Finally, fan theorists can relax. All the guesswork and frame-by-frame analysis can end. Stranger Things is over, I’m entering pop history with a long ending that defeated the bad guys and found ways forward for many of its main characters.
But it wasn’t all a happy victory. There were some Clumsy moments that felt like the Duffer Brothers knew they were doing too much—but they went ahead and did it anyway. And while much was resolved, some questions remained unanswered, a side effect of historical trends, and the inevitable disagreements that occur over nine years of television.
“Rightside Up” picks up right where “The Bridge” left off. Most of our heroes are in the Upside Down. Dustin, Steve, Nancy, Mike, Jonathan, Joyce, Lucas, Robin, and Will climb the WSQK tower as the pit begins to descend. They casually landed in the desert, adding “intermediate astronauts” to their list of accomplishments.
Like many Stranger Things The fifth season, there are many characters crowded into this sequence, but we get a few outstanding moments: Jonathan and Steve bury the hatchet in the end, Joyce and Will make a follow-up bond, and Nancy’s armed volunteers become proverbial when the group faces the Mind Flayer. Mind Flayer’s battle scenes are fantastic; who knew that Vecna’s child abuse facility could also transform into a fully mobile and terrifyingly large spider-like creature? Not every choice in this episode was right, but whoever gave the Duffers a blank check for “super monster special effects” should be applauded.
Meanwhile, Eleven, Kali, Hopper, and a shiny Murray go to the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab, which has a highly functional version of Dr. Brenner. Eleven’s plan: put Vecna’s mind in the abyss and prevent her from crashing the planet into Earth, intending to eliminate her while Nancy and Holly are free and the other children are not imprisoned. Hopper is there to remind him to come back alive; Kali, on the other hand, believes that both she and Eleven must die to end the cycle of violence they were unwittingly a part of and that Dr. Kay is determined to continue.
Speaking about Dr. Kay, his military heroes-who are only focused on kidnapping the Eleven, despite the apocalyptic event literally closing in on them-are able to destroy the elements of this carefully planned plan, threatening everyone who is still in Hawkins (Max, Vickie, Erika, Mr. Clarke) while he is there.
However, it can be Stranger Things if something really went according to plan? While fans weren’t sure who would survive the final episode, it seemed certain that Hawkins himself would continue. Stranger Things is a show about finding strength in friendship, learning to trust the people you care about, and digging deep to find confidence and self-reflection to overcome any adversity that comes your way. It stuck to that message first and foremost, and season five also added a PS about how you need to face your fears—including past trauma, as we see with Henry/Vecna’s fear of the cave (which is never fully explained; for that, you’ll need to buy a ticket to Broadway, obviously)—or you’ll be stuck in place.
Will’s exit scene in “The Bridge” already proved that lesson and delivered a great result. But “The Rightside Up” also saves a nice moment for Joyce, who—after a background of wringing her hands for far too long—gets the killing blow for the dying Vecna. His axe-chop, backed by a collection of all the bad things Vecna has forced on everyone since “The Disappearance of Will Byers,” allows. Stranger Things short shrift of its “too many characters” problem by giving the most deserving player some overdue catharsis.
Unfortunately there are a few other examples of this happening, though Eleven’s choice to disassociate themselves from the group for good is perhaps Stranger Things‘ a very bold decision, which far surpasses any character death (including Kali, Barb, Bob, Billy, and the great Eddie). Whether you believe that he really perished along with the Upside Down as the “Purple Rain” dissipates, or you think that Mike’s dream of escape really did come true—well, that Stranger Things‘ a way to achieve closure but also to provide an alternative to anyone who really wanted that happy ending.
Even’s death (or “death”) was supposed to be the end of “The Rightside Up,” but after five seasons and nearly 10 years, Stranger Things he got that “18 months later” episode. If 45 minutes sounds too long, what’s confusing is the distribution of those minutes. The conscription and alienation of the Hawkins people—not to mention the years of secret, brutal, and morally corrupt experiments on children and pregnant women at the Hawkins Lab, and the lurking presence of the Upside Down and its monsters—are rewritten with a rebuilt city and a reminder to “end this great earthquake story,” season four. All those soldiers died under Dr. Kay’s command? Collateral damage, obviously.
Dustin’s rebellion at graduation was fun, but we needed to expand on that St. Elmo’s Fire-Style meets older kids and their new haircuts? (Poor ol’ Vickie, whose absence in this episode is wasted by Robin talking about “significant others.”) Hopper’s proposal to Joyce was sweet, but that sly suggestion that they move to “Montauk” was, Stranger Things trivia hounds who know the value of that reference, it’s even more fun.
Hitting the Wheelers’ bottom to finish last Pits & Dragons The campaign was one that fans have been waiting for for years. But of course, Stranger Things he couldn’t resist adding Mike’s sunny predictions for each player’s future: Lucas and Max will stay together; Dustin is about to graduate from college and has adventures with Steve; Will gets to be gay and happy in a non-Hawkins town.
As for Mike, we see him sitting at his desk, destined for life writing fictional stories based on the events we’ve just spent nine years watching. That is, other than what we were looking at all the time is an adaptation of the role-playing game D&D-Stylish illustrations and cover art appear throughout the end credits. You he can choose to believe that, as Mike himself might say.
There’s no doubt that “Rightside Up” has gotten millions of eyeballs and Netflix views. A few new events are coming—don’t forget the animated series, set between seasons two and three—but the cultural impact Stranger Things it has certainly reached its climax with the finale.
One of the true firsts of the broadcast era, the show’s formula is built on lifting material from other sources (Stephen King’s stories, D&Da slew of horror movies and sci-fi films from the ’80s—not to mention the general nostalgia of the era, seen in the show’s music, fashion, and production design) and combining them into a story that still feels fresh and exciting.
In his heart, Stranger Things it was a show about fans that brought its fans together—making “Rightside Up” an emotional experience for many who watched it. Whether that feeling was happiness or frustration (or a bit of both) is up to you. And either way, we can all breathe easy, just knowing one hit the Netflix show that wrapped in 2025 when Cate Blanchett hit another chance for the sequel in its last place.
Stranger Things Seasons 1-5 are now streaming on Netflix.
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