The epic finale of ‘Stranger Things’ took crowds of fans to the cinema: ‘Roller coaster of emotions’

There were a lot of expectations surrounding Netflix and the Duffer brothers, creators of the 80s-inspired interdimensional series full of monsters. The end of any beloved series brings with it both anticipation and criticism.

Until now, fans have been analyzing scenes and revisiting previous seasons to try to figure out how everything could end in the Upside Down.

Viewers were quick to point out flaws in the story or problems they felt while writing the script, pointing out flaws in the scene where Will Byers reveals his sexuality, or issues such as the Under Armor logo (a brand only created in 1996) appearing on Holly Wheeler’s jacket on screen.

The countless theories discussed on social networks have only increased expectations for the end of this saga.

Fans have speculated on possibilities such as time travel (after all, clocks have been a major plot point for several seasons), placed bets on which main character might die, and some have had wild ideas about Henry Creel “Vecna” using mind control on characters throughout this season to explain various gaps in the narrative.

In the end, some theories were right. Others, not at all.

Don’t read on if you don’t want to know what happens at the end of Stranger Things.

In the end, we witness an epic battle that requires all the characters to come together to finally defeat Vecna ​​​​and the Mind Flayer (Mind Flayer) before the worlds merged and Hawkins, Indiana – and Earth as we know it – were conquered.

We don’t see a dramatic death of the group of main characters we’ve grown to love over the course of five seasons – although we do see the death of Kali (Eight).

What happened to Eleven, however, is open to interpretation. She finds herself faced with an impossible choice.

At first, viewers are led to believe that she chose to stay in the Upside Down World as it explodes and is destroyed forever in order to eliminate the possibility of it being used to create more children with powers like hers.

But later, in a long scene in the epilogue, Mike Wheeler presents us with another possibility: Eleven uses Kali’s powers of illusion to make it appear as if she is dead before escaping.

He says he thinks she’s finally reached the place they talked about running away to: a country with three waterfalls.

Mike says that’s what he likes to believe – and everyone in the Dungeons and Dragons group – Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max – agrees that they believe it too.

It’s a fitting ending, one that leaves open the possibility that Eleven will also have a happy ending.

The epilogue takes us 18 months into the future, after the destruction of the Upside Down and the defeat of Vecna ​​and the Mind Flayer. (Mind Flayer).

We see Hopper and Joyce get engaged and the older teens talk about their college lives and careers.

It’s a happy ending for everyone.

But even with such an epic ending, there are gaps in the story that weren’t fully explained in the final episode.

This will definitely be an ending that will please some fans and leave others wanting more.

In the United States and Canada, the ending was released theatrically in a complete film version.

Los Angeles fans stood for hours in the rain outside the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood Boulevard to watch the series in one of Netflix’s theaters.

The streaming giant, which is currently trying to buy Warner Bros., renovated the historic 1922 theater and now uses it to host premieres and special screenings of projects.

Fans, many dressed as characters or demogorgons, took photos in the Stranger Things themed lobby. Netflix gave away special merchandise, like t-shirts and dolls.

While waiting for the special screening, fans in the room exchanged theories about who might die or how it might all end. Many discussed popular theories about Steve Harrington’s death and clung to the hope that he would survive the final battle.

Liv and Alina Valdez, dressed as fan-favorite buddy duo Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, said they couldn’t be happier with the end result.

“It’s been practically 10 years,” Liv told BBC News, wearing the uniform of Harrington’s Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop outside the theater.

“The Duffer Brothers did a good job of giving the audience what we needed, maybe not necessarily what we wanted.”

Both praised the ending, which had happy moments, but also a bittersweet flavor.

“It was a roller coaster of emotions,” said Alina, who says the open ending to Eleven’s performance was well executed.

“It was a mix of emotions,” Diana Espinoza told the BBC, standing in the cinema lobby with a Demogorgon stuffed doll.

“I lost control because I cried so much,” he said.

She wore a long Mind Flayer-inspired dress for the screening and said she tried and failed to avoid the various fan theories that went viral on social media because she wanted to be surprised by the finale episode.

Being in a movie theater with other fans screaming and crying during the climactic scenes was the icing on the cake.

“I loved the ending. There was no better way to end the series,” he said, describing the outcome as bittersweet, emotional and the “happy ending” everyone deserved.

Additional reporting by Steven McIntosh.