Some people would say that the new season of “Stranger Things” was up to the mark and that the ending left everyone on the edge of their seats with anticipation and excitement.

Others would say that the ending felt very unfinished and less thought-out than the previous seasons. Ultimately, there was a lot more that Matt and Ross Duffer (the twin creators, writers, directors, and executive producers of “Stranger Things”) could have done with the show that would have made it 10 times better.

There was way too much dialogue and conflict amongst the characters that didn’t necessarily need to be shown. The characters were arguing a lot which was really unnecessary, considering the fact that their whole town was in danger and everyone they loved would soon be dead.

 Even when they weren’t arguing, there was still too much dialogue that wasn’t appropriate for the situation they were currently in. For example, Will’s coming out did not need to be as dramatic as they made it, and also it didn’t need to be a huge scene that takes up a lot of time in the episode. Realistically, Will only needed to tell his mom and his brother, the entire cast of the show did not necessarily need to be included in the conversation. 

 Additionally, in the previous seasons the authors were so articulate with every detail in the show and how they all connected. This season fans caught so many details in the show that were left unexplained that they formed a theory, ‘The Conformity Gate’, that the ending of the show was fake. I have to give it to some of the fans because I was able to connect all the details that were left unfinished in the season, like the different color graduation caps, the different colored voltage watts lever, Will standing the same as Vecna, etc. There are so many anomalies that fans found that don’t make sense, or add up, or were left unexplained. Somehow all these anomalies do add up though for the Conformity Gate Theory. The conformity gate theory is where the ending that was aired was a fake ending, and that everyone is still under Vecna’s control. 

**Spoiler Alert: the fans believe that Vecna never died and that he is not only controlling and manipulating the actors into believing he’s dead, but also the audience. The fans had a lot of people convinced that the real ending episode would be released on January 7, but unfortunately, a lot of fans were even more disappointed in the ending when another episode was not released. **

Another topic fans were upset about was the ending fight scene. The last fight scene of the show lasted a little longer than five minutes and did not include half the previous monsters from the seasons before. There were no demogorgons, bats, demodogs or vines to help Vecna out, like in the previous season, during the final battle. 

The actors, Noah Schnapp (“Will Byers”) and Millie Bobby Bongiovi (“Eleven”), have lost their touch. Their performance shifted drastically from how it used to be in the earlier seasons. It seems like they cannot act as well as they used to when they were kids in the previous seasons. Eleven’s facial expressions this season were very stiff and barely showed any emotion. Even though Will tapping into Vecna’s powers and using them against him was a fun and surprising plot twist, Schnapp’s acting was average at best. During scenes where he had to act in pain or be in tears, the acting looked very forced. 

To add, the Duffer brothers also edged the fans into thinking a lot of characters were going to die this season. 

**Spoiler Alert: However, the only one who did die was Eleven, which most people who have already watched the series assumed was going to happen. The hype and thrill from the Duffer brothers that made season 5 seem like it was going to be miraculous did not live up to those expectations. Ultimately, the Duffer brothers had 3 years to plan the ending of the show, but did not execute it properly and were sloppy with the details. **

This show is still worth the Netflix subscription because of how engaging the other seasons were. Just be prepared to be disappointed at the ending.