The Stranger Things Ending Is a Masterclass in Cowardly Writing

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This article contains spoilers for the ending of Stranger Things.

The final season of Stranger Things feels surprisingly flat, especially considering how much the show used to focus on intense emotional moments and real consequences for its characters. It’s not that the ending lacked emotion or was too subdued—the problem is that it consistently avoided making any truly impactful decisions or seeing them through.

The Stranger Things ending doesn’t feel like a conclusion. It feels like a studio-approved shrug.

Okay, after nearly ten years of work, a massive budget, and a whole lot of anticipation, this series… just kind of ends. And it doesn’t really end end, you know? Instead of giving us clear answers, it throws out a bunch of ‘maybes’ and basically asks us to interpret everything ourselves. Honestly, it feels like the creators were more worried about avoiding backlash than delivering a satisfying conclusion. It’s a frustrating experience, because it feels like they were desperately trying not to upset anyone, even if it meant sacrificing a strong, definitive ending.

That’s not bold storytelling. It’s cowardly writing.

“You Decide” is a Cop-Out

Sometimes, leaving questions unanswered can actually work well. When done intentionally, a little mystery can spark conversation. However, the creators didn’t just hint at things – they deliberately focused on unresolved plot points.

Consider Robin and Vickie – their relationship was a significant part of the show, receiving plenty of screen time and emotional focus. Despite being asked directly about their fate after the final scene, the show’s creators deliberately avoided giving an answer.

According to Ross Duffer, the flash-forward scene in Mike’s storyline shows the characters up to a specific point, but the writers intentionally left their ultimate fates open for fans to speculate about.

When pressed further, he added: “Do Robin and Vickie stay together? Maybe, maybe not.”

Matt Duffer followed up by grounding that indecision in real-life statistics.

He wondered how many high school couples stay together once they go off to college, and from what he and his friends had seen, the answer was ‘very few’.

After completely damaging their connection, he added a final, uncertain comment: “But… things could still change.”

This isn’t about a complicated story; it’s about the writers dodging a difficult task. They established a relationship and made it seem important, but then avoided giving it a satisfying conclusion, leaving the audience to figure things out for themselves.

That alone would be irritating. Unfortunately, it wasn’t limited to a side romance.

Eleven’s Fate Deserved an Answer—Not a Riddle

The show’s biggest missed opportunity was with Eleven, who has been the central character since the beginning. Her storyline should have been the emotional core of the finale, but instead, it felt like just another distraction.

In a major moment of the finale, Eleven seemingly gives her life to destroy The Upside Down. However, Mike suggests a different possibility: that Eleven actually survives and goes into hiding somewhere new. The ending leaves it unclear which version of events is the real one, letting viewers decide for themselves.

When asked directly about what actually happens to her, Ross Duffer offered this explanation:

“She lives on in their hearts, whether that’s real or not.”

Read that again. Slowly.

That is not an answer. That is a Hallmark card wrapped around a dodge.

The show doesn’t clearly show whether Eleven lives or dies. Instead, it gives viewers a confusing, open-ended scene and expects them to accept it. Mike’s complicated explanation is the key – it’s worded in a way that allows both those who believe she survived and those who think she didn’t to support their views.

Cowards.

Afraid of Backlash, So Nothing Is Confirmed

Looking at the bigger picture, it’s clear the ending of Stranger Things isn’t unclear because the story needed it to be – it’s unclear because the show’s creators were hesitant to make a definitive decision.

  • Confirm Robin and Vickie broke up? Risk upsetting activist fans invested in that same-sex pairing.
  • Confirm Eleven died? Risk backlash over killing the face of the franchise.
  • Confirm she lived? Risk complaints that the ending lacked stakes.

So instead, the Duffers chose the safest possible route: confirm nothing.

Series finales should offer closure. Endings are meant to definitively conclude a story, showing us what happened, why it was important, and what the consequences were.

Simply telling viewers to ‘make up their own minds’ doesn’t give them power – it’s the writers avoiding their own job of providing a clear message.

Viewers Aren’t Co-Writers

What’s frustrating is that fans weren’t the ones paid to create the ending for Stranger Things – the creators, the Duffer brothers, were.

Viewers were engaged and cared about the story, willingly accepting its established framework. However, the ending felt like it avoided the consequences of its own decisions and didn’t deliver on the promises made throughout the narrative.

Avoid leaving storylines unresolved or character developments incomplete and expecting the audience to fill in the gaps. That’s not creative artistry – it’s simply avoiding the risk of negative feedback by pretending it’s a clever approach.

You know, it’s funny, I used to love how bold Stranger Things was. In the beginning, they weren’t afraid to make tough choices – characters actually died, relationships fell apart, and those things mattered. But somewhere along the line, it feels like the show lost its nerve. It stopped taking risks and now seems more concerned with pleasing everyone than telling a truly honest story.

A Finale That Refused to Finish

The problem with the Stranger Things ending isn’t that it’s melancholic or subdued. It’s frustrating because it avoids making firm choices. It tries to feel like a satisfying conclusion without actually committing to one, leaving viewers with unresolved feelings.

In trying to offend no one, it ends up satisfying far fewer.

After a long wait, fans weren’t looking for mystery – they wanted a satisfying conclusion. Instead, they received an ending that felt deliberately drawn out and safe, seemingly crafted to avoid controversy rather than offer a real challenge.

And for a show that once thrived on bold choices, that may be the most disappointing ending of all.

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2026-01-04 19:59