By Alexandria Webb
“Stranger Things” is a Netflix original TV series that has a total of five seasons and has been on air for almost a decade. In December of 2025, there was news of the show’s finale, fans eagerly awaited the much-anticipated ending to the popular series.
At Grand Rapids Community College, there were mixed feelings about the finale, but most agreed that it could’ve had a better conclusion. For those who have not finished the finale, going forward, there are some spoilers as GRCC students explain their opinions on the finale.
“I didn’t like it, they could have added more,” said Precious Riley, 19, of Saginaw.
Although she is a long-time fan and noted that “Stranger Things” is one of her favorite shows, she was pretty disappointed with the outcome of the series.
“When they were about to kill Vecna in that little ending scene, it was just missing so much,” said Riley. She was not the only one highlighting the disappointment within the final battle between Vecna and the cast of characters.
“Oh, I was sad, the final battle was really short and kind of lame,” said Eliese Isenbek, 18, of New York. Isenbek commented that she had watched the show when she was younger and watched it because of nostalgia.
“I think it was more flat, cause they were child actors in the beginning, as they grew up some of the actors are now way better than the others,” said Isenbeck, in relation to how this season compared to past seasons of the show.
“I wish they could have added more of the demogorgons, the little monster things. They were really fun to watch.” Isenbeck said, when asked about what would be something she wanted to see more of.
Some expressed that while the ending was not impressive, there was underlying satisfaction with the finale.
“I think it wasn’t perfect, but the way that they wrapped up everything, I personally dug it,” said Noah Bashore, 28, of Grand Rapids. Bashore shared some other thoughts on what the finale meant to him.
“It had a counter culture of hope, despite the expectation of characters dying, and instead giving it a hopeful ending,” said Bashore.
Others found some things that they did enjoy about the series finale.
“I loved that in the end they showed all the characters afterwards and they all seemed generally happy,” said Isenbeck.
Moments during the finale resonated with Bashore, as he explained to me how growing up with the characters and finding similarities that relate to our lives. Such as some high schoolers during the 2020 pandemic never got the chance to have a graduation or say goodbye.
“The generation that grew up with this show could relate to this finale. They got to watch the people they grew up with have a high school graduation,” Bashore said. “The goodbye on the rooftop with the older kids really touched my heart.”
One “Stranger Things” message that seemed to resonate with viewers was that, despite the evil going on in our world, no matter your age, you and others can come together to take on any struggle.
It was “empowering for young people to see all these people come together and beat the bad guy,” Bashore said.
