- Stranger Things Season 5 comes to an end with everyone receiving a happy ending in their own way.
- The kids are doing well for themselves, Jim and Joyce are getting married, Will comes out of the closet and is comfortable in his skin, and Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin are friends again.
- However, it is unclear what exactly happened to Eleven, but if Mike’s theory stands true, she is alive and somewhere safe.
Stranger Things has finally concluded with the release of Season 5’s finale after an epic run that won over millions of fans worldwide. Since Season 1, several subplots or character-driven plots have been running parallel to the main story of the show. One of the truly commendable things Stranger Things has managed to achieve is giving each of these subplots a conclusion. While some of these conclusions were good, some were rather bittersweet, and here, let’s take a look at what happens at the end of Stranger Things Season 5 and how the finale’s ending concludes subplots.
Vecna Receives a Brutal Ending
Eleven comes to the rescue of the Hawkins gang by entering the Abyss, where everyone else is taking on the Mind Flayer with bombs and fire grenades. Nancy Wheeler plays the role of the bait to distract and weaken the Mind Flayer. Meanwhile, Will displays his powers once again and hurts Vecna as he is about to attack Eleven. She overpowers Vecna, and Joyce takes an axe to attack Vecna, who is ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the gang. At the end of the fight, we see the severed head of Vecna, confirming that he has been defeated finally.
Will Finally Comes out of the Closet and Is No Longer Afraid
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Netflix, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
One of the biggest subplots that received a somewhat bittersweet conclusion was that of Will’s. It was revealed that Will is gay and likes his best friend, Mike. However, considering the time period in which the show is set, being homosexual was a taboo in society, which became the root cause of Will living in a constant state of self-doubt, which became the root cause of his falling under Vecna’s control. However, in Stranger Things Season 5.
Will finally comes out to everyone he loves and cares about and is accepted with an open heart by each one of them. Moreover, Mike figures out that Will likes him, and while he can’t share the same feelings, he reassures Will that he will always be his best friend, no matter what. By the end, Will is comfortable in his skin and is out in the world to explore his life.
The Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan Love Triangle Reaches a Heartfelt Conclusion
Since the previous season, one of the most tense subplots for fans was the one where Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan were caught in somewhat of a love triangle. This caused a major conflict between Steve and Jonathan while also completely shredding the relationship shared by Nancy and Jonathan. However, in Season 5, we see that while their relationship was over, Jonathan and Nancy never really got closure, but this season gave them the much-needed closure in Episode 7.
In the finale of Stranger Things Season 5, we see Jonathan and Steve somewhat letting go of their conflict and starting to become friends. By the end of the show, we see that Nancy, Steve, Jonathan, and Robin are all living their lives to the fullest and are happy in their own way. Most of all, they are friends even after everything that happened to them and between them, which I believe is something fans would appreciate.
Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers are Finally Getting Married
Starting as a simple Sheriff, Jim Hopper might just have turned out to be one of the most hardcore characters in Stranger Things. The kind of character arc he has been through turned him into nothing less than a G.I. Joe; however, under all the badass-ness, there’s a man whose love life with Joyce Byers was put on hold because of everything that has been happening around him. After an explosive run, Jim finally proposed to Joyce Byers to marry him, and obviously, she said yes.
Eleven Gets a Rather Bittersweet Ending in Stranger Things Season 5
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Stranger Things, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
By the end of Stranger Things Season 5, we see that Eleven stays in the Upside Down and goes down with it. However, Eleven does not die in the Stranger Things finale . Mike believes that the Eleven they saw die was not real and an illusion, a last mirage created by Kali so that everyone would think Eleven died and would stop coming after her and her loved ones. According to Mike, Eleven escaped alive and is now somewhere safe and sound, but away from Hawkins to keep herself and her loved ones safe.
The Kids Graduate and Are Now Making a Life for Themselves
The lead characters of the show, Mike, Will, Lucas, Max, and Dustin, have successfully graduated from high school and are paving the way ahead in their lives. Dustin is a star student in college, Lucas and Max’s relationship is flourishing, and Mike becomes a writer chronicling the epic adventure he and his friends have been through. Overall, all the kids whose lives were disrupted by everything happening around them have it back on track and are doing well for themselves.
