The last episode of Stranger Things is getting very mixed reactions: many fans feel the series sticks the emotional landing but stumbles badly on plotting, pacing, and stakes. Overall sentiment online leans toward “good ending, uneven episode.”

Overall verdict

  • Many viewers think the finale emotionally works, offering a sweet, reflective send‑off that shows where the characters end up and leaves Eleven’s ultimate fate intriguingly ambiguous.
  • At the same time, a lot of fans and forum posters criticize the episode itself as clumsy, overstuffed, and oddly low‑stakes for a supposedly apocalyptic showdown.

What people loved

  • Character wrap‑ups and epilogue : The extended epilogue (often described as 40–50 minutes) is widely praised for giving space to say goodbye, glimpse the characters’ futures, and end on a warmer, hopeful note after a dark season.
  • Emotional beats: Moments like the group reaffirming their love and support for Will after he opens up about his identity really landed for many viewers, who describe the scene as touching and relatable even if the timing felt awkward.
  • Sense of closure: Even some harsh critics of the episode agree that the ending (as in the last stretch, not the whole hour) feels like a satisfying resolution to the larger Stranger Things story.

What people hated

  • Plot holes and logic issues: Fans repeatedly mention glaring logic problems, like the military conveniently letting the kids walk away, which undercuts both the stakes and Eleven’s sacrifice.
  • Lack of real stakes: Multiple commenters complain about fake‑out deaths, very few serious injuries, and an overall feeling that the main cast is “too safe,” which makes the final battle feel less intense than earlier seasons.
  • Weak villains in the finale: Some think Vecna/the Mind Flayer are oddly easy to beat in this last chapter, with details like bullets suddenly mattering where they didn’t before, making the big bads feel less terrifying and more incompetent.

Character and pacing problems

  • Too many characters: Long‑running criticism peaks here; viewers argue that the cast is bloated, leaving some characters sidelined or reduced to plot devices (Kali is often cited as an example, used more as a “spell‑casting object” than a person).
  • Forced or mistimed moments: Even people who liked Will’s coming‑out scene say it felt oddly placed right before a major fight, turning what could have been a perfect moment into something slightly contrived in context.
  • Uneven focus: Some fans feel the finale underuses long‑standing relationships (like Jonathan and Nancy) while trying to service too many arcs at once, creating an episode that feels overlong yet strangely rushed in key confrontations.

Where the fandom seems to land

  • Positive camp: Calls the finale “a 10/10 ending” or even a masterpiece, arguing that the emotional payoff, nostalgia, and sense of closure more than make up for structural flaws.
  • Negative camp: Labels it “one of the worst‑rated” Stranger Things episodes, pointing to lazy writing, coincidence‑heavy plotting, and tension‑free action that do not match the show’s earlier highs.
  • Middle ground: Probably the largest group—viewers who are disappointed in the episode but still happy with the ending , saying it’s a “bad episode, not a bad ending” that lets them walk away mostly satisfied despite frustrations.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.