Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Stranger Things has ended after nearly ten years, but its final episode has sparked mixed reactions from fans.
The series finale, titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” was released on New Year’s Day. It followed the release of the previous episodes a week earlier. The feature-length episode brought the long-running story in Hawkins, Indiana, to a close.
In the finale, the main characters defeat the villain Vecna. Eleven and Will use their powers to weaken him, while Joyce kills him by cutting off his head. Hopper and Murray then destroy the link to the Upside Down using explosives. Eleven appears to stay behind and sacrifice herself.
Later in the episode, the story jumps to 1989. The surviving characters begin to move on with their lives, and Joyce and Hopper become engaged. In the final scenes, Mike suggests that Eleven may have faked her death. The ending leaves her fate unclear.
Series co-creator Ross Duffer said that Eleven “lives on in their hearts,” without confirming whether she survived.
Many fans criticized the finale online. Some said the main villain was defeated too early and felt the episode spent too much time on the ending instead of action. Others were unhappy that no major characters died or that some storylines were left unexplained.
However, not all reactions were negative. Some viewers said they enjoyed the ending and felt it was a fitting conclusion to the series.
Stranger Things is now fully available to stream on Netflix.
