# 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:** 8
### Author:  [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2026, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/141 "2026-01-04T02:18:21Z")
I refrained from opening this thread until I finished watching the season, but I think it was pretty good and did a decent job of wrapping things up. It was a bit jarring at first to see how old everyone looked, but I was eventually able to somewhat put that out of my mind and just enjoy the story. I do think that the season should have started with the high school graduation, rather than ended with it. Pretending they were sophomores was a little silly.
I knew a little ahead of time that there was supposed to be a coming-out scene for Wil. What I didn’t anticipate was how hard it would hit me. Being a gay teenager in the 80s, suffice to say, was not an easy time in my life. The scene conjured up lots of memories.
I’ll likely wait a few months, then binge watch the whole series from beginning to end, just to put it all in context.
> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> I liked the final song was heroes by Bowie. Nice touch.
I read somewhere on the internet (which means it has to be true, right?) that the Bowie song was used three times in the series. The first time was when El was presumed to be dead. The second time was when Hopper was presumed to be dead. Was the third and final time used in a similar way? We may never know.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/142 "2026-01-04T04:53:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#):
>
> She did kind of disappear in the original shot of the destruction(?) of that land. Right?
In the real time view, we see her disappear as she gets enveloped by the flying dust and debris of the maelstrom if that’s what you mean.
But she’s standing amazingly stable inside such a destructive force and we don’t see her body get swept away, she just quickly fades out behind the dust, so one could say that’s evidence that she’s an illusion or it was just a creative choice by the Duffers.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2026, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/143 "2026-01-04T05:02:53Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#):
>
> I read somewhere on the internet (which means it has to be true, right?) that the Bowie song was used three times in the series. The first time was when El was presumed to be dead. The second time was when Hopper was presumed to be dead. Was the third and final time used in a similar way? We may never know.
It’s true, but the first time was when Will’s fake muppet body was found in the quarry.
Also, the first 2 times the song was used was Peter Gabriel’s cover version. The third time was the original Bowie version. So now the internet needs to figure out the meaning of that particular detail.
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### Author:  [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2026, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/144 "2026-01-04T05:37:43Z")
Ah, thanks for the correction! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that season.
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2026, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/145 "2026-01-06T05:24:21Z")
> **[Netflix to Release ‘Stranger Things 5’ Behind-the-Scenes Documentary This...](https://www.fantasylandnews.com/2026/01/05/netflix-to-release-stranger-things-5-behind-the-scenes-documentary-this-january/)**
>
> Netflix to Release ‘Stranger Things 5’ Behind-the-Scenes Documentary This January. Netflix just announced a new documentary, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, which premieres on January 12, 2026. This behind-the-scenes film follows...
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/146 "2026-01-07T13:47:55Z")
We finally finished the final episode last night, so I’m a little late to the goodbye party. I agree with many here that it was a very fun, satisfying finale.
One small thing that kind of bothered me…I realize this is a bit of a prosaic nitpick, but among all of the fantastical sci-fi magical stuff, my most difficult suspension of disbelief was toward the end, when all the characters were allowed to return to their ordinary lives. Hopper even went back to being the Hawkins Chief of Police. After repeatedly defying and thwarting the Army, not to mention killing maybe a couple dozen soldiers, the Army and Dr. Kay just shrugged and said “eh, no hard feelings”? Why are they not all locked away in Guantanamo or permanently ‘disappeared’?
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### Author:  [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/147 "2026-01-07T13:50:42Z")
> [@solost](#):
>
> After repeatedly defying and thwarting the Army, not to mention killing maybe a couple dozen soldiers, the Army and Dr. Kay just shrugged and said “eh, no hard feelings”? Why are they not all locked away in Guantanamo or permanently ‘disappeared’?
