Imagine this, you’ve waited for your favorite show to update 10 years after it began, waited 18 months for the final season to air, and then waited two months to watch the entire thing… just for it to be full of plot holes and lacking depth. Duffer Brothers, what was that?

In 2016, the Duffer Brothers took the world by storm with their hit sci-fi horror show “Stranger Thing” on Netflix. It follows kids from Hawkins, Ind. and their interactions with supernatural creatures while exploring friendship and love, good and evil.

Many were waiting for the final season of the show, which was expected to answer long-standing questions from seasons prior while also delivering in the drama department. However, many were left disappointed by the results. Despite the finale being full of action and suspense, the show had to rely heavily on nostalgic elements to make up for an ending that lacked meaningfulness.

When the final season began, no one could’ve guessed that it would all go downhill. The first four episodes were amazing, with the fourth episode providing maybe one of the best scenes in the show’s history.

They picked up 18 months after the fourth season ended, and did so well. All the characters were reintroduced, conflict is set in place, and it’s tense and suspenseful from the get go. The ending of episode four left many fans impatient waiting for more, but not much more was given.

The second set of episodes disappointed many, but not because of an untimely death or poor choice made by a character, but because none of that happened. In fact, nothing happened, period.

The only time I was thoroughly entertained was when Nancy and Jonathan were about to die. But they didn’t. They were fine. This scene alone describes this round of episodes perfectly: lots of anticipation, lots of close calls, but nothing ultimately happens.

Then we were on to the finale. As someone who’s easily entertained and still enjoyed watching, I could tell that this entire thing felt almost like filler. Which, to be honest, made me even more excited for the finale because all that filler couldn’t have been for nothing, right?

Wrong. The final battle fans have been waiting for since season 1 is rushed, the only death scene was predictable, one final yet underwhelming question remains and that was really it.

People thought the finale was so bad that they came up with the conformity gate, which hypothesized that the finale wasn’t real and that a new and better one was soon to come.

One reason the finale and the season as a whole disappointed fans is that the episodes were released in three separate parts. Fans had time to come up with their own theories, which were debatedly better than the real finale. Even as someone who started the show late, I also had my own predictions and expected tons of emotion, crazy plot twists, and at least the demise of Steve.

It also left fans time to notice more plot holes than they probably would have if they binged the season in a night. The Duffers were left saying in post-season interviews that all these plot points supposedly “happened off screen” in an attempt to fill these holes.

Another thing that made the finale feel lacking was the pre-finale interviews that made it seem like fans were about to witness the greatest thing ever shown on screen. Five confirmed deaths? Starting and ending with Will? Where was that? If we hadn’t heard the interviews, we might not have minded as much. 

My hottest take about the season though, even after all of that, is that it wasn’t actually that bad. Vecna’s death was too quick, but it was so exciting and thrilling. The plotholes were not as bad as I think some fans say they are (who genuinely needs to know what happened to Suzie?). 

But more than anything, the show delivered what we’ve loved all along. 

“Stranger Things” is good not just because of the monsters or the characters, but because of the nostalgia. The 80s songs, the clothing, the hair and even the houses. 

Nothing, of course, could beat the music.

Unlike other aspects of the finale, “Purple Rain” by Prince did not disappoint. Watching El break the news to Mike while the guitar slowly picks up in the background: perfection. Even better was “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, aka my favorite song ever, playing right after. You better believe the waterworks started immediately.

The final season featured other perfect choices. Songs like “Fernando” by ABBA and “Upside Down” by Diana Ross not only contributed to the overall vibe of the show but also played very well to the scene in which they accompanied. The ending credits being “Heroes” by David Bowie came full circle, and it was fun to hear the staple song from season one again.

The Duffer Brothers disappointed many, and I think this nostalgia has much to do with it. This show has been a part of many people’s lives since 2016, making it a link to their own childhood and therefore more impactful than a normal show might be.

But however you might feel about the ending of “Stranger Things,” one thing is undeniable: the show has given us ten years of unfiltered, raw nostalgia, and I, for one, am satisfied. The Duffers played it safe, sure, but it wasn’t so much a show they were producing, but a feeling. And even when the story lacked, this feeling never went away.