Stranger Things’final season promises to be a hotly anticipated climax to the popular franchise, but whatever the story has in store, the show needs to avoid this common series finale problem. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the first season ofStranger Thingspremiered on Netflix in 2016, andquickly became a pop culture phenomenon. Almost a decade later,Stranger Thingsseason 5will debut in 2025. The final season will feature Eleven, Mike, Will, and other members ofStranger Things’ensemble castas they return to stop Vecna from taking over the world, picking up from season 4’s shocking finale.
While Eleven and the rest of the crew managed to defeat Vecna at theend ofStranger Thingsseason 4, the finale set up yet another impending battle for season 5. Vecna will not be gone for good, and in the season 4 finale, theStranger Thingsvillain managed to kill Max, triggering an earthquake in the town of Hawkins.This earthquake led to the Upside Down rising up from the ground, and settling into Hawkins.Stranger Thingsseason 5 will clearly tell an exciting, action-packed story. However, despite the expansive narrative, the Duffer Brothers need to verify that the highly-anticipated series finale is definitive.
Stranger Things’ Series Finale Shouldn’t Be A Backdoor Pilot For Spinoffs
The Stranger Things Franchise Will Continue After Season 5
Because viewers spend years becoming invested in the plot threads and the character arcs of their favorite shows, they expect a satisfying ending. Therefore,the series finale is always one of the most important episodes of a show, and this will be no different forStranger Things.Stranger Thingshas become one of the most popular shows of the last decade, which puts a lot of pressure on its finale. Given the multi-year gap betweenStranger Thingsseasons 4 and 5, fans are expecting their patience to be rewarded.
Focusing on setting up future shows usually results in not enough attention being given to the conclusion of the show viewers are watching, which would be very unfortunate forStranger Things.
However, sinceStranger Thingsis now one of the most popular franchises in the world,there is worry that its finale will spend too much time setting up spinoff shows. For example, many believed the series finale ofThe Walking Deadspent too much time teasing spinoff shows that would feature popular characters like Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Maggie. Similarly, the penultimate episode of The CW’sArrowtried to launch a Canaries spinoff series, which never materialized. Focusing on setting up future shows often compromises the original show’s conclusion, which would be very unfortunate forStranger Things.
Stranger Things Deserves A Definitive Finale (Regardless Of The Franchise’s Future)
Stranger Things Season 5 Needs To Be Careful When Setting Up Spinoffs
Stranger Thingsseason 2, episode 7, titled “The Lost Sister,” is the most standalone episode in the show’s entire run. The episode, which seemed designed to expand theStranger Thingsuniverse, featured Eleven working with a gang of outcasts led by Kali, also known as Eight. However,“The Lost Sister” is also the worst-reviewedStranger Thingsepisode, with fans and critics noting that it was too detached from the main storyline and reacting negatively as a result.
Stranger Things Season 5’s Checklist: 10 Things That Need To Happen Before The Show Ends
With Stranger Things ending with its fifth season, there are a couple of things that need to happen for the show to have a satisfying ending.
IfStranger Thingsseason 5 spends too much time trying to set up future shows, it could be received poorly again. While not much is known about thefuture of theStranger Thingsfranchise beyond season 5, Netflix definitely does not want to stop producing projects set within the same universe. That is very exciting for fans of the franchise, butfuture spinoffs cannot come at the cost of season 5. TheStranger Thingsfinale should still be self-contained and definitive to ensure a satisfying conclusion.
