A Rush to Nowhere

Despite its award-winning reputation, the “Stranger Things” series finale fails its fans with a disorganized narrative and a disappointing lack of closure

Rachel Gubbels, Editor • January 28, 2026

Photo by Photo Courtesy of Netflix

On New Year’s Eve 2025, “Stranger Things” fans from around the globe stream the final episode, “The Rightside Up” on Netflix. This much-anticipated conclusion to the series sparked major disappointment and criticism among many viewers.

For years, “Stranger Things” has been considered a pinnacle of streaming television. It successfully blends 1980s nostalgia with a supernatural mystery that has consistently captured a massive global audience, making it the most-

Eight East students weigh in on the finale of “Stranger Things”. (Photo by Graphic by Rachel Gubbels)

watched series of all time on Netflix. From its high-quality cinematography, to the emotional bonds between the Hawkins crew, the show earned its place as a modern classic.

“I would recommend the series 100%. It’s a great show, just being a fan over a couple of years,” senior Brielle Odenthal said. “The ending wasn’t my favorite, but it’s definitely a show that people should put on their radar.”

Dropping on New Year’s Eve, the finale, “The Rightside Up,” was positioned to be the television event of the year; yet, it left many fans feeling like the fireworks ended too early. Despite a total production time of 237 days for Season 5, and three years and six months since the last episode of Season 4, the episode felt surprisingly disorganized and faulty.

For a show known for epic, sprawling conflicts, the final confrontation felt incredibly rushed. The fight concluded so quickly that it robbed the audience of the tension we’ve come to expect. It lacked the strategic depth of previous seasons, making the resolution feel unearned.

While the cinematography remained high-quality in certain scenes, the narrative felt as if it

In a poll of 45 East students regarding the finale of “Stranger Things”, a 60% majority of respondents indicated they did not like it. (Photo by Graphic by Rachel Gubbels)

was being made up on the fly. Key plot points didn’t connect logically and the episode lacked the master plan, a feeling that made earlier seasons so satisfying.

After the rush of the battle, the final act dragged on into an uneventful and frankly boring conclusion. Instead of a sense of closure it made the two-hour and eight minute runtime feel much longer than necessary.

“I didn’t like the ending,” Odenthal said. “I feel like it was overhyped for a more mellow and less eventful ending. I was sort of disappointed.”

The biggest disappointment was the decision to end on a cliffhanger. After being overhyped as the definite conclusion, leaving major threads dangling felt less like a creative choice and more like a failure to give the fans the closure they deserved.

In a poll of 45 East students regarding the finale of “Stranger Things”, a 66.7% majority of respondents indicated they believe the character Eleven is alive and well. (Photo by Graphic by Rachel Gubbels)

Still, the show remains a cinematic masterpiece, but the finale was an unfortunate case of style over substance, overhyped, under-planned, and a snoozefest.

About the Contributor

Rachel Gubbels, Editor

Rachel Gubbels is a senior this year at East and it is her second year on staff. She hopes to improve her skills with photography this year. Outside of The Oracle, she is also involved in HOSA. In her free time, Rachel loves to cook and try new restaurants, noting “Mac and cheese is my favorite food to cook and to eat.” She also loves her black lab, Remy. She is always interested in gaining new information, loving math and science. She loves to read nonfiction books about history and finance to continue to expand her knowledge. After high school, Rachel hopes to be a physician assistant. She reminds us that, “Redbull gives you wings!”