Stranger Things season 5, our take: an ending that lives up? What works, what divides
Season 5 · Take · Review
A series ending is always judged twice: on what it tells, and on what we expected. Season 5 had the misfortune of being awaited three and a half years, and the merit of keeping its promises on almost everything. Here is our take, successes and reservations, and what the audience held onto.
The essentials
- Verdict: a great season, a finale that splits on one point
- The success: Will, finally at the center; the Max and Holly duo
- What divides: Eleven's fate left open
- What you keep: the epilogue, character by character
Contents
What works
The first merit of the season is that it did justice to Will. For four seasons, the boy who vanished in 1983 only suffered; the fifth makes him the key character, the one who sees, who commands the hive, who talks to Henry from the inside, and who finally says who he is. The episode 4 scene where the Demogorgons fall is the strongest of the season.
The second is the Max and Holly duo in Camazotz: two prisoners, a teenager and a child, who save each other. Sadie Sink and Nell Fisher carry episode 6, and Max's waking, with no music, is the most moving moment since Eddie's death.
The Will Byers T-shirt, the character of the season.
In the shopWomen's oversized Will Power T-shirt25,90 €See the product
The epilogue, the real success
The finale could have settled for the battle. It gives each character a last scene, in May 1989, and that is where the show wins: Dustin and his speech for Eddie, Hopper asking Joyce to marry him, Steve become a coach, Will leaving to live freely, and a last game of Dungeons and Dragons that answers the first scene of 2016. Few shows close that cleanly.
| What the season pulled off | What divides |
|---|---|
| Will at the center, at last | Eleven's fate left open |
| Max and Holly in Camazotz | The split into three volumes |
| The May 1989 epilogue | Nancy with no one, the triangle with no answer |
| Joyce and the axe | The finale's titan, judged too much or not enough |
| Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay | Kali back to die |
What divides
The breaking point is Eleven. She stays in the collapsing Upside Down, does not appear in the epilogue, and the show lets Mike believe she is alive without showing it. For part of the audience, that is the only possible ending for a character they spent five seasons locking up. For the other, it is a dodge. We lean toward the first reading, with one reservation: ten seconds of image would have been enough.
Other reservations: the split into three volumes, which broke the momentum between episodes 4 and 5; Kali's return, too brief for the death she is given; and the Nancy-Jonathan-Steve triangle, settled by an amicable breakup that some found too tame.
Joyce's axeGiving Joyce the last blow rather than Eleven came as a surprise. We stand by it: the show started with a mother looking for her son, it had to end with her.
What the audience said
The first two volumes were praised almost without reserve, for the pace and for Will. The finale divided, as all finales divide: social media split between “the perfect ending” and “they did not dare,” with Eleven at the center of every debate. Professional critics mostly retained the epilogue and the performances of Noah Schnapp and Sadie Sink.
Our verdict
A great season, the most ambitious with the fourth, and a finale that makes a choice rather than pleasing everyone. What it is blamed for is a choice; what it is owed is an ending. Four seasons out of five of the show are excellent; the fifth honors them.
The Max figure, for episode 6.
In the shopLego Max Mayfield mini figure and her red bike14,90 €See the product
What the critics wrote, numbers in hand
On the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season shows 82 % favorable reviews on more than 160 critics, for an average score of 7,2 out of 10; the site's consensus talks of a show that "plays its cards exactly right" and consolidates its status as a classic. Metacritic, which weights the scores, gives 71 out of 100 on 32 reviews, or "generally favorable" notices.
The first volume was praised for its entertainment, its humor, and its emotional charge, with reservations about the plot, the length, and a certain immaturity. The Guardian and Empire gave it four stars out of five; IndieWire a C+. The second volume and the finale divided more: four stars from the Times, which speaks of a “jewel in the crown” while judging the plot “increasingly implausible,” three from the Guardian, two and a half from USA Today, which describes a season “between thrilling and irritating.” IGN defended the finale as a moving and satisfying conclusion.
The audience's two controversies
The first hit episode 7. Its long Will coming-out scene earned the episode a campaign of negative ratings on several sites, mixed with criticism of the writing and the pacing. The Duffers explained that the scene had been planned since the first seasons, and rewritten so Will would speak in front of the whole group; Noah Schnapp described it as “liberating.”
The second came after the finale: the theory of a secret ninth episode, expected on January 7, 2026. Nothing came out that day, and the platform even slowed under the influx of the curious. The show's accounts finally confirmed there would be no other chapter. That rumor says a lot about the open ending of Eleven's fate: part of the audience did not want to accept it as an ending.
What the season earned
The season was nominated in a long list of craft categories: cinematography, costumes, editing, makeup, visual effects, music. The sound mix of the last chapter and the sound editing of “Sorcerer” were recognized by professional sound organizations. It also figures among the drama series cited by the GLAAD Media Awards, for the handling of Will's arc.
The documentary One Last Adventure, released on January 12, 2026, completes the picture for anyone who wants to judge the season on the evidence: it shows the 237 days of filming, the final table read of the script on September 8, 2024, and each actor's last shots.
The last-season poster.
In the shopKids' Max Mayfield jacket42,90 €See the product
TakeawayWill, finally at the center: the season's success. Max and Holly: the most moving duo. The epilogue closes every fate. Eleven's fate: the only real fracture point.
Frequently asked questions
Is Season 5 a success?
Yes, for us: Will at the center, the Max and Holly duo, and an epilogue that closes each fate. The only point that divides is Eleven's fate, left open.
Why does the ending divide people?
Because Eleven stays in the Upside Down without the show showing her death or her survival; some see in it the only possible ending, others a dodge.
What is the best episode of Season 5?
For us, episode 4, "Sorcerer," for Will's scene, and episode 6 for Max's waking.
Is Season 5 better than Season 4?
Tighter, shorter, more moving; season 4 keeps the best villainy with Vecna's curse. The two are even.
What score does season 5 have on Rotten Tomatoes?
82 % positive reviews from more than 160 critics, with an average of 7,2 out of 10. Metacritic shows 71 out of 100.
Why was episode 7 poorly rated?
A campaign of negative scores targeting Will's coming-out scene, mixed with complaints about the pace. The scene had been planned since the first seasons.