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The hit series “Stranger Things” has ignited a wave of controversy, as some Netflix viewers took to social media to express their discontent, claiming they can no longer enjoy the show following its season finale.
The eagerly anticipated final episode, titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” has finally made its debut on the streaming platform, marking the conclusion of the beloved sci-fi saga.
Released in the United States on New Year’s Eve, December 31, fans in the UK had the opportunity to stream the finale at 1:00 AM on January 1, 2026, welcoming the new year with the show’s climatic ending.
Viewers witnessed the familiar faces of Mike Wheeler (played by Finn Wolfhard), Eleven (portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown), and their friends as they embarked on a mission to defeat the sinister Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Mind Flayer. Their ultimate goal was to seal the breach between their reality and the ominous Upside Down.
In a thrilling conclusion, Eleven and her friends succeeded in vanquishing the malevolent forces and managed to close the rift, bringing an end to their otherworldly adventures.
But many took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their frustrations over what happened.
Stranger Things has sparked ‘woke’ fury after raging Netflix viewers groaned on social media ‘I can’t even watch it now’ after the season finale
The finale ever instalment of the sci-fit hit, named Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, of has FINALLY landed on the streaming service
The series finale was released on New Years Eve (December 31) in the US, which meant that those in the UK could watch it at 1.00am in the morning on January 1 2026
‘Trash, woke, predictable.’
‘Stranger Things season 5 has to be the worst season of woke utter tripe ever.. 3 years to produce that sh**e.’
‘Ppl who r too woke watched Stranger Things like ok it’s ok now go get a job.’
‘Girl the way nothing makes sense at all is truly keeping me sane and woke like this isn’t my Stranger Things idk what imposter show they have on Netflix rn but good lord.’
‘I can’t even watch it now. They ruined it for a woke stupid agenda for no reason. Stranger Things sucks.’
It’s not the first time that Stranger Things fans have complained about season 5 of the hit.
Despite that, others are gutted it’s over and think that it was a great show.
‘Think it’s going to take a lot to top #StrangerThings as a piece of television and storytelling. Just amazing.’
Many rushed to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their thoughts on how the finale was ‘woke’
‘A series is truly defined by its ending… And Stranger Things Season 5 REALLY DELIVERS!’
‘FINISHED WATCHING THE FINAL EPISODE LAST NIGHT. TOTALLY AMAZING. IM GLAD DECIDED TO GIVE A WATCH BEFORE SEASON 3 STARTED.’
‘Stranger Things ending left a smile on my face tears in my eyes, it was a amazing journey, Thank you duffer brothers for this beautiful ending.’
‘What A Beautiful Ending To An Amazing Show.’
‘They said goodbye to their childhood. What a beautiful ending to an amazing show.’
Earlier this week Stranger Things was review-blasted following a ‘comically bad’ penultimate episode – with the Netflix show criticised for ‘going peak woke’.
Season five, volume two of the sci-fi drama became available on Boxing Day (December 26), with the grand finale set to air on New Year’s Eve (December 31).
The second-to-last episode Chapter Seven: The Bridge has sparked plenty of backlash, a surprising turn for a largely popular show.
The first four seasons, Stranger Things has received high scores on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
After a slew of 0.5 and 1-star reviews, the series dropped down to a 56% Popcornmeter score, which is based on audience rating.
Fans highlighted scenes including the timing of Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) long-awaited coming out, as well as an ‘unrealistic’ dramatic gun-toting moment for Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer).
Others took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share how amazing they thought the episode was
Viewers review-bombed Netflix staple Stranger Things following its penultimate episode – with many left unimpressed
During season five, volume two, character Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) finally came out as gay – but fans criticised the scene’s execution
Speculation surrounding his sexuality intensified in later seasons, particularly after Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard (seen), lashed out at Will for not liking girls
They claimed that Will’s long speech about sexuality jarred with the urgency of the impending final battle and insisted that Nancy’s martial prowess seemingly came out of nowhere and felt exaggerated.
Will gathered the whole gang together before listing everything he had in common with them, before concluding: ‘I just don’t like girls’.
After he finished speaking they enjoyed a group hug – seemingly sweeping the battle ahead of them, which will define the fate of the world, under the rug.
He claimed that Vecna would use his fear of coming out against him if he didn’t get it off his chest, despite Vecna never mentioning as much in his many interactions with him before.
Meanwhile Nancy managed to take down three armed soldiers in watch towers with an assault rifle from atop a truck.
She somehow caught them off guard despite the huge vehicle crashing through a gate and a soldier screaming for backup as soon as the group entered the military compound.
The feat of heroism was accused of being a crowbarred ‘girl boss’ moment that didn’t align with Nancy’s skillset as an investigative journalist.
One penned on X: ‘Btw the Will coming out scene may be the worst in the entirety of ST.
‘Making that the most important plot point for the penultimate episode of the show is such a waste. Plus it was super cringy too. A hard watch…’
Another wrote: ‘The girl-bossing in Stranger Things S5 is another example of how this show has fallen off… Nancy Wheeler, who is 5 ft. nothing 90lbs soaking wet, is like a Navy SEAL and John Wick combined, taking out highly-trained military personnel.
