The highly anticipated conclusion to “Stranger Things” has left fans with a mix of emotions. Season 5, Volume 2, stirred up concerns with some questionable plot choices, leading to divided opinions on whether the series finale was a fitting end. While some viewers found satisfaction in the ending, others compared it to the polarizing finale of “Game of Thrones.” One undeniable aspect is the way certain characters were seemingly sidelined by the show’s creators, the Duffer brothers.

In the finale, we witnessed significant character developments, including the tragic demise of Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown), who sacrificed herself to prevent the military from creating more superpowered children. However, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) speculates that she might still be alive. While the futures of the core characters are somewhat clear, lingering questions remain about others who were conspicuously absent or abruptly faded from the storyline.

Among the neglected characters is the charming duo of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo), whose relationship captured fans’ hearts in Season 3. Initially met with skepticism, Suzie’s existence was confirmed when she assisted the gang via ham radio in defeating the Mind Flayer. Despite her crucial role in Season 4, Suzie is notably absent from Season 5, leaving fans wondering about her fate.

One of the most fun couples in “Stranger Things,” Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) became a thing starting in Season 3. No one believes she really exists at first until Dustin gets her to come through over a ham radio, and she even helps them figure out how to beat the Mind Flayer. She reappears in Season 4 to once again provide help, but she’s never even mentioned in all of Season 5. 

The most likely interpretation is that she and Dustin simply broke up at some point between the events of Season 4 and Season 5. With Hawkins placed under military quarantine, it’s understandable their long-distance relationship would’ve suffered, but still, it’s strange that Dustin wouldn’t mention her at all. Their break-up also could’ve explained why he was doubly sad and angry at the start of the season. He wasn’t just mourning Eddie’s (Joseph Quinn) death but also the loss of a great girlfriend. 

Dustin definitely seems single by the time the finale rolls around. Stacey (Sydney Bullock) flirts with him at graduation, and he doesn’t rebuff her advances. We also get a flash-forward at college where he and Suzie presumably could’ve met up at some point, but again, she’s nowhere to be seen. Given how pivotal she was in previous seasons, it would’ve just been nice to find out what really happened with her for some closure.

Argyle (Eduardo Franco) is yet another “Stranger Things” character who, despite being very prominent in Season 4, is completely absent for the final go-round. When some of the main cast move to California, he joins that storyline as Jonathan’s (Charlie Heaton) new best friend. He helps drive some of the crew back to Hawkins and even uses his restaurant knowledge to help construct a sensory deprivation tank to enhance Eleven’s powers. 

It seems that when Jonathan, Mike, and Will (Noah Schnapp) returned to Hawkins, Argyle simply went back to California. Even so, it would’ve been nice for him to feature, even in a minor way. He could have helped Murray (Brett Gelman) with smuggling various items into Hawkins to help with the effort to defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), for example, or he could have showed up in the finale’s epilogue to join Jonathan, Nancy (Natalie Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery), and Robin (Maya Hawke) on the rooftop to commemorate all of their new chapters.

We’d like to think he’d try to get back in touch with his old buddy once the quarantine on Hawkins was lifted. However, there probably just wasn’t enough space to cram in another character given the massive ensemble. Speaking with YouTuber Steve Varley, Franco explained that he didn’t show up in Season 5 because he wasn’t invited back: “I never got a phone call, so yeah, I think that’s it.”

Linda Hamilton almost retired from acting before joining the cast of “Stranger Things” Season 5, in which she played a character with astonishingly little to do. Dr. Kay is a stand-in for Brenner (Matthew Modine) who wants to restart his program and create a new legion of superpowered kids. She wants to capture Eleven and use her blood, which could cause more madness within Dimension X. When everyone escapes the Upside Down, the military captures them but then just stands around while Eleven hangs back at the entrance. Dr. Kay simply watches as her prized test subject sacrifices herself, and then … that’s it. 

We don’t hear anything more about Dr. Kay. There’s no explanation given as to why the military surrendered the Hawkins crew despite the fact they’d probably be labeled as terrorists for upending military operations. One could argue she realized they saved the world and granted them leniency, but it’s odd she seemingly gave up on her “psychic kids” plan so randomly. Maybe Dr. Kay’s ending was purposefully open-ended so she could potentially return in a “Stranger Things” spin-off teased by a line of dialogue in the finale. But in terms of analyzing the last episode, she just sort of dips out after all the excitement dies down and lets people with knowledge of interdimensional realms go scot-free.

Of all the characters to disappear without a trace, Vickie (Amybeth McNulty) is the oddest. She’s dating Robin when Season 5 begins, and even though she starts off completely in the dark about what’s going on with the Upside Down, she soon joins the fight after a demodog attack on the hospital Max (Sadie Sink) is staying at. She helps them get out of the hospital once it’s overrun with military personnel and looks after Max’s body when her consciousness enters Eleven’s dreamscape — and then there’s no sign of her during the epilogue. 

Much like Dustin and Suzie, we can probably infer that Robin and Vickie broke up at some point, and there actually is some dialogue to support this. When Robin meets up with her friends later, they agree to meet up once a month regardless of what’s going on in their lives. Robin adds the following addendum: “Including overbearing significant others.” More than likely, Vickie is the overbearing ex in question.

It’s true she thought Robin was on drugs when she explained everything going on with Vecna, but that seems like a pretty reasonable reaction all things considered. And once she saw the demodogs in action, she did apologize for doubting Robin. Truth be told, there’s not much of an indication Vickie was ever overbearing, but we don’t see enough of her throughout the season to say for sure. Besides, Robin’s studying at Smith College, so it’s possible they simply broke up due to distance. Vickie’s role may have been small, but she still helped with the final mission and deserved some kind of send-off.