After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, bicycles, and synth-heavy nostalgia, Stranger Things ends its five-season run with a heartfelt finale that feels bittersweet, yet deeply satisfying. Netflix premiered the two-hour episode on New Year’s Eve, with fans gathering everywhere—from cozy living rooms to crowded movie theaters—to witness the end of an era. *SPOILERS AHEAD*
Not every hit show manages to stick the landing, but the Duffer Brothers pull it off by honoring the heart of the series and never losing sight of what made it special in the first place. With “The Rightside Up,” Stranger Things delivers a finale that favors emotional resonance over spectacle and shock value—a choice that pays off in a powerful way. Having watched it in a packed theater, the cheers (and tears) of the audience made it clear this ending landed exactly as it should.
Most of the action unfolds within the episode’s first half, as the Hawkins crew faces off against Vecna/Henry (Jamie Campbell Bower) and sets out to destroy the Upside Down once and for all. But as always, it’s the character-driven moments that make the strongest impact in this show, even amidst the chaos of the climactic showdown.
In a heart-stopping moment—the collective gasp in my theater said it all—fan-favorite Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) comes dangerously close to falling from the radio tower and plummeting to his death, only to be caught at the last possible second. But the best part? Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), of all people, is the one who saves him. It’s a small beat, but one that reflects maturity and growth, showing just how far these longtime rivals have come.
Meanwhile, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) has entered Henry’s mind to stop him from quite literally crashing another planet into ours. But things take an unsettling turn when Vecna targets Hopper (David Harbour), weaponizing his grief to derail the team’s plan. Hopper is first haunted with a vision of his late daughter, Sarah, before Vecna escalates the torment by confronting him with his deepest fear: losing Jane/Eleven next. Manipulated by visions and driven into panic, Hopper opens fire on the sensory-deprivation tank where Eleven is locked in her psychic battle with Henry—believing, for a devastating moment, that he’s killed her. Though it turns out to be an illusion designed to sever El’s mind connection, as a viewer, you can’t help but spiral into Hopper’s emotional free fall right alongside him.
During this sequence, Hopper is shown a private conversation between Eleven and Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), revealing El’s willingness to sacrifice herself to “end the cycle” for good. Naturally, Hopper confronts her about this, desperately reminding her of just how loved she is and how much life she still has ahead of her—a moment so tender and heartbreaking that even Kali appears moved by it. But when he slips into overprotective-dad mode and tries to shield her like he always has, El gently reminds him that she’s grown up now and deserves to be trusted to make her own choices. It’s a pivotal exchange for both characters, laying the emotional groundwork for El’s eventual sacrifice—which, at this point, feels inevitable.
We also get deeper insight into Henry’s backstory, as the mystery of the cave is finally revealed. In a memory, we see the Mind Flayer latch onto a young Henry, granting him his powers and setting in motion the chain of events that shape the series. Will (Noah Schnapp), who witnesses the memory as well, suggests that this makes him and Henry alike—both corrupted by dark forces beyond their control. But thankfully, the show resists redeeming Henry in this moment, because unlike Will, he’s made his choice. He fully and knowingly aligned himself with evil—and ultimately, he pays for it.
With this reveal, we’re launched into an epic battle scene, as Vecna’s lair morphs into a massive, Titan form of the Mind Flayer. Eleven does most of the heavy lifting here, as expected—including a jaw-dropping sequence where she hurtles through the air, tears open the creature’s chest, snatches Vecna out of the air, and slams him to the ground. Still, it’s genuinely rewarding to see Will finally make his mark in this fight, using his newly awakened powers to take on Vecna from inside his mind.
The remaining crew—including Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Robin (Maya Hawke), Jonathan, and Steve—do their share to take down the Mind Flayer as well, in a true team effort that echoes the Season 3 Battle of Starcourt. In the end, it’s Joyce (Winona Ryder) who delivers the final blow, beheading Vecna with the axe she’s reached for many times, but never truly used until now. The rush of flashbacks showing all the pain and trauma inflicted by Vecna and the Mind Flayer over the years make this moment all the more satisfying.
