Stranger Things 5: Was It Really Good or the Ending Was a Bit... Strange?
- onay.ceren.2011
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Stranger Things is a TV show that takes place in 1983 Indiana, Hawkins. It explains a failed science experiment and some kids that are friends with Will who was taken by a Demogorgon on November 6. After he gets lost, things never go back to normal for these kids. Stranger Things was first released in 2016 and it put out its finale on January 1 2026. But fans are disappointed about the finale. By the way, as a huge fan I stayed up until 4 AM to watch it but I really didn’t think it was worth to stay up late. So in this blog i will be sharing why the audience wasn’t happy about the ending and the Conformity Gate Theory.
Firstly let me do a quick recap on the show.
Season 1: In the small town of Hawkins, a boy named Will Byers disappears. His friends search for him and they meet a mysterious girl called Eleven, who has telekinetic powers. They discover a dark parallel world called the Upside Down. Will is eventually rescued, but something dangerous remains.
Season 2: Will struggles with visions from the Upside Down, showing he is still connected to it. A powerful creature called the Mind Flayer threatens Hawkins. Eleven learns more about her past, and the group works together to close the gate again.
Season 3: A new mall opens in Hawkins, but strange things start happening. The Mind Flayer returns in a new form. The friends face danger while secret experiments continue. They manage to stop the threat, but Hopper is believed to be dead.
Season 4: The group is separated and faces a new villain, Vecna, who attacks using people’s fears. Dark secrets from the past are revealed, and Hawkins is left deeply damaged, setting up a final battle.
So, this was the recap for the first four seasons. Everything was pretty good until season five.
After waiting for years the fact that they used AI to write the finale was pretty absurd. But now let me tell you about the Conformity Gate Theory. This theory came out after people started watching and disliking the final episode. The theory was based on small details like peoples posture or even the restaurant names in the episodes. People actually thought that there was a secret ninth episode coming on 7 January 2026. Which of course didn’t come out. Now let’s check some proof of the Conformity Gate Theory.
The first thing that was noticed was in this scene everybody was holding their hands like the main villain: Henry Creel.
After this, people noticed that in the final scene when Will, Mike, Max, Lucas and Dustin played their last round of D&D, they all put their books in a shelf one by one and it gave out the date 7th of January in Roman numbers.
This detail is what made people think that there was a secret ninth episode. These two were the main reasons why the theory came out. However, there are so many other details that people caught , including me.
There are scenes from past seasons like Eddie who says Vecna lives while they are playing D&D. But the main reason why i thought it wouldn't end like this was that the main villian was killed in only 6 minutes. Moreover, it wasn't even the end of the episode - it was right in the middle.
Furthermore, I have some thoughts that I haven't seen being discussed on the internet. If we check the theater of the show,The First Shadow, we clearly see that Henry wasn't a bad kid. The Mind Flayer took control over him. He knew he was going to die but when Will asked him to join them, the good side, he rejected it. Maybe he knew he wasn't going to die. He knew everything was a part of his plan and it was just an illusion.
After I thought of these, I kind of believed that there would be a last episode because it was such a good series with so many fans and it really left everyone disappointed after so many years of watching it. If i was the writer, I really wouldn't have ended it like this. But, I mean, it’s still been a wild ride for all the fans and actors. Even though there won't be any of the original cast in the spinoff, I am pretty sure we will all love the new stuff coming out.
This is the Broadway show's trailer. If you didn't watch it, you can pick up new stuff by watching.