We've all had a few days to sit with the Stranger Things finale, and the reaction has been mixed. For every hardcore fan who felt like they were bawling their eyes out at the end, there was an annoyed TikToker aggressively listing all the plot holes the episode left in its mad dash to the finish line. In other words, how you felt about Stranger Things overall likely determined how you felt about its ending. What, though, seems like the best way anyone could have ended the series was the way Stranger Things did. There wasn't a tonal shift; no dark, dinosaur-style allegory; no "it was all a dream" St. Elsewhere-style cop-out; no Blade Runner-style final bloodbath. Stranger Things died the way it lived — full of spectacle and sentiment (and chronically clumsy mythology and too many characters). By doing so, Stranger Things managed to hit the bullseye. Will this episode become as beloved as Breaking Bad, or as widely discussed as The Sopranos? Almost certainly not. But at the same time, it managed to avoid the pitfalls that left Dexter and Game of Thrones in the dirt. Looking back, it did a few things exceptionally well. First, it managed to wrangle the absurd sprawl that had been breaking episodes, spreading what seemed like an infinite number of characters across what seemed like an infinite number of locations, dimensions, and dream landscapes. It had gotten so bloated that no one could do anything because they constantly had to remind each other where they were and why. This presented a much cleaner narrative. It was a group of characters against a massive spider, and the spider lost. Everyone got their moment in the spotlight; especially Winona Ryder, who got a chance to chop off Vecna's head after spending half a decade paying dues to stand on the sidelines and look bewildered. The final fight looked surprisingly good and felt appropriately high-stakes. Fans who had watched over the past decade as Stranger Things had ballooned might have been relieved. The second big plus was remembering that this was originally a show about kids. The finale was full of flashbacks to the cast's pre-pubescent selves — a clever move. After Stranger Things debuted, we'd all watched as the young actors grew physically and in terms of popularity. Their little and innocent glimpses, unaware of the global fame tsunami that was about to hit them, were undoubtedly very poignant. Plus, the 18-month jump had given everyone a chance to play their own age. You can imagine the relief of tears Caleb McLaughlin must have felt, knowing he wouldn't have to wear that flat-top wig for a few scenes. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/704c18f37e25f762034e289fb8d37e56c73e63c4/0_0_3840_1920/master/3840.jpg?width=1920&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none Even so, what was my most memorable moment of the finale? Probably the moment I glanced at the clock and realized it still had 30 minutes left. By then, we were already deep in Denouementland, where each character had their own elegiac farewell. Steve had become a teacher. Dustin got to be relatively obnoxious at the prom. Erica had honed her bomb-making skills. Joyce and Hopper got engaged. The army politely ghosted and never bothered anyone again. And Eleven either lived or died, depending on your personal preference. And so it went, with endings piling on top of each other so extravagantly that the actual meat of the episode became a distant memory. It made it the Lord of the Rings model. There were so many endings in this episode that I briefly considered ranking them, before realizing that would require rewatching them, and honestly, who has the time? https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6e2f1aabe7ebb36e85162989bef6b5c2c376f1b9/385_0_3455_1920/master/3455.jpg?width=1920&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none But, despite being exhausting, it was faithful. After all, this was the finale for millions of people who had taken this strange little mess of 1980s references, originally created as a one-season wonder, and grown it into a monster so large that new episodes literally broke Netflix. So, did Stranger Things land? Well, no, because in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't count as a landing. We're now in 2026, and the biggest crime a media corporation can commit is letting established IP die. The Duffers have already confirmed they're working on at least one Stranger Things spinoff, and if that's too far off, an animated series (Stranger Things: Tales from '85) is coming out this year. In short, forget the concept of Stranger Things ending. As long as it can be milked for money, there will be no landing.