After more than a decade of captivating audiences, the final chapter of Netflix's flagship series Stranger Things is poised to go out with a whimper rather than a bang. The concluding episode, set to air on New Year's Day, is predicted by bookmakers to achieve the show's lowest-ever rating.
A Bittersweet and Bombastic End
This forecast follows the penultimate episode, titled 'The Bridge', which managed a mediocre score of 5.5 out of 10. Fan reactions to the fifth and final season have been decidedly mixed, with many expressing disappointment. Common critiques describe the latest instalments as "a hard watch", "super cringey", and frankly, "boring".
The show appears to have lost the essential spark that made its July 2016 debut so irresistible. Initially, it was a sharp, nostalgia-driven sci-fi that cleverly channelled 1980s cinema, crafting a world where scientific experimentation unleashed monsters and a group of nerdy kids became unlikely heroes.
From Tidy Mystery to Cluttered Spectacle
Contrast that with the current state of affairs in Hawkins. The narrative has ballooned far beyond the original Upside Down and Demogorgons. Now, audiences must grapple with Destination X (The Abyss), Nevada caves, Demo-dogs, Demo-bats, Mind Flayers, shadow monsters, exotic matter, and a sprawling cast of characters. The result is a story that feels needlessly complicated and lacking in breathing room.
Critics point to broken narrative threads as a key issue. For instance, the origin of Eleven's powers was clearly established in season two: they stemmed from Dr. Brenner administering LSD to their pregnant mothers. This now conflicts with later suggestions connecting powers to exotic matter and Henry Creel's journey to The Abyss.
Watching the first season felt like witnessing a labour of love. In contrast, the fifth season evokes the sensation of creators simply throwing money at the screen, under the mistaken belief that spectacle alone equates to quality.
A Common Pitfall for Successful Shows
This phenomenon is not unique to Stranger Things. It's a recurring issue for series that achieve massive success and subsequently receive inflated budgets. The article draws parallels with other shows:
- Doctor Who: After moving to Disney with a cash injection, special effects improved but storytelling suffered, with plots barrelled through and structure neglected.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Evolved from a simple premise of a girl and her friends fighting vampires to a convoluted arc about creating Slayers to stop Armageddon.
- Black Mirror: After its move from Channel 4 to Netflix, dystopian or alien gimmicks often seemed to take priority, with the moral tale stretched to fit the setting.
The core argument is that these shows never required bombastic finales. The power of suggestion was often enough—hearing Barb's scream as she was dragged away was more chilling than explicitly showing her demise. The 'wow factor' was never about CGI, but about well-crafted tales that left viewers emotionally breathless.
With the finale now imminent, there's little the Duffer Brothers or Netflix can do if it proves to be all show and no substance. The intense hype was always a burden. However, the disappointing fan reviews serve as a crucial reminder to executives: big does not equal better, and shiny does not equal good. The audience's plea is not for more money to be poured in, but for the care and focus on story that made them fall in love with these worlds in the first place.
