Stranger Things (2016)

If video is not shown you can watch it here.

If you have not seen Stranger Things and want my spoiler free review you should check the video above. In this post I expect you have seen it or don't care about spoilers. Usually I have written spoiler free version and made video with spoilers. This time video was published first so I go this way.

Stranger Things have seven good episodes and last one which is ruined by ending. I had only one issue with first seven issues. Hopper's actions should have had some consequences but there is nothing. He fights other police men and breaks in top secret facility without any consequences. He can do anything. Nobody says him anything. It feels odd when Jonathan is arrested after a fight. It felt like only reason for it was to get Hopper and Jonathan to meet.

Ending is not the only issue in last episode. Before ending characters conveniently go where they need to be. They may not have good reasons to be there but they are needed there so they go there. This is most obvious with Jonathan and Nancy going to Jonathan's home to kill the monster. They went there to have Steve come there too.

Why would you build monster trap into your home and potentially destroy your home? Lights are not good reason enough. They could have set lights elsewhere. They used blood to get the monster. They could have done that elsewhere. And they don't kill the monster. Monster survives and goes to school for some reason.

In case you have not seen the series here is briefly what is going on before I go into ending. Superpowerful human guinea pig called Eleven has opened doors to alternative universe. Monster from alternative universe has killed and taken humans to its universe. First one was Will Bryers, Hopper and Will's mom are looking for him in alternative universe. it sound weird as written here but in series it works and there is bit more into it but this is enough to know before I get into ending. I won't go into government agency story arch because it is not important in the end.

The monster is now in school where Eleven is. Eleven destroys monster and disappears doing it. At this point it looks like Eleven sacrificed herself to save others.This seem to close the door to the another universe. Series doesn't make this clear but it is heavily indicated. Hopper, Will and Will's mother were in alternative universe when this happened. We never saw them come out but they are in our universe few moments afterwards. How they got back?

Heroes have small moment together with Will. When Hopper leaves the hospital shady agents take him away hinting he has to pay for what he has done and the deals he made. If Stranger Things ended here it would have had some plot holes. But it doesn't. It wanted to have bigger plot holes.

We jump one month ahead. Everything is almost like it was before events of the series. Hopper is still alive. Nothing he did had any consequences. It is hinted Eleven is still alive. So she didn't die after all? What actually happened when she killed the monster? We jump to Will who sees flashbacks from alternative universe. He pukes little monster like in Alien movies. Unlike in Alien movies he doesn't die. He is like nothing happened.

Before one month jump story had conclusion. After it the setup for second season was made. By conclusion everything we needed to know was revealed and story arcs had ended. They only opened many new plot holes with one month jump. If there will be second season they have to start almost everything from beginning and do many things again. Ending is mess because Stranger Things doesn't know if it was ongoing series or did it end after one season. It tries to be both.

All I have said here may make Stranger Things sound like bad series. It is not. That's why I am so disappointed at the ending. Even with this ending it is good series.