# Stranger Things - Final Season
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, netflix
**Created:** [July 16, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926 "2025-07-16T17:13:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 6
### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/101 "2026-01-01T17:25:52Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> In his memory who was that guy and where did the suitcase with the … stuff … come from?
Dr. Brenner and his cohort of unethical scientists had been experimenting in the Nevada desert with what I guess I’ll call cross-dimensional travel.
It’s one of those unfortunate tidbits that only appeared in the prequel stage play. Summary here:
> **[Stranger Things: The First Shadow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Things:_The_First_Shadow)**
>
> Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a play written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Trefry. The story serves as a prequel to the events of the television series Stranger Things. The production, directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, previewed on November 17, 2023, and officially opened on December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre in London's West End. The play began a run on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, New York City, on April 22, 2025.
> In 194...
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### Author:  [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/102 "2026-01-01T17:41:06Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> I liked the finale. Good but not sure if it was great. But I’m satisfied with the arc of the show.
That’s pretty much where I am with it.
There was a lot to tie up with the finale, and the lack of focus (forced by the large cast) was a bit distracting (along with the accelerated aging of the characters, ha ha) but they did tie it all up well. I feel like the Duffer brothers didn’t want to kill any characters they had spent so much time with (I’m glad they didn’t kill Murray, despite my prediction) and if they’re going to do that, then everyone needs their place in the sun, and you get what they got.
Overall, I’m happy with it. May do a binge rewatch someday.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/103 "2026-01-01T17:43:39Z")
> [@SunUp](#):
>
> Overall, I’m happy with it. May do a binge rewatch someday.
I think my wife and I will re-watch this coming summer. I like it a lot and oddly, there are only 40+ episodes.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/104 "2026-01-01T17:51:39Z")
Thanks for the link. After reading that plot summary I am still confused but it’s at least a higher order of confusion!
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### Author:  [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/105 "2026-01-01T18:00:42Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#):
>
> I’m satisfied with the arc of the show.
I feel like those of us who’ve suffered through crappy finales before (like LOST) got this as a reward.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/106 "2026-01-01T18:26:57Z")
> [@digs](#):
>
> I feel like those of us who’ve suffered through crappy finales before (like LOST) got this as a reward
No, LOST is fine.
The 100 is the ABSOLUTE WORST and there is no contest. You couldn’t handle how bad it was.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/107 "2026-01-01T20:42:59Z")
Here are some things I’m a bit confused by. Open spoilers, I guess.
1. What happened with Erica and Mr Clarke after they got surrounded by the military at the church?
2. If Eleven couldn’t enter her Dream Vision without being in water, how did she appear to Mike? Was that part of Kali’s illusion power?
3. Mike said Eleven’s power was suppressed by the sonic weapons so it couldn’t have been her he saw, but not only was she standing outside their encircled range when in the Upside Down gate, but she wasn’t using her powers as she was enveloped.
These are not deal breakers for me, even if there are no clear answers. It was a fun time.
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### Author:  [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/108 "2026-01-01T21:04:57Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> What happened with Erica and Mr Clarke after they got surrounded by the military at the church?
I assumed they were arrested and out of the story for the remainder. The clues to go to the radio station, and then the lab in the upside down meant there was no need to do anything other than lock them up.
After the gate closed and Major General Doctor went home, they were let go. Pretty much the same that happened to the rest of the gang.
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> If Eleven couldn’t enter her Dream Vision without being in water, how did she appear to Mike? Was that part of Kali’s illusion power?
A nearby and willing target would be easy enough to enter without all of the sensory deprivation. I think of it in RPG terms. All of the water tank stuff adds bonuses to El’s roll, which will be needed to find an unwilling and powerful mage in another dimension. Mike a few hundred feet away, and she can see him? No bonuses needed.
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> Mike said Eleven’s power was suppressed by the sonic weapons so it couldn’t have been her he saw, but not only was she standing outside their encircled range when in the Upside Down gate, but she wasn’t using her powers as she was enveloped.
That whole part was a bit awkward to me. Mike is going to have to revise it a bit. At first I thought Kali getting shot was part of the illusion to fool Hopper, but the story suggested she really was shot, but hung on long enough to cast invisibility on El, and project an illusion of her in the gate. That’s the part that makes it hard for me to believe.
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### Author:  [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/109 "2026-01-01T21:14:01Z")
I really didn’t like the Christmas episodes so the final episode cleared the low bar I set for it. I think it was too long for an episode of tv, but not cohesive as a proper movie. I probably would have enjoyed it more if the season came out more staggered and several years ago. It definitely lost some of the magic, but for me it felt mostly in the writing. But I’ve seen WAY WORSE so … yeah I’m ok. Rumors abound that they’re going to make a spin-off series and I don’t know if I’m in for it. I really miss yearly episodes of tv. I know pandemics and strikes are a lot of the blame but it still is hard to keep my interest when things are stretched out like butter over too much bread
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/110 "2026-01-01T21:59:54Z")
For me the oddest part about the final season was how the show was reshaped into _Holly Things_.
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/111 "2026-01-01T23:53:32Z")
Setting up possible next shows hinted at with the gaming at the end.
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### Author:  [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/112 "2026-01-02T00:45:09Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> If Eleven couldn’t enter her Dream Vision without being in water, how did she appear to Mike? Was that part of Kali’s illusion power?
I don’t think she needed the water tank just for that. Remember all the scenes in earlier seasons of her sitting listening to radio static and her eyes covered so she could enter the black watery mind place.
