt. & it would’ve given us a reason to stay with her so long, to develop an attachment to her. Because a character’s death is always more impactful when you actually care about them
Which leads me to…
Kali. Do I even have to say it? Like wtf was that? It’s been SO long since we’ve seen her, & most fans didn’t even care for her when we were introduced. He had so little effect on the entire show, & her whole character feels like such a waste to me. Because there were actually some concepts I thought were promising! The fact she & El are sisters who grew up in the facility together, her illusion powers, there’s great potential there! But the way they executed it just left a lot to be desired, & the show never even bothered to spend more time with her & get to know her as a person beyond those facts. She’s just kinda there. So when she shows up this season, it just felt kinda confusing
