Stranger Things has responded as a viral theory about a secret final episode continues to gain momentum online.
It's been a week since we said goodbye to the characters in Hawkins but it seems as if fans aren't ready to give things up after a divisive ending to the hugely popular Netflix series.
After nearly 10 years of build-up, the final episode on New Year's Day left some fans feeling a little underwhelmed after the gang was able to defeat Vecna and the 'Mind Flayer' without much trouble, before successfully living happily ever after.
Of course, there was dispute over whether or not Eleven survived after Mike proposed a theory of how she might have escaped the military's clutches. However, other than that, there were no major deaths whatsoever, which left some fans confused, considering the Duffer Brothers' promise of season five being 'very brutal' and 'violent'.
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Although it could well be a coping mechanism, a number of theories have gone viral in the week since the finale was released, which the online community are now dubbing 'Conformity Gate'.
It suggests that a new secret episode could well be released today (7 January) because of a significant number of discrepancies which suggest that Vecna might well have been in control all along.
In the past few days, fans have rightly pointed out that the colours were off with several things, which we see in Vecna's dream world when Holly points out that the playground Merry-Go-Round isn't yellow as it should be.
The Squawk handle changing colour might seem innocuous but fans also reckon that is a hint that something wasn't quite right in what we thought was the real world.
We've also seen the numbers one and seven throughout the series - whether it be the numbers associated with Kali and Vecna, Will rolling a seven to be killed by Vecna in their Dungeons and Dragons game, or simply the time shown on a clock in a recent picture of science teacher Mr Clarke - which is why fans are holding out hope that we might see something drop today, since it's the seventh day of the first month of the year.
Other theories have suggested that Mike might be in a dream, which is why he notices that things are a little off at the graduation, where extras are also eerily staring straight at the camera and appear to be holding a pose which is associated with Henry Creel.
One of the major theories around this however stated that Netflix were set to announce the new episode today, January 7, as part of their #WhatsNext event.
LADbible, however, understands that this is not set to be part of Netflix's announcements today.
Although there are a lot of questions that fans still want answered, and there is hope that the Duffer Brothers wouldn't be sloppy with some of these details in the conclusion of their creation, it seems as if Stranger Things is well and truly over, and not just because it isn't set to be announced in the #WhatsNext event.
The Netflix show currently has TikTok and Instagram bios that read 'ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING', which seems as clear evidence as any that we won't be getting a new ending.
Actors, including Noah Schnapp, have also suggested that things have been wrapped up, and that we truly do have to accept that most characters got the happy ending they probably deserved.
He told the Hollywood Reporter: "Once I wrapped, I felt it was time to let Will go. Now I’ve really made peace with it, and especially sharing these final episodes with the fans, the fact that these stories have been told and the journeys are done."
While they've made it clear, you could argue that Vecna just wants us to believe that it's over, and it would really be one of the best moments in TV history if a new secret episode was released this evening.
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, TV
James Moorhouse