Most of the fans seemed to have been thrilled with the way Stranger Things ended, so let me preface this by saying, I thoroughly enjoyed this season and its finale. Will accessing Vecna’s powers and connecting with him through the hive mind was awesome to watch. I loved most of the action and interaction. Loved the teen graduation, Dustin’s valedictorian speech, Hopper’s proposal, Steve’s coaching and the reunion of Lucas and Max.

But there were a few things that didn’t sit well with me.

1) I don’t want the end of the final chapter of the final season to be whatever I want to believe.

2) I don’t like that someone who is different and persecuted needs to sacrifice herself (literally commit suicide) for the greater good.

3) A good villain doesn’t get owned again and again.

4) A lot of blabbering during critical moments drives me crazy.

5) Inconsistencies regarding Vecna’s powers and those of all his predatory creatures confused me.

6) Forty-minute epilogues are too long and can easily be pared down.

7) One-man army, Hopper, had the chance to kill Dr. Kay and the soldier who killed Kali. He had more than enough chances. Instead, it was partly his fault that Kali and El died. And I loved Hopper, so .

8) In case I didn’t make this clear enough, Dr. Kay needed to die.

A little more in-depth:

Jane (El) Hopper deserved a happy ending, especially after the beautiful words exchanged between her and Hop. But even a confirmed death would have been better than a maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. Sweet Mike’s story was gorgeously poetic and definitely a crowd pleaser, and it’s not that I don’t appreciate or understand it. It’s just that suggesting that certain events were not real sets the stage for endless possibilities. I mean, Kali could be out there, too. And even Vecna… I mean, they killed him in pretty much the same way as before, and he returned. He had the power Kali had to make others see what he wanted them to see.

Speaking of Vecna, Jamie Campbell Bower has been insanely good and deserved better. Who else was disappointed when they teased that “it wasn’t him” only to make him double down on his complicity? Who else wanted him to realize he’d been used and help the kids? I also didn’t need Joyce looking unhinged with that axe.

Next, the Will character has always been a favorite of mine so I was happy about him coming out to his friends and family. It was beautifully done, especially when his mom told him she would never abandon him, and he responded with, “Okay, okay,” nodding and crying. The response he got from Jonathan and his friends had me in tears. That was incredibly moving. However, I do think the scene was dragged out a little. They were in the middle of an urgent life or death situation. He didn’t need to talk about “his Tammy” since no one but Robin and the audience knew what he was talking about. The mention of his crush on someone who wasn’t that way could have been resolved with Mike at some point. It might have been better to have that scene before he killed those beasts.

Same deal with the un-proposal—urgent situation, too much blabbering, and in that case, I didn’t care in the same way I cared about Will.

The casting for this show was spot on from the beginning. The main characters were true to themselves, consistent, and consistently endearing. They truly warmed my heart.

So, overall, I loved Stranger Things. The series will always be one of my favorites. It’s been fun, exciting, binge-worthy, and thoroughly deserving of all the enthusiasm and excitement it has generated for the past ten years.

Image by Amateur Artist from Pixabay