Stranger Things
Jan 06, 2026•22 min
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Summary
NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour panel dissects the ending of Netflix's Stranger Things after five seasons. Critics praise the ensemble cast and visual spectacle but express disappointment over the repetitive and increasingly outlandish storyline, particularly highlighting plot holes, wasted characters like Linda Hamilton, and the convoluted lore involving the Abyss. They scrutinize the ambiguous ending for Eleven and the excessively long, fan-service-driven epilogue, suggesting the show struggled to provide a satisfying conclusion while managing its expansive narrative.Episode description
After five seasons and almost ten years, the saga of Netflix’s Stranger Things has reached its end. In a two-hour finale, we found out what happened to our heroes (including Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard) when they set out to battle the forces of evil. The final season had new faces and new revelations, along with moments of friendship and conflict among the folks we've known and loved since the night Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) first disappeared. But did it stick the landing?
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