It has been over three years since the release of the final episode of the fourth season of Stranger Things. With that long of a wait, fans have been anxious to find out how their favorite show will wrap up with its final fifth season. As a result of the long gap between seasons, fan expectations have been higher than ever before. Did the final season live up to those expectations? Just wait and see.

For those who aren’t in the know, Stranger Things is a coming-of-age Netflix series that first aired in 2016. The show was set in the 1980s, centered around the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. There, a group of middle school boys uncover supernatural mysteries, secret government experiments, and a strange alternate dimension called the Upside Down to find their missing friend.

Fast-forward to season four, the main antagonist of the season, Vecna, had opened four gates across Hawkins, allowing the Upside Down to begin merging with the real world. Season five of Stranger Things brings all of the main cast alongside new characters, and old ones that may have been forgotten, together to defeat Vecna once and for all.

I enjoyed the main cast of characters from the prior seasons returning for the finale, as it gives the viewers nostalgia for older moments from the show. There was also a surprise character, that being Eleven’s “sister”, 008, who is known as Kali. The last time she was on screen was back in her single episode appearance in season two, episode seven, titled “The Lost Sister”.

For all the strengths the finale has, there was also a fair share of weaknesses that left fans divided. Many fans, myself included, were disappointed in this season’s dialogue and thought the script for this season sounded weak and “cringey”; the lackluster delivery from the cast didn’t help.

An example of this would be in the first episode of season five, where Dustin is bullied by some jocks and his friends Lucas, Mike, and Will come and save him. The script for this particular scene has a lot of backlash for being too cringey and personally I agree.

Overall, the series finale of Stranger Things had many mixed reviews. I was left disappointed and unsatisfied with the ending. It seems to me the ending was just safe and somewhat predictable, taking away the suspense and emotional feelings I felt watching this season.

Despite the flat series conclusion, Stranger Things is nonetheless a very strong and lovable show. I would highly recommend this show to anyone who is into Sci-Fi, drama, romance, action, horror, or all of the above.