Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

The fan reaction to Stranger Things’ finale is the least strange part of the ending. What’s strange is that it happened twice.

Imagine something for me. The series finale of your favourite show is about to drop after a three-year break. So far, there are gaping plot holes, your ship isn’t canon, and why the hell are we focusing on new characters right now? None of it matters, however, because this finale will solve all your problems. It’s a feature-length episode, and you’re prepared to watch every plot thread get tied up in a beautiful bow. Hours later, you watch the credits roll and… hang on. This isn’t right. Why is so much unresolved? Where is my canon relationship? No, none of this makes sense. Three years of buildup only to be left staring at the screen for 30 seconds before you utter those three words: “That was it?” 

You need to check out how social media is taking this. About the same way you are, probably. At the bottom of this Pandora’s box of disappointment and confusion, you glimpse something. Random users also clocked the inconsistencies. Only, instead of seeing them as continuity errors, they say the showrunners did it on purpose. There are plenty of unanswered questions, but you will get what you seek in due time. In the secret true finale.

If I told you to guess which show I was talking about in that scenario, would you have said Stranger Things? Because you’d be wrong. What I described was the exact experience I and many others went through back in 2017 after the finale of the 2010 BBC show Sherlock. But then, why’s it so familiar? Why on Earth would history repeat itself nine years later? Well, let’s explore that. 

“We’re not under Vecna’s mind control now the same way we weren’t under Moriarty’s mind control all those years ago. The writing was just bad all along.”

– Josephine Chicharo-Bachour

There are two basic ingredients half-baked into a conspiracy like Stranger Things’ ‘Conformity Gate’. The first is discrepancies. Not pure discrepancies, mind you. They must be coated with a lot of persistence. It’ll only work if the showrunners have been insisting that every single creative choice is made on purpose. No stone unturned, starting back in season one. With that persistence, the dissection begins. With those thoughts planted by the showrunners, fans start to believe they’re geniuses. Characters from prior seasons were absent during the finale? It’s because Vecna didn’t know them! Max graduated on time despite being in a coma for two years? (Eddie had zero excuses, apparently. Gee, Duffers, you’ve done it again!) Except no, they haven’t, you just gave them credit for being way smarter than they actually are. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. 

Second is just a splash of “queerbaiting.” Did showrunners hint at the possibility of a gay happening just to pull the rug from under your feet to keep the show consumer-friendly? Doesn’t really matter, does it? As long as enough people read into it that way, because every creative decision is totally on purpose and definitely not an overanalysis encouraged by the writers. Also, yes, I’m sorry to say that all of this happened nine years ago as well.

With these ingredients, you’ve got yourself a cocktail of conspiracy that’s an absolute classic. I almost feel bad for the Duffer brothers though. Imagine writing an ending so dissatisfying that your audience responds by concocting a better one. Crazy that it’s happened at least twice in the past decade. 

Crazy to imagine that for some, this is “baby’s first letdown.” But the sooner it happens, the less likely it’ll get you next time. Remember this for the future: We’re not under Vecna’s mind control now just like we weren’t under Moriarty’s mind control all those years ago. The writing was just bad all along.