Now that we’ve had a few days to digest that Netflix Stranger Things series finale, one thing has become abundantly clear…. Some “fans” are simply not satisfied with anything. For perspective – I love Star Wars, but the fan base is unquestionably one of the most toxic fan bases out there. Sadly, based on social media reactions to the Season 5 finale, the ST fan base appears have followed suit, and frankly that’s a shame. Fans are split on how the series wrapped, and I’ve come to the conclusion that social media is to blame. Things were a lot better when it wasn’t so easy for people to share their idiotic opinions (yes, I said it).
For this Gen-X writer, Stranger Things was a love letter to my youth. We were a feral bunch; riding bikes all across creation until the streetlights came on. Minimal parental control. Games in basements, hanging out at the mall, making mix tapes, you name it. The Duffer brothers nailed growing up in the 80’s. Granted, we didn’t have Mind Flayers or Demogorgons or Vecnas to vex our existence, but you get the point. Add in the supernatural overlay, and the show was as near perfect for many of us as you can get.
‘Stranger Things’ falls victim to Toxic Fandom
Was the finale perfect? Certainly not. But the way some have reacted on social media would make you think it was Game of Thrones finale bad. Some slammed Stranger Things for not killing off main characters. Others deride “plot holes” like how Sadie Sink’s Max could graduate with the rest when she spent so much time in a coma. (Apparently the notion of an eighteen-month time gap and the existence of tutors is lost on, well, a lot of people.)
My favorite was one commenter who said, and I swear I am not making this up: “the Duffers don’t understand their own product.”
*blink blink*
I’m sorry, what? The Creators of Stranger Things don’t understand their own product? Um, no. What you’re saying is “I made stuff up in my own head canon and the show didn’t meet my vision so therefore the creators don’t understand it.” Get over yourself, pal. Seriously. I am one-hundred percent confident that the Duffers fully understood their own creation. So why can’t you? Is it really so hard to just sit back, relax, and actually enjoy something? Do you really need explanations for every last detail? Can you not simply accept that Robin and Vicki broke up off screen? Or that Dustin and his long-distance girlfriend grew apart? I mean, the entire town was occupied by the military with a gateway to another world, and you’re mad about those insignificant details?
Take a breath, keyboard warriors. It’s a fictional TV series, one that brought a whole lot of joy to whole lot of people. If you have to nitpick every last aspect of Stranger Things and can’t simply enjoy it, well, that says a lot more about you than it does the show.
For me? I’ll just say…. I believe.
All episodes of Stranger Things are now streaming on Netflix.
That Hashtag Show
