Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things season 5s
The Stranger Things finale delivered a heart-wrenching goodbye to one central character, only to leave things a little ambiguous by the end, but ultimately, it might not matter either way. After five seasons and ten long years, Stranger Things has finally come to an end, and what an ending that was.
The final season was released in three parts with a total of eight episodes, and one feature-length final episode clocking in at over two hours in runtime. With The Party finding their way back to each other and forming a plan to take down Vecna and get rid of the Upside Down, the stakes have never been as intense. Of course, with so much on the line, it was fitting that the central character of the series, Eleven, would put her life on the line, and, as fate would have it, to protect her friends and the world from further chaos, Eleven's life came to an abrupt end. Or did it? Later in the same episode, Mike provides some insight that suggests Eleven might have actually survived. The Duffer Brothers Are Leaving It Up To The Viewer To Interpret Eleven's Stranger Things Fate While the ending of Stranger Things offers viewers two contradicting scenarios, one where Eleven dies saving the world, and one where she manages to fake her own death and escape, it's a hard pill to swallow that there is no definitive answer. With any series finale, the story should be closed, but Eleven's fate hanging in the balance feels incomplete. However, the creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, have shared their reasoning for ending the story in that way. In speaking with TUDUM, they made a point of saying that, like The Party, they wanted to let the audience make a choice. People are free to believe Eleven died a hero, or to believe she lives on, free from persecution in a far-off land. How Stranger Things' Series Finale Suggests That Eleven Could Be Alive The Stranger Things finale has Mike recount a story about how Eleven managed to form a plan with her sister, Kali, shortly before returning to the real world. As Kali lay dying, she encouraged Eleven to return and live out a full life. This is a clear change in tone from her previous conversation with Eleven, but the final episode lays the foundation for this by having Kali witness Eleven and Hopper's heart-to-heart earlier in the same episode. In addition, it's hard to know the limitations of the powers of Eleven and Kali, but being present in the Upside Down and fueled with adrenaline, it is possible that they could have created an elaborate fake-out and convincingly closed the portal in order to convince the military that Eleven and the Upside Down were gone for good.Is Mike's Story About Eleven Just A Way To Keep Hope Alive? Mike's story is beautiful, and it provides a fitting end to the group's long-standing campaign. However, it is possible that it was just a story to both provide himself with a way of coping with the loss, and to keep the memory of Eleven alive even if she didn't physically survive. Eleven asked Mike in their final interaction to help the others understand why she had to do this. Maybe she meant sneaking away and leading a new life away from everyone she ever loved, but it seems much more likely that this moment was Eleven's final goodbye. Mike truly loved Eleven, and the bond they forged over the previous four years meant that Mike couldn't imagine a future that didn't have Eleven in it. With an 18-month time-lapse between her potential death and his sharing this idea with his friends, it seems unlikely that he had conceived of the story before that night. In fact, Mike had been struggling with the loss of Elle right up until graduation, before he had a moment of his own with Hopper, where he convinces Mike to find a way to move on. It's shortly after this conversation that Mike imagines a way that Eleven could have survived, and shares it with his friends. Even If Eleven Isn't Dead, Her Fate Is Still Sad In Stranger Things The truth is, if Eleven survived the destruction of the Upside Down, her fate in Stranger Things would still be an extremely upsetting one. Yes, she escapes persecution from the military, and maybe she finds a beautiful place to live. But she gave up everyone who mattered to her in order to find that peace. Subscribe to the newsletter for clearer Stranger Things endings Explore both sides of Eleven's ending by subscribing to the newsletter - get thoughtful analysis, competing interpretations, and context to help you decide whether she lived or died. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Her beloved Mike is forced to move on and create a life without her, her best friends all go their separate ways, and her adoptive father, Hopper, finally learns to accept the past and move on without her. But Eleven is alone again. After an entire life spent being an experiment, her fate is to live in fear of someone finding out the truth about who she is. She couldn't trust people the way she trusted the friends who survived the end of the world with her. She has no family, and her absence leaves a permanent hole in the lives of those she left behind. Eleven's sacrifice is far more meaningful than the idea that she lived on, and while the Duffer Brothers have left the door open for the audience, it just makes sense that she has finally found peace. And with that, Stranger Things has reached its inevitable ending.
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