Thoughts on the Stranger Things finale
- I believe. I get that the Duffers deliberately left it open, but I feel like there's more evidence to support El being alive than not. Her ability to pull Mike into the void, despite the kryptonite. The fact that neither she nor anything on her is moving in that crazy maelstrom going on in the gate. The fact that there's no 011 tattoo on her arm (though we only get a good look at that when Mike is telling the story, which could mean he's imagining that). And even the fact that they shot the waterfalls scene on an actual location in Iceland, when they could have just CGI'ed it or picked a closer/easier location suggests (to me) that the Duffers see this as real. (I also wonder if they wrote Mike's description of the "three waterfalls" AFTER finding/choosing this location (which would also seem easier). The forethought of that would also suggest that this isn't just a coping fiction.
- Also, you can definitely see (even the first time we see it, before they even finish Vecna) that Kali is lowering the gun when Hopper is talking about El's future. She's started to change her mind. And speaking of Kali, having her make it possible for El to escape gives her character MUCH more of a purpose. Without that, she doesn't do all that much except hide the kids from Henry. She got quite a bum rap her entire time on the show, and I love to think of her doing this for her sister so that at least one of them can have a life outside the nightmare of their childhoods.
- I LOVE that they didn't give us a villain redemption moment. I thought it was important that he was given an opportunity for one, with Will empathizing with this little boy who was used by an overpowering evil. But Henry rejects that and says nah, I'm evil. Try me, bitch. All-timer villain for me.
- The needle drops in this episode were AMAZING. In particular, the one-two punch of "When Doves Cry" (I SCREAMED) and "Purple Rain" (I SOBBED) were the chef-est of kisses. I swear, I've probably heard "Purple Rain" hundreds of times since that album came out (41 YEARS AGO), but I'm certain I won't hear it ever again without thinking of that scene. That is saying something. This whole show was a love letter to Gen X and this finale probably more than any other episode REALLY pushed my nostalgia buttons. Not just for my 80s childhood but for my second one in the Potter fandom.
- This was always a "PG-13" show (yes, it's technically TV-14, but it's the same thing). Which means they get one non-sexual f-bomb. This show used it perfectly, and I'm SO GLAD they gave that moment to Joyce. Not just the f-bomb, but the fact that she's the one to finally kill Vecna. WINONA FOREVER!
- Speaking of Winona, don't think I didn't notice that homage to the rooftop scene in REALITY BITES (which not only starred Ryder, but also Maya Hawke's dad).
- My biggest complaint is that Linda Hamilton's character wasn't more developed. As much as we all hated Brenner, most people could still see that he at least cared about El in his own demented way. I like how smart Dr. Kay is, but I wish she'd been less one-note evil.
There are so many great moments in that finale, that I couldn't possibly get to them all here, but I also have some thoughts on the small slice I've seen of this show's fandom. And hoo boy, did this bring up some familiar stuff.
On Byler: This was Harry/Hermione all over again, in many ways. Though more complicated, since there are many fans who are gay themselves and have so few experiences of queer storytelling to sustain them. I can't help sympathizing a bit with them for hoping for it. Having said that, it could not have been plainer that these shippers got too attached to fanfic and fan theories, grasping at the tiniest things that could be molded into something that allowed them to keep hope alive. Yes, queerbaiting is a thing, but Stranger Things is not an example of it. Will was suggested to be gay from the very first episode, and then turned out to be. Vicky was suggested to be gay in Steve's and Robin's conversation about Fast Times and boobies, and she turned out to be. Robin doesn't apply here, because she's never suggested to be any particular orientation until she reveals it to Steve. Mike is not once suggested to be gay, and in fact the majority of his story arc revolves around his love for Eleven (even before it's really romantic). No question there need to be lots more queer love stories -- especially ones that don't end in tragedy and death (see Heated Rivalry for an incredible recent example) -- but for a relatively mainstream show, ST did pretty dang good. (Also, you'll pry my 'Murray and Mr. Clark are lovers' headcanon from my cold dead hands -- they were sitting together at the graduation!).
But in a broader sense, so much of the negativity about this season and the finale feels like temper tantrums because people didn't get the exact specific thing they wanted or expected. NEWBS. The number of people who are grasping at but completely missing the meta of the D&D game at the end is ASTOUNDING. People think Max flipping tables is the Duffers admitting what they've written is stupid (WTF?! If they thought it was stupid, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN IT THAT WAY.). This is BEFORE the actual ending of the campaign, btw, when all hope is lost and everyone thinks there's nothing they can do to rally. The nihilistic ending is what she hates. Max calling the "comfort and happiness" ending trite is a DIRECT commentary to anyone who thinks the show's ending is trite. And the show has Mike convince her (and us) that sometimes a happy ending is exactly what is needed.
Which brings me to one of my biggest beefs with the finale response. I'm not sure when we decided as a culture that the only way to indicate stakes is to kill off a bunch of characters. (People are blaming Game of Thrones for this, but there's a reason "Jossed" used to be shorthand for a creator killing off your faves.) What could be more high-stakes than the possible end of the world and reality as we know it? I felt the danger at every moment, even though I suspected all of our heroes would make it. Heck, I'd SEEN the paparazzi pics of Joe Keery in the epilogue, and my heart still stopped when Steve fell from the tower.
In the end, we got a Lord of the Rings-style eucatastrophe ending. Almost everyone lives, but our main hero's fate is more bittersweet. It's also obviously styled after all our favorite 80s movies. The good guys win, and all's right with the world. I couldn't be happier.