After nearly a decade, the Netflix hit Stranger Things has concluded with its fifth season. The show, set in 1980s Indiana, initially captivated viewers with its story of a group of young friends facing supernatural threats after one of them disappeared. Over five seasons, Stranger Things introduced a memorable cast of characters – including Eleven, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas – and built a significant cultural following. Unfortunately, the final season didn’t quite deliver a satisfying conclusion, largely due to how the show handled its characters’ storylines.
For the first five seasons of Stranger Things, none of the main characters actually died, a pattern that drew criticism even before the final season. While the show didn’t need to kill characters as frequently as Game of Thrones, the creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, made a mistake by consistently protecting their central group and their families. This constant “plot armor” diminished the feeling of real danger and undermined the high stakes the show tried to create.
Stranger Things Season 5 Suffers from Its Lack of Major Character Deaths
As expected, the final season of Stranger Things sees the heroes triumph over Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the Mind Flayer. The only character who isn’t a villain to die is Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), a fellow test subject from Eleven’s past who appeared briefly in Season 2 and returned for a small role in Season 5. Even Eleven’s apparent sacrifice isn’t permanent – Mike suggests Kali created an illusion to help her escape. This lack of commitment to a definitive ending highlights Stranger Things‘ tendency to avoid bold choices that might disappoint viewers.
The final showdown with Vecna and the Mind Flayer felt surprisingly weak. Despite being powerful villains, they didn’t manage to seriously harm anyone. It was strange to see the Mind Flayer defeated by simple weapons like flamethrowers and guns, and Eleven easily defeated Vecna, who didn’t seem nearly as dangerous as he did in the previous season. Earlier in the season, even the terrifying demogorgons couldn’t hurt ordinary teenagers, yet easily defeated soldiers. To justify the show’s high stakes, a major character needed to die, but the main characters seemed invincible, which ultimately ruined the suspense.
Season 5 of Stranger Things became increasingly frustrating with the sheer number of near-death experiences that turned out to be fake. Jim Hopper seemed to almost die yet again, and fans were put through the wringer with another close call for Steve Harrington. A particularly emotional conversation and breakup between Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler, while trapped in a room filling with a strange substance, felt like it should have been a final goodbye. However, their unexpected survival made the whole scene feel less meaningful. Ultimately, without real, lasting consequences, all the danger and fear the characters faced in Stranger Things felt empty.
The final season of Stranger Things wasn’t just lacking in suspense – it also had too many characters. Key figures like Eleven and Mike were underused for most of the season, appearing in only one out of eight episodes. The core group spent too much time apart, not reuniting until near the very end. Aside from Will Byers and Holly Wheeler, most characters didn’t get enough development to make their moments in the finale feel truly meaningful. This problem was made worse by the long wait between seasons. The season might have been more satisfying if some major characters had been killed off earlier, allowing for a more focused and impactful conclusion.
Stranger Things Never Had the Courage to Kill Off a Main Character
Throughout its first four seasons, Stranger Things avoided killing off any truly central characters. While characters like Barb, Bob, Billy, and Eddie died, their deaths didn’t feel as impactful as if a main character had been killed. With the conclusion of Season 5, it became clear the show needed to raise the stakes by giving both the audience and the remaining characters a significant loss to mourn.
While the dramatic endings of Hopper’s apparent death and Max’s coma seemed significant, the show consistently avoided truly putting its main characters in lasting danger. This reluctance to take risks ultimately hurts Stranger Things, because the formula of keeping its heroes safe became predictable and weakened the impact of Season 5.
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2026-01-04 22:41