So, with that being said, Stranger Things Season 5 concluded not just the main story of the show but also everything that has been happening with its characters. Fans have loved and cared about these characters since Season and watching each of them receive a happy ending in their own way might just be the best way to conclude a franchise like Stranger Things.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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Stranger Things is over; yeah, it’s really over. The final episode of Season 5 has just arrived on Netflix, and boy, it was surely an exciting journey. And now that it is over, fans may find it hard to move on from the brilliance of Hawkins and the Upside Down. Well, if you’re in the same boat of sadness, here are some other TV shows like Stranger Things you should watch now.
1. Dark
Image Credit: Wiedemann & Berg Television (via Amazon)
- Release Date: December 1, 2017
- Director: Baran bo Odar
- Cast: Jonas Gerzabek, Louis Hofmann, Andreas Pietschmann, Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Ella Lee, Maja Schöne, Lena Urzendowsky, Angela Winkler
- Seasons/Episodes: 3/26
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.7/95%
Dark might seem different from Stranger Things on the surface, but if you dig deeper, you might discover why we chose it for this list. It is a small town mystery, with missing children driving the plot. On the other hand, like the Upside Down mirrors Hawkins in Dark, you will see different realities existing in layers.
Dark revolves around four interconnected families, who are connected to each other across multiple generations. After a child goes missing, a hidden passage is discovered beneath the caves of the town of Winden. The series shows that a generation’s past sins are never buried; they are simply passed on to the next.
2. Fringe
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television (via Amazon)
- Release Date: September 9, 2008
- Director: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
- Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Mark Valley, Seth Gabel
- Seasons/Episodes: 5/100
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.4/91%
Now, you might love seeing Dustin talking about Parallel Universes, time, and every other sci-fi mumbo-jumbo. Well, you’ll see that all of that is discussed in Fringe. This show revolves around unexplained crimes linked to advanced science. In the show, they call it the “fringe science.”
Overall, Fringe is a TV show like Stranger Things that will surprise with its complexity, and of course, with its several alternate dimensions that ultimately threaten humanity. Sure, you don’t get a band of kids fighting off the inter-dimensional threat, but you still get amazing characters like Olivia Dunham, Walter Bishop, and his son Peter.
3. The Umbrella Academy
Image Credit: Dark Horse Entertainment (via Amazon)
- Release Date: February 15, 2019
- Director: Jeremy Webb, Paco Cabezas, Peter Hoar
- Cast: Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, John Magaro
- Seasons/Episodes: 4/36
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%
The Umbrella Academy may not be as popular as Stranger Things, but believe me, it’s an awesome show that features some amazing band of characters. In Stranger Things, we have one or two superhero kids, and in The Umbrella Academy, every character has some sort of superpower.
The film centers around the Hargreeves siblings, who reunite after the death of their adoptive father. Each one of them has some ability, and one way or another, the siblings are dragged into tackling issues like alternate timelines and the end of the world. Of course, The Umbrella Academy might’ve disappointed many of us fans in the end, but if you can digest an underwhelming end, it’s for sure an amazing show to watch.
4. Alice In Borderland
Image Credit: Robot Communications (via Netflix)
- Release Date: February 15, 2019
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, Dori Sakurada, Sho Aoyagi, Riisa Naka
- Seasons/Episodes: 3/22
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%
Honestly, if you have Netflix and you still haven’t watched Alice in Borderland, then you are seriously missing out on one of the best TV shows like Stranger Things. Alice in Borderland is a Japanese show that centers on a group of people stuck in what we’ll call an alternate dimension. These people have to take part in a variety of deadly games to make it out alive.
Yeah, in a way, Alice in Borderland is a mix of Squid Game and Stranger Things. But of course, don’t expect to see any flesh-eating monsters in this one. Still, the mystery around Borderland and the people running this place is as great as the mystery of Upside Down .
5. Archive 81
Image Credit: Atomic Monster (via Netflix)
- Release Date: January 14, 2022
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal, Matt McGorry, Martin Donovan
- Seasons/Episodes: 1/8
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.3/87%
Compared to Stranger Things, Archive 81 is a slow-burning horror that leans more towards a serious side. The show is basically Dan Turner, who is trying to restore the videotapes recorded by Melody Pendras. The events recorded in these videotapes lead Turner on a mystery hunt where he comes across threats like alternate dimensions, occult rituals, and a cult.
Sure, Archive 81 may take some time to grab your interest, but once it does, you stay in it until you see it to the very end. It not only entertains you with a variety of characters, but it also questions you on every stage by making you question what’s real or not.
Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.
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