Since 2016, Stranger Things has been one of Netflix’s most popular shows, combining 1980s nostalgia, supernatural horror and the story of a close group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana, facing threats from well-written villains and supernatural monsters. However, by the time the long-awaited fifth and final season was released, after years of buildup, fan theories and high expectations,it became one of the weakest parts of the series, with fans criticizing its cringy dialogue writing, large number of characters and questionable plot decisions. In my opinion, Stranger Things Season 5 is a disappointing conclusion. It was a three-year wait only for the season to be anticlimactic, have rushed plotlines and have too many unanswered questions at the end. Season five’s lack of high stakes made it underwhelming.
In season 1, the Upside Down was a forbidden hellscape that was dangerous and crawling with monsters. The validity of being the most dangerous place in the show was compromised when all the monsters disappeared and the whole thing went down every episode like it was a field trip. The amount of characters left because no one died made it underwhelming, and the cast felt overcrowded when some of the characters’ arcs should have ended sooner. The final battle was anti-climactic and didn’t make any sense. The unanswered questions about the people on the upside after it was destroyed, what was the connection between Will and Vecna. Why did he choose him? We will never know, and clearly the writers didn’t know either
Stranger Things season 5 feels disappointing because of the story, but also because it fails to live up to the standards set by the earlier seasons and similar shows in that genre. For example, compared to season 1 of Stranger Things, which had a focused plot line, had high stakes and suspense, season 5 feels overcrowded and less impactful, making it harder to connect to the story. According to LRM online news, many critics have pointed out these issues, with reviews noting that the final tries to handle too many storylines at once, which weakened its impact overall. It was harder to stay interested because the story kept jumping between characters without fully developing their arcs, which made important moments feel rushed and less meaningful. Even though the special effects and visuals were impressive, similar to other science fiction popular shows like The Walking Dead or Dark, they cannot make up for the lack of strong storytelling, which is what originally made the series successful.
Overall, Stranger Things season 5 does not deliver the strong and satisfying ending that many fans were expecting. Instead of being emotional and complete, it comes across as overly complicated, anticlimactic and less impactful than earlier seasons. While it still has some entertaining moments, it has lost the charm that made it so popular in the first place. I would recommend rewatching the earlier seasons. If you’re looking for shows with similar storytelling to earlier seasons of Stranger Things, Dark is a good option.
