Critics give their verdict on Stranger Things finale episode - and they're divided

The eagerly awaited Stranger Things finale is out now on Netflix, with viewers tuning in to watch how the chaos will unfold and whether they can stop the merging of The Abyss with Hawkins.

*Spoilers ahead of the finale*

Over the course of the 2-hour finale, fans finally get their answers and find out the fate of their favourite characters.

In the end, we see Vecna, aka Henry Creel and Mr Whatsit (Jamie Campbell Bower), killed by Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), then Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) is killed by Lieutenant Akers (Alex Breaux). After defeating the big bad, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) decides to stay in the Upside Down after the bomb that will destroy the place, and we see her share an emotional goodbye with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) in the void.

At the end of the episode, Mike and the gang play Dungeons & Dragons, where he shares his hopeful theory that Kali was able to cast an illusion of Eleven in the Upside Down so she could escape being hunted by Dr Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her army, and that Eleven can start a new life in a remote place where no one can find her.

What are the critics saying?

Netflix

All in all, critics have given the finale episode mixed to favourable reviews, with some divided on the ending, which saw the majority of characters survive. On IMDb, the finale episode currently has a rating of 7.9 out of 10.

The Independent's Nick Hilton gave the final episode three stars out of five with the headline, "In the end, the show lost its way in a maze of sci-fi bunkum." He described how "this fifth and final season has deviated so far from the show’s established character work, and become just another CGI rock’em sock’em adventure," but noted how "the Duffer Brothers just about manage to right the ship in the final act."

Meanwhile, The Telegraph's Ed Power gave it four stars, and commented, "Having lost its magic touch once or twice during this final run, the last-ever Stranger Things might so easily have been another underwhelming conclusion to a beloved series. But ultimately it delivers a sucker punch of emotion, as all proper goodbyes should. At the end of a decade of terrible television finales, here is a farewell that actually justifies the hype."

"Matt and Ross Duffer’s magnum opus came to a satisfying enough finish, while leaving room for the countless millions who care deeply enough about it — itself quite the accomplishment in our atomized pop culture era — to nitpick the thing to death. The creators probably know that’s fun or cathartic, depending on how much the show meant to you," wrote The Wrap's Bob Strauss.

The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han said, “This final extravaganza just hammered home for me why I’ve been so exasperated by this show lately, and so eager to see it end already. This is the ending of a series that’s completely run out of stream — that, having reached the limits of its curiosity and creativity, has turned around to burrow further and further into its own convoluted lore, throwing everything at the vine-covered wall in hopes that something might stick.”

The Standard's Vicky Jessop gave the episode three stars and wrote: 'Um… well, I have news. The meat of the action is actually wrapped up after an hour.

'And to be fair, the Duffers throw the kitchen sink at it: there are explosions, massive spider-monsters, the gang coming together to save the day and an epic final showdown between El and Vecna, even if it’s over so quickly that I half-expected him to pop back up at some point for a properly hardcore third act.

She added, "It’s a finale that shows off the best and worst instincts of this megashow. What there isn’t, really, is a sense that the gang are in any danger."

The finale episode of Stranger Things is now available to watch on Netflix.

Elsewhere from Indy100, The biggest reactions to the Stranger Things finale episode, and The only way to watch Stranger Things, according to its creators.

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