Because Dr Kay was probably the one the government spirited away.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/148 "2026-01-07T14:01:28Z")
Oh, I’m sure she was persona non grata after that whole clusterbleep, but it’s still difficult to believe the Army would have let the gang off scot-free after killing several of their own. I mean, of course the show wasn’t going to end with them all rotting away in some secret military prison, but in a 45 minute resolution, seems like they could have have had a minute long hand-wave scene where a high-ranking government official shows up and says something like “we realize you are the real heroes of this whole mess. You can’t get any recognition for your heroism, but we’ll let you return to your normal lives”.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/149 "2026-01-07T16:11:43Z")
> [@solost](#):
>
> One small thing that kind of bothered me…I realize this is a bit of a prosaic nitpick, but among all of the fantastical sci-fi magical stuff, my most difficult suspension of disbelief was toward the end, when all the characters were allowed to return to their ordinary lives. Hopper even went back to being the Hawkins Chief of Police. After repeatedly defying and thwarting the Army, not to mention killing maybe a couple dozen soldiers, the Army and Dr. Kay just shrugged and said “eh, no hard feelings”? Why are they not all locked away in Guantanamo or permanently ‘disappeared’?
Hopper going back to chief was definitely a bit much for me, but I allowed it.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/150 "2026-01-07T16:23:14Z")
The fact that the gang literally declared war on federal employees and were completely forgiven seemed a stretch until I was reminded of a particular anniversary yesterday. Maybe it was clever commentary on the part of the writers.
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### Author:  [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/151 "2026-01-07T18:04:32Z")
It was off book black ops. How could they try them in court?
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/152 "2026-01-07T18:07:03Z")
There’s no need for courts, only a bullet and a hole in the ground per person.
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### Author:  [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/153 "2026-01-07T18:11:21Z")
Pretty sure that wouldn’t go unnoticed. These people are all pretty famous in their town. Way too many questions are going to be asked if you just disappear all of the people that saved the world. IDK, them just rolling out of town (which was likely an illegal occupation anyway), doesn’t bother me.
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### Author:  [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/154 "2026-01-07T18:14:59Z")
> [@solost](#):
>
> After repeatedly defying and thwarting the Army, not to mention killing maybe a couple dozen soldiers, the Army and Dr. Kay just shrugged and said “eh, no hard feelings”?
I thought it was a bit silly too, but I just paved over it with “blah blah blah cover up”.
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### Author:  [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/155 "2026-01-07T18:16:16Z")
That’s my theory too, it was too much of a bother to kill them so they let them go.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2026, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/156 "2026-01-08T03:42:27Z")
If you’re a Game of Thrones watcher, it could be a
“Dany kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet”
situation.
Or to step a toe into fan wank territory, maybe it was a subtle reference to 80s TV shows such as Magnum, PI where Magnum killed about 50 people over the course of the show and suffered hardly any consequences for it.
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### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/157 "2026-01-08T21:35:03Z")
Finished watching last night. Loved the old D&D art style of the credits, along with the handing of the D&D torch to Holly and the younger kids.
I rolled my eyes at the Rambo-izing of Natalie Dyer into a heavy weapons soldier, it would have been acceptably believable on just about any other actor in the cast. I can happily accept the waif-fu of Buffy and Firefly, for example, but this was a waif too far for suspension of disbelief.
Linda Hamilton’s storyline was left unresolved, I gladly would have traded any of the interminable soul-sharing soliloquies of the main cast for some background and wrap-up with her.
I liked the final battle and the absence of generic final jump-scare or doubt from Vecna’s death, Winona’s axe work was a good end.
The goo-building anomaly was fun and original.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/158 "2026-01-08T22:11:05Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#):
>
> Winona’s axe work
Band name stolen.
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### Author:  [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/159 "2026-01-09T18:16:05Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#):
>
> I rolled my eyes at the Rambo-izing of Natalie Dyer into a heavy weapons soldier, it would have been acceptably believable on just about any other actor in the cast. I can happily accept the waif-fu of Buffy and Firefly, for example, but this was a waif too far for suspension of disbelief.
She’s an eldest daughter. I’ve been told this is extremely realistic for an eldest daughter to go full Rambo to protect their younger siblings.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stranger-things-final-season/1020926/160 "2026-01-09T18:56:09Z")
Also, what heavy weapons? She used an M-16. I’ve known guys smaller than her who carried M-16s.
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