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> Mike said Eleven’s power was suppressed by the sonic weapons so it couldn’t have been her he saw, but not only was she standing outside their encircled range when in the Upside Down gate, but she wasn’t using her powers as she was enveloped.
Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I think Mike was just telling a story. One they all want to believe but isn’t actually true.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/113 "2026-01-02T05:06:52Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> Mike said Eleven’s power was suppressed by the sonic weapons so it couldn’t have been her he saw, but not only was she standing outside their encircled range when in the Upside Down gate, but she wasn’t using her powers as she was enveloped.
I’m not sure what you mean by “encircled range”, but Eleven used her powers to contact Mike’s mind and deliver him a farewell message.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/114 "2026-01-02T05:11:54Z")
> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Eleven used her powers to contact Mike’s mind and deliver him a farewell message.
But then afterward he reasoned that wasn’t her at all, as her powers would’ve been suppressed by the sonic weapons if it had been. But I am saying that him seeing her in the Upside Down gateway means she was out of range of the sonic weapons, so none of what he was telling himself, i.e. the story he put forward to open up the possibility of hope that she was still alive, doesn’t really add up.
The only thing that makes sense is that being out of range of the weapons allowed her to send the farewell message, it **was** her in the gateway, and that she **did** sacrifice herself.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/115 "2026-01-02T05:14:26Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> The only thing that makes sense is that being out of range of the weapons allowed her to send the farewell message, it **was** her in the gateway, and that she **did** sacrifice herself.
If the sonic weapons are directed, she could have been out of range of the weapons while **outside** of the gate (the “invisibility spell” Mike alluded to; in his telling, you can see a door opening on the real world side of the gate).
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### Author:  [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/116 "2026-01-02T05:14:50Z")
Not fully convinced here. We don’t really know how those suppressors work. Based on what we saw from earlier in the season, ignoring the transition to the upside down, she would have been fully within range. So the question is is does the portal block that transmission? No clue.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/117 "2026-01-02T05:54:41Z")
No matter where Eleven was, either in the gateway, or hiding under the floor in a building, she was either in range, or wasn’t in range, equally, the weapons seemed to face in toward the compound. She nonetheless sent the farewell message, somehow. Mike’s argument is that meant she was an illusion, but I’m saying none of that adds up either way.
If she sent a message, she was out of range. So if she was under the floor she ought not to have had access to Mike’s mind, but I think she could’ve if she was in line-of-sight in the gateway. Maybe? I don’t know how that all works. Maybe she can do it anywhere.
I’m going round in circles with this in my own head, but I think my conclusion has to be she was not an illusion.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/118 "2026-01-02T15:06:58Z")
By the way, I really loved the D&D-style art in the closing credits.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/119 "2026-01-02T17:41:09Z")
I think Mike’s theory wasn’t ambitious _enough_.
Kali didn’t die. She might not even have gotten shot. All of that was an illusion for Hopper’s sake.
After hearing Hopper’s speech and being moved by it, she knew she had to change her plan. So she faked her own death, long enough for Hopper to scurry off in search of bandages. While he was gone, she told El to act like she’d died. Go kill Vecna and meet me back here, Kali said.
El fucked off to kill Vecna. Came back, met up with invisible Kali. Two of them invisibly sneaked out of the Upside Down (maybe hitching a ride atop a truck?) and got out of the way of the speakers before they got turned on. While Kali kept up the invisibility effect, El gave her message to Mike–and then Kali and El left _together_.
El’s not alone. She’s not with Mike, but she has one member of her family there with her.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [January 2, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/120 "2026-01-02T18:03:01Z")
> [@DSeid](#):
>
> After reading that plot summary I am still confused but it’s at least a higher order of confusion!
Here is a really basic chronology from just the TV show, not the play. I’m going from memory, so I’m sure I’m wrong about some of it. I skipped some stuff just to keep it shorter. Keep in mind the show sort of went back and changed some of the stuff we thought we knew and also did not explain all the hows and whys.
• Henry as a child gets infected with the Mind Flayer rock and mind melds with the Mind Flayer, gets his powers and turns evil. The Mind Flayer is either controlling him the whole time or he chose to join with it.
• Henry’s mother realizes he’s evil and calls in Brenner. Henry uses his powers to kill his sister and mother, falls into a coma and when he awakens he’s in the lab, overseen by Brenner. Brenner keeps him under control with solteria.
• Young El and Henry have their first battle and El sends him into the Abyss. The Abyss is the other dimension. The Upside Down hasn’t been created yet. The Demogorgons, Mind Flayer, etc are from the Abyss.
• Four years later, Brenner uses El to find Henry. When she finds the Demogorgon and touches it, that somehow creates not just the gate, but the Upside Down itself. The Upside Down isn’t another dimension, it’s just the wormhole/bridge to the Abyss.
• Henry wants to merge the Abyss with Earth. That’s what he used Max and the other 3 people for in season 4 – the Hawkins-sized gate they created was to make a merging point for the Abyss and Earth. That’s why they couldn’t find Henry when they searched the Upside Down, he was in the Abyss opening up rifts there too.
• The exotic matter is what’s keeping the wall up in the Upside Down. The wall is basically, well, the wall of the wormhole/bridge. So by blowing up the exotic matter, they destroy the wormhole/bridge/Upside Down and stop Henry from merging the Abyss with Earth.
Does any of that help clear things up?
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