The long-awaited Stranger Things finale was always going to be epic, and Netflix certainly leaned into that by releasing the episode on December 31 both on the streaming platform and in more than 500 theaters across the US and Canada. According to Variety, the finale earned between $25 million and $28 million theatrically. Watch the trailer:
Warning: Major spoilers ahead. If you haven’t watched the Stranger Things Season 5 finale yet, stream it now and come right back here.
Season 5 ends with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the group finally stopping Vecna/Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) and destroying the Upside Down.
The shadow dimension that’s haunted Hawkins for years is finally gone, but the victory comes at a huge price. After the fight, the team is captured by Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her soldiers, who want to repeat the same experiments that created Eleven.
The show makes it clear that as long as she exists within reach of the military and the government, that cycle will continue. However, Eleven makes the ultimate sacrifice by perishing along with the Upside Down. And the gate closes immediately after the blast.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Backlash Grows as “Lost Content” Claims Spread
The epilogue jumps ahead 18 months and shows a Hawkins that has moved on, with the main characters — Mike, Max, Will, Lucas, and Dustin — now preparing for college. However, a last-minute bombshell suggests that Eleven may have survived the blast.
The theory that she might still be alive comes during a final Dungeons & Dragons game between the friends, where Mike suggests that the second telekinetic teen Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) might have only created the illusion that Eleven was killed as a way to send her into hiding.
But while there are many clues throughout the episode and beyond that suggest Eleven may be alive (not to mention a scenario where she’s shown hiking at an unnamed location), the sad truth is that the character likely did die along with the Upside Down.
On the other hand, the Duffer brothers have deliberately left it open to interpretation, something that’s reinforced during that last D&D game.
“This [ending] is obviously intended to be ambiguous, right? With Eleven. At the end of the day, it’s being told from the point of view of Mike and his friends. And they don’t know, and the audience can’t know,” Matt Duffer recently told Variety.
“If you knew that she was out there and you knew she existed, then she’s very much at risk. So we thought there was something really cool about not knowing for sure, and having our characters choose to believe. We just thought that was more powerful than providing a definitive answer, one way or the other. And I like that the audiences are in Mike, Max, Lucas and Dustin’s shoes, in the sense that they get to choose or not choose. I mean, I’m definitely seeing the majority choosing to believe and side with the kids.”
Where Can I Watch the Stranger Things Finale?
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
Stranger Things Season 5 stars Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/Henry Creel), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Do you believe Eleven is still alive? Share your thoughts with us in the comments down below!
