The online fandom of Stranger Things has become utterly certain that the show is set to announce a secret extra episode today, but until a new hint was recently unravelled, I simply was not convinced.
Stranger Things ended with its final episode on New Year’s Eve, a two-hour episode of TV generally liked by most fans but despised by the most ardent superfans.
This led to the theory called ‘Conformity Gate’, the idea that the ending to Stranger Things was a fake ending and that everything we saw in the finale was a vision Mike was given by Vecna.
Fans have pointed to the change in colour of a lever in the WSQK Radio Tower, the way extras sat at the graduation ceremony, and even fallen for fake posts showing a graphic for ‘Chapter Nine’, and honestly, none of it convinced me.
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For Netflix to undo their own ending, this would set them back millions, p*ss off every fan who actually liked the finale and would risk a full-on fan revolt for the benefit of pulling off a ruse that no one actually asked for.
Whilst I’m still not convinced that a secret episode is coming today with no official hype behind it, there is one clue linked to The Truman Show which has sold me more than the rest and has convinced me there might be something coming soon from the show.
‘Conformity Gate’ has led fans to tear apart every frame of the show, with one post picking up on something in the background of a finale scene.
When Robin returns as Rockin’ Robin after the finale time jump, most fans are focused on the emotions being brought out by the scenes showing how Hawkins has recovered from the whole ‘the ground opened up and terrifying dog monsters jumped out and ate lots of people’ thing.
What many didn’t notice, however, was the exit sign above her head. This was then present in Will’s scene in the future, Lucas and Max’s, as well as Joyce and Hopper’s dinner.
For those not in the know, this was a major motif in The Truman Show, and fans have now linked this in a way which is pretty convincing.
The Truman Show centres on a fabricated story in which the main character, Truman (Jim Carrey), is trapped in a live TV show, completely without control.
Fans understandably have connected this to Mike, considering the theory is that he's being shown a 'fake ending'.
Add the exit signs to episode eight, ending with Mike walking up the stairs (ala Truman), and an earlier scene where Murray held up products as if there were a secret advert the viewer was unaware of, and it seems like there are genuine legs in the connections between the two.
The important thing to note, however, is very simple: if the show does have a secret spin-off, an extra episode, or anything of that sort, it won’t be dropped out of nowhere.
The show has been a huge success, though, and, no matter what the Duffer Brothers say, Netflix is not known for leaving money on the table, so they will likely be planning more follow-ups we don't yet know about.
The growing details pointing towards something more going on with the Stranger Things finale are undeniably compelling and could instead be a sign of an as-of-yet unannounced spin-off or sequel series.
What they aren’t, however, is a sign that Netflix are going to drop a three-hour episode today with no notice or warning, no matter how much we might be hoping they will.