Some may argue that the final battle wasn’t long enough—or deadly enough given the world-ending stakes—but Stranger Things has never needed shock value to work. This outcome feels truer to the spirit of the ’80s flicks that inspired the show—full of adventure, yes, but still maintaining a glimmer of hope. The series started as a love letter to The Goonies and E.T., not Game of Thrones. (And I say that as a huge fan of Game of Thrones seasons 1-6.) Brutally killing off characters doesn’t automatically equal good storytelling (contrary to what the Internet might suggest). What matters more is who these characters become, how they change one another, and what they ultimately learn along the way. The Duffer Brothers were never going to massacre their main cast for the sake of cheap thrills—and I’m, quite frankly, glad for it.
But whether or not you enjoyed the battle scene, the true heart of the finale lies in the aftermath: Eleven’s apparent sacrifice, which separates the episode’s two acts and sets the stage for an emotional epilogue.
Eighteen months after El vanishes along with the Upside Down, we return to Hawkins, where the characters we’ve watched grow up are stepping into new chapters of their lives. The core crew is graduating—with Dustin as valedictorian, of course—while Lucas and Max (Sadie Sink) remain happy together, Nancy and Jonathan have left for college (though Nancy later reveals she dropped out to work at the Boston Herald), and Steve is now teaching and coaching little league (a choice that feels beyond fitting for his character).
One of the most touching moments (and one of my favorites from the episode) is when Hopper counsels a grieving Mike about accepting Eleven’s fate and choosing to live fully, as she would have wanted. He reminds Mike (and himself) that he’s already been down the road of self-blame and suffering—but this time, he’s choosing a new path: one of happiness and acceptance. Later, Hopper proposes to Joyce (at Enzo’s, which is a perfect nod) and the two plan a fresh start in Montauk—a clever wink to the show’s original working title.
In a full-circle moment reminiscent of the series’ beginning, the Party gathers in Mike’s basement for one last game of D&D. As they conclude their campaign, Mike shares his theory about what really happened to Eleven the night she disappeared. Triggered by a screeching speaker at graduation, Mike flashed back to that moment and realized the kryptonite was activated—meaning the sonic blast should have rendered El incapacitated, making it impossible for her to communicate with him in the Void. He goes on to suggest she may have escaped with the help of Kali, who likely created an illusion to convince everyone that El had been destroyed along with the Upside Down—a ruse which would ensure the military finally stops hunting her, keeping her friends and family safe.
Mike pictures Eleven in a beautiful, far-away land, as she’s shown trekking through a breathtaking landscape, complete with two waterfalls (a reference to the “three waterfalls” fantasy place Mike once described, but also leaving room for ambiguity). “And it is here, at last, that she finds peace,” he says. “That she finally finds happiness.”
There’s no definitive way to know El’s still alive, but Mike chooses to believe she is—and one-by-one, the rest of the Party echoes him, each whispering a teary-eyed, “I believe.” It’s the perfect ending for Eleven’s character—one that honors her as the true hero of the series—but still a devastating loss for Mike, who must grieve her absence even as he takes comfort in her survival.
As the Party heads out, they quietly file their binders onto the shelf, and bid a final farewell to their childhoods. It’s a tender, tear-jerking moment made even more powerful by the fact that this was reportedly the last scene the cast filmed, allowing their real-life emotions to bleed beautifully into the performance. (There’s even a tiny Easter egg tucked in here: the “I”s in Mike and Will’s names line up to form “11,” as a last, loving nod to the girl who changed everything.)
The final shot, with Mike looking on as Holly (Nell Fisher) and her friends burst into the basement to play their own Dungeons & Dragons campaign, reminds me of the heart-wrenching moment in Toy Story 3, when Andy gives his toys to Bonnie before leaving for college. It’s a symbolic passing of the torch to the next generation, and a reminder that endings can also be beginnings. (I’m not exaggerating when I say there wasn’t a dry eye in the room by this point.)
In many ways, this finale was the perfect send-off for a series that’s been part of our lives for nearly a decade—a heartfelt farewell to Hawkins, to the friends we grew up with on screen, and to the bittersweet nostalgia of childhood itself.
Written by Shannon Elize | Images courtesy of Netflix
