Stranger Things Season 5’s Tragic Forgotten Story In The Upside Down

by

Warning: spoilers for Stranger Things season 5.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things revealed some surprising details, but one particular revelation led to a heartbreaking story that the show ultimately didn’t tell. Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s most popular and critically acclaimed shows, and after five seasons of success, it has now concluded.

Season 5 of Stranger Things picks up 18 months after the events of season 4. The town of Hawkins is now under quarantine, with the military establishing a base both in town and within the Upside Down. Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, and her friends devise a final plan to defeat Vecna, portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower.

The plan involved destroying the Upside Down, which was shown to be a gateway to another dimension. The show also revealed that the military had been conducting experiments on pregnant women within the Upside Down, but this storyline was quickly dropped.

Stranger Things Season 5 Forgot About The Pregnant Women In The Upside Down

Image via Netflix

While stationed at the military base in the Upside Down, Hopper discovered Kali, who had been kidnapped by Dr. Kay and her team. Dr. Kay was trying to continue Dr. Brenner’s research, and Kali was essential to her plans. During a brief escape, Kali found herself in a room holding several pregnant women.

Okay, so the pieces really started falling into place in this episode. I discovered that the people at that facility weren’t just treating these women – they were giving them my blood! The idea was to create a new generation of kids with powers, but apparently, my powers weren’t strong enough to be passed on. That’s when Dr. Kay revealed the real target: Eleven. She figured if her blood was used, it would actually work, since she was Brenner’s most successful experiment. It’s a chilling realization – I wasn’t a patient, I was a donor, and Eleven was the prize.

The show briefly showed pregnant women trapped in the Upside Down during Kali’s flashback, but then completely forgot about them. The finale didn’t mention what happened to them when the characters decided to destroy the Upside Down, leaving their fate unknown – it’s unclear if they were rescued or perished.

The Duffer Brothers have revealed that the pregnant women all died when the Upside Down collapsed. Even if the Upside Down hadn’t been destroyed, they wouldn’t have survived the experiments they were subjected to, making their storyline the most heartbreaking part of Stranger Things season 5.

Eleven’s Sacrifice Makes The Pregnant Women’s Story More Tragic

Image via Netflix

In the final moments of Stranger Things, Eleven made the ultimate sacrifice to stop further experimentation and finally end Brenner’s work. This heartbreaking choice stemmed from the experiments conducted on pregnant women, who unfortunately served primarily as a way to motivate Eleven’s sacrifice and advance the plot.

As a huge fan of Stranger Things, it really bummed me out how they handled those other characters. It already felt awful seeing them suffer, but learning they were basically just plot devices to make Eleven’s potential sacrifice feel more meaningful was incredibly frustrating. Honestly, the writers could have easily found another way to raise the stakes for Eleven – maybe someone needed to stay behind and shut the gate from the inside – but they created this whole storyline that just… fizzled out. It felt unfinished and a bit of a waste, especially considering the characters involved.

Read More

2026-01-08 18:28