‘She also broke up with her bf because she need “don’t need no man” and needs to be “independent” so she can “find herself.”’
A third echoed: ‘Nancy gunning down & killing soldiers – even though they’re under Dr. Kay’s command – just feels wrong.’
A fourth opined: ‘Nancy being able to sit on top of a non-moving vehicle in the middle of a military zone and open fire on military personnel without being shot at once is the definition of Plot Armor. There are no stakes.’
A fifth remarked: ‘Stranger Things S5 was doomed from the start bc it was written back during the era of Peak Woke before the writers’ strike and then filmed before Trump won in 2024.
‘Here we can see Wokeness literally jammed down the throats of children.’
While a sixth chimed in: ‘Stranger Things season 5 has been review bombed even tho every episode has been good but apparently one scene means the whole of season 5 is bad, what a world we live in.’
And a seventh wrote: ‘Will Byers: I lost to Vecna because he used my fears against me, so I’m gonna face my biggest fear: coming out to everyone. That way he can’t use it against me! *Proceeds to have an ok coming out scene, not the best, but ok. Most of the Audience: Is this bad wrting?’
Complaints about the new series flooded in thick and fast on social media
Others compared the show to the ending of Game Of Thrones – which was infamously poorly received by its audience.
A viewer shared: ‘Looks like Stranger Things final season is as bad as Game of Thrones final season.’
Despite the criticisms, some fans expressed that they were enjoying the final season, with one penning: ‘Too many haters this season, i thought it was pretty good.
‘I don’t see any flaws in the pacing or acting despite what others say.’
Another said: ‘Don’t understand all the negative reviews, makes no sense.
‘This season is amazing, all characters are getting excellent development, with their relationships with each other getting further fleshed out in the best way possible.
However others rushed to the episode’s defence and insisted that they enjoyed it
‘The plot is super entertaining this seasons, maybe the best plot ever, with each individual plotline and character being fun to watch.
‘In my opinion the best season yet, all the negative reviews make no sense whatsoever in my opinion.’
‘People are review bombing this for no reason other than they can’t handle character development and character arcs without gory slaughter.
‘If you want to watch GOT, go watch GOT. Season 5 has wrapped up so many stories beautifully and we have learned so much about the upside down with great action and emotional scenes.’
‘The acting is incredible, especially from Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, and Gaten Matarazzo’, wrote a third.
With regards to Will, the character’s sexuality had been a long-running plot point throughout the series.
For the first four seasons, Stranger Things has received high scores on review site Rotten Tomatoes – but the ‘Popcornmeter’ score has now dropped to 56%
In the first series, his mother Joyce, portrayed by Winona Ryder, even recalled how Will’s father had referred to him as ‘queer’.
Set in the 1980s, Will famously disappeared from his small-town friendship group, who loved playing Dungeons & Dragons and cycling around Hawkins, before becoming trapped in the terrifying Upside Down.
While his friends grew older, found girlfriends and moved on, Will remained something of an outsider following his traumatic abduction.
Speculation surrounding his sexuality intensified in later seasons, particularly after Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard, lashed out at Will for not liking girls.
Fans believed their suspicions were quietly confirmed in season four, when Will broke down in tears while struggling to express his feelings for Mike during one scene.
However, it wasn’t until ‘The Bridge’ that Will finally put it into words, admitting to his friends that he ‘doesn’t like girls’.
Speaking to Variety, actor Noah opened up about filming the hard hitting scene and revealed how closely he worked with creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as director Shawn Levy.
When asked when he learned that Will would finally come out, Noah explained: ‘You know that it’s coming. This season, we read the first six episodes together, and I was like “OK, it didn’t happen yet, so it’s going to be in Episode 7 or 8,” which hadn’t been written yet.
He added: ‘So then from January of filming on through the year, I kept texting the Duffers, “Is it done? Did you write it? Is it in 7 or 8? How are you gonna write it?” Eventually, they said they had it, and I read it by the end of the year in August or September.
Noah admitted the script left him overwhelmed with emotion: ‘And I was just in tears. It was perfect.’
Reflecting on the final cut, Noah admitted he was surprised by how the scene was edited.
He explained that actors often don’t realise the power of editing until they see the finished product, but felt the balance struck in Will’s coming out scene was perfect.
The episode shows moments of raw emotion alongside lighter flashes of nostalgia, allowing Will to smile as he reminisces with his friends, rather than simply sobbing throughout.
Noah said he was grateful producers chose that approach, as it gave the scene a lighter feel.
Elsewhere in the interview, Noah discussed the decision to have his character Will say ‘I don’t like girls’ instead of explicitly saying ‘I’m gay’.
He explained that the wording felt more authentic to the 1980s setting, and to Will’s emotional state at the time.
Stranger Things is available to stream exclusively on Netflix and the final episode lands on New Year’s Day.
