Stranger Things has drawn to an epic and emotional close, with a dramatic two-hour finale that briefly jammed Netflix's servers. Viewers rushed to watch the final episode, which concludes the 10-year run of the sci-fi horror series, as it was released at 01:00 GMT.
Some fans also attended special cinema screenings of the finale in cities across the US and Canada, several of which were attended by the show's stars.
Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things first aired in 2016 and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.
The dramatic two-hour series finale, titled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, initially overloaded Netflix servers. Several fans said they were shown an error message as they tried to play it - something that often happens with big new releases on streaming platforms.
But the episode was soon restored and viewers were able to watch a finale that included massive battle scenes and emotional tributes that brought in all five seasons, giving closure to the characters that we've fallen in love with over the years. The finale left you on the edge of your seat at moments and had you both cheering and crying in others.
Do not read any further if you do not want to know what happens in the finale of Stranger Things.
In the finale, we see an epic final fight that requires all the characters to finally defeat Vecna and the Mind Flayer before worlds merge and Hawkins, Indiana – and Earth as we know it – is taken over. We don't see dramatic deaths in the core group of stars we've come to love over five seasons – though we did see the death of Kali (Eight).
What happened to Eleven, though, is up for interpretation. She is left with an impossible choice. At first, viewers are left to believe she chose to remain behind in the Upside Down as it explodes and is demolished forever in order to eliminate the possibility of being used to create more children with powers like hers.
But later, in a lengthy epilogue scene, Mike Wheeler takes us down another possibility - Eleven using Kali's illusion powers to make it seem as though she died before making a grand escape. He says he thinks she finally made it the place they talked about running off to – a land with three waterfalls. Mike says it's what he likes to believe – and each member of their Dungeons and Dragons party – Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max – all agree that they, too, believe.
It's a fitting end that leaves open the possibility that Eleven, too, has a happy ending. The epilogue takes us 18 months into the future after the Upside Down is demolished and Vecna – and the Mind Flayer – is defeated. We see Hooper and Joyce get engaged and the older crew of teens talk about their lives in university and in their careers. It's a happy ending for everyone.
But even with such an epic finale, there are certainly holes in the story that weren't fully explained in the last episode. It's sure to be a finale that pleases some fans and has others wanting more.
Some fans also attended special cinema screenings of the finale in cities across the US and Canada, several of which were attended by the show's stars.
Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things first aired in 2016 and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.
The dramatic two-hour series finale, titled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, initially overloaded Netflix servers. Several fans said they were shown an error message as they tried to play it - something that often happens with big new releases on streaming platforms.
But the episode was soon restored and viewers were able to watch a finale that included massive battle scenes and emotional tributes that brought in all five seasons, giving closure to the characters that we've fallen in love with over the years. The finale left you on the edge of your seat at moments and had you both cheering and crying in others.
Do not read any further if you do not want to know what happens in the finale of Stranger Things.
In the finale, we see an epic final fight that requires all the characters to finally defeat Vecna and the Mind Flayer before worlds merge and Hawkins, Indiana – and Earth as we know it – is taken over. We don't see dramatic deaths in the core group of stars we've come to love over five seasons – though we did see the death of Kali (Eight).
What happened to Eleven, though, is up for interpretation. She is left with an impossible choice. At first, viewers are left to believe she chose to remain behind in the Upside Down as it explodes and is demolished forever in order to eliminate the possibility of being used to create more children with powers like hers.
But later, in a lengthy epilogue scene, Mike Wheeler takes us down another possibility - Eleven using Kali's illusion powers to make it seem as though she died before making a grand escape. He says he thinks she finally made it the place they talked about running off to – a land with three waterfalls. Mike says it's what he likes to believe – and each member of their Dungeons and Dragons party – Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max – all agree that they, too, believe.
It's a fitting end that leaves open the possibility that Eleven, too, has a happy ending. The epilogue takes us 18 months into the future after the Upside Down is demolished and Vecna – and the Mind Flayer – is defeated. We see Hooper and Joyce get engaged and the older crew of teens talk about their lives in university and in their careers. It's a happy ending for everyone.
But even with such an epic finale, there are certainly holes in the story that weren't fully explained in the last episode. It's sure to be a finale that pleases some fans and has others wanting more.
