Stranger Things creators explain divisive ending to season finale

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Stranger Things finale

It's New Year's Day which means that a lot of people are dealing with the consequences last night's choices - and drinks.

But for Stranger Things fans, it means that the long-awaited season five finale, the final episode of the series, is finally out.

While Americans on the East Coast were treated to an 8pm release on New Year's Eve, us Brits had to wait until 1am to view the highly anticipated finale.

Millions of fans still loaded Netflix up though, and watched as the 1980s-inspired series came to a close after almost a decade on our screens.

Throughout season five, fans were given answers to a number of questions about Vecna and the Upside Down, but a lot of these still hung in the balance as people were glued to their screens at the turn of the new year.

What happens in the finale?

The gang headed up the radio tower in 'The Abyss' to take on Vecna and whatever else they might face, while Eleven, Hopper and Kali attempted a different assault from afar, using the water tank in Hawkins lab.

Fans have become more familiar with Vecna's origin story as time has gone on, while the antagonist also stole 12 different kids from Hawkins to try and bring a doomsday plan to fruition, which involved crashing The Abyss into Hawkins for a new world to be made.

But it was finally time for Vecna and the gang to face off, as the gang realised that they'd have to fight Vecna and the massive 'mind flayer' who we saw in season two after coming into contact with Vecna in a cave as a boy.

The gang were in trouble until Eleven showed up, fighting Vecna inside the beast, taking him down thanks to Will's new powers and help from Joyce with her axe.

Bullets and fire put an end to the mind flayer, with Kali being the only one to die after the military gunned her down but as they went back to Hawkins, it was revealed that Eleven planned to sacrifice herself to make sure the military wouldn't use her blood to make others like her.

This was seen by fans as they were shown pregnant women being experimented on in the lab in the Upside Down.

The Duffer brothers opened up on their decisions behind the finale (Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix)

What have the Duffer brothers said?

We see the kids graduating from high school and heading off to university or college, but a final Dungeons and Dragons campaign meant that Eleven's fate was left up to interpretation by fans, as fans wondered if she had cleverly escaped.

Speaking to Netflix, the show's creators, the Duffer brothers said that when it comes to Eleven, 'she lives on in their hearts, whether that’s real or not', when speaking about our show's heroes.

Ross Duffer explained: "There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end. For us and our writers, we didn’t want to take her powers away."

He added that 'she represents magic' and specifically, 'the magic of childhood'.

"For our characters to move on and for the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to come to a close, Eleven had to go away," Ross said, adding: "We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didn’t give them a clear answer to whether that’s true or not."

Matt Duffer went on: "And the reality is, if Eleven is out there, the most that they could hope for is a belief that it’s true because they can’t be in contact with her. Everything falls apart if that were the case."

He noted that 'it’s about Mike and everyone finding a way to move past what’s happened'.

Fans were left feeling short-handed after the finale of the Netflix series (Netflix)

How was the finale received by fans?

Speaking about the episode itself, Matt noted that 'we don’t have to spend any time talking', as it's action from minute one.

He added that the only way they could defeat Vecna was if 'everyone contributes in some meaningful way'.

"In that sense, it also feels very much like the climax of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, where every character has a special skill, and they’re able to bring it to this final fight," he said.

The pair also explained that Joyce is responsible for killing Vecna, as she 'was the first one [in Season 1] to really take action', pointing out that 'something strange' was afoot.

Fans were also treated to a b*dass line from the character, who is played by Winona Ryder: "You f***ed with the wrong family."

Despite a number of powerful moments, some fans were left unfulfilled by the ending to the series, with one calling it 'one of the weakest series finales I have ever seen'.

Another said on X: "The Duffer brothers saying no one predicted the stranger things finale when it was the most predictable finale ever."

A third added: "This Stranger Things finale was so bad the main villain getting killed by guns and fire."

While some fans were at peace with the endings, it looks like the vast majority have been left slightly underwhelmed.