‘Stranger Things’, the hit sci-fi series that came to an epic conclusion on New Year’s day, has garnered some rather mixed reactions online. After 10 years of following the cast on their adventures into the Upside Down, fans were keen to catch the finale to see how the story ends. The frenzy was enough to even crash Netflix. However, after watching the emotionally charged finale, some were left rather ‘disappointed’. The three-part season sparked backlash online, with many viewers comparing its conclusion to the widely criticised ending of ‘Game of Thrones‘.
Fans slam ‘Stranger Things’ finale
Almost immediately after the final episode aired, social media platforms were flooded with posts of fans expressing disappointment, frustration and disbelief over how the story wrapped up. Several viewers accused the makers of wasting years of buildup to end it the way they did. Some even went as far as declaring that ‘Stranger Things’ had now joined ‘Game of Thrones’ in the list of shows with infamous finales.“They Game Of Thrones’d the finale. Sickening,” one user tweeted.Another wrote, “Thought Game of Thrones had the worst finale, but #StrangerThings has gotten the win. What a waste of time!”
Netizens call ‘Stranger Things’ a ‘waste of time’
Criticism centred on the show’s handling of its final battle sequence, the death of the supervillain, pacing, and emotional sequences. One viewer remarked, “By defeating the main villain with guns and fire within few minutes? And this buildup for 9 yrs ? They could have done it in season 1 or 2 . Game of Thrones >>> #StrangerThings”.Others took shots at the scale of the ensemble and the abandoned storylines of some rather interesting characters. “In regards to the final episode, there’s no stakes and there’s no emotional impact. As for the whole show, the cast just got too big. Characters and plot lines just got left behind and killed the shows pacing in later seasons,” read one post.“That’s sh** was BAD not as bad as game of thrones but still very bad that sh** could of been an email it’s giving the umbrella academy 10 long years for that naw,” a user wrote, while another added, “Stranger things season 5 gotta be the second worst season to a tv show I have ever seen. Right behind game of thrones you might as well just sleep through it bc trust me when I say you didn’t miss a thing.”
Stranger Things compared to Game of Thrones
The comparisons to HBO’s fantasy epic kept coming with fans upset over the 10-year wait to watch the bunch of teens defeat a villain who has been calling all the shots since season one, and doing so without any casualties or deaths. Many likened it to ‘Game of Thrones’ considering that the show also made fans wait 8 seasons only to see Daenerys Targaryen become the ‘mad queen’, and being killed off unceremoniously while Bran Stark, of all characters, was crowned King.“After what we’ve just seen, the criticism of Game of Thrones’ final season makes no sense anymore,” one fan commented, while another joked, “congratulations game of thrones finale you found your soulmate #StrangerThings finale”.Even Millie’s reaction to a question of the season finale was lined to Emilia Clarke‘s when she was asked about the ‘GOT’ finale. One shared a clip and wrote, “Millie Bobby Brown had the same reaction as Emilia Clarke when they were both asked about the endings of Stranger Things and Game of Thrones respectively LMAO. They both tried to warn us”.Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things debuted in 2016 and quickly became a global pop-culture phenomenon, launching the careers of its young cast. While the series enjoyed massive success, the brothers, hinted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that fans should not to expect a Game of Thrones-style bloodbath. They warned, “We’re not in Westeros. I love Game of Thrones, but it’s just a very different type of show than that. There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation.”
