Stranger Things has finally wrapped up its final season. The back of the series finale, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” focuses on sending the main characters off in grand fashion. Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max are all graduating from high school, and while they’re terrified about what the future might hold, they find solace in the fact that they still have each other. As for Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin, they’re in a similar boat, reuniting after months apart and agreeing to get together every so often because their new friends just don’t cut it in the shared-trauma department.
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Of course, not every character in Stranger Things gets to ride off into the sunset. Eleven sacrifices herself to ensure that Dr. Kay and her cronies don’t get what they want, and her sister, Kali, also goes out in a blaze of glory. However, they get off easy compared to Vecna, who takes a severe beating before having his head chopped off. That’s not to say he deserves better, as he’s a monster hell-bent on destroying the world. But Stranger Things tries to have its cake and eat it, too, when it comes to Henry Creel’s origin, and it doesn’t work out in its favor.
Stranger Things Finally Explains the Cave
A good chunk of Season 5 takes place in Vecna’s mind. He kidnaps 12 kids from Hawkins and requests that they stay in his childhood home while he gets everything in place to destroy an evil monster that’s threatening them. Max, who Vecna put in a coma in Season 4, is also able to access the hellscape and gets Holly on her side, revealing the truth about her friend Henry. They hide out in a cave that Henry refuses to set foot in, but he has a change of heart in the finale. After chasing after the kids, Henry revisits a traumatic memory from his past: the moment he first came into contact with the Mind Flayer particles.
Stranger Things sparks a “chicken or the egg” debate over Vecna and the Mind Flayer, leaving it unclear which was really pulling the strings. The stage play Stranger Things: First Shadow sure makes it seem like the Mind Flayer is the one in control because Henry is doing all these awful things at its request. However, the truth isn’t so simple. When Will enters the Hive Mind in “The Rightside Up,” he feels the fear within Henry and believes that he can convince him to turn on the Mind Flayer. But Henry isn’t interested in becoming a traitor because he sees himself as the Mind Flayer’s partner, still believing in the mission to wipe out humanity. It’s a clean explanation, but it’s not the one the show needs.
Stranger Things Could’ve Sent a Strong Message About Kids Being Manipulated
The emotional core of Stranger Things is that kids are willing to step up when the adults around them fail to do so. As soon as Will goes missing, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin refuse to believe what everyone is telling them, and they uncover a conspiracy in the middle of their small town. They also bring Eleven into the fold, despite all her quirks, after learning that she’s been taken advantage of. The show nearly follows the same path with Henry, explaining that he was nothing more than a curious kid looking to help when he entered that cave. However, rather than going all in and giving Henry his redemption, it pulls back at the last second.
Had Stranger Things been brave enough to have Henry help in the end, it would’ve changed things for the better. For starters, Henry could’ve teamed up with Eleven and Will to stop the Abyss from destroying Earth, bringing all of their stories full circle. Going down that road would’ve also helped Joyce’s story, as she might’ve realized that the monster standing in front of her was someone she went to school with who had lost their way. Sure, Henry wouldn’t have been able to go back with them, but he could’ve sacrificed himself, which would’ve made him much more than the one-dimensional villain he ended up as.
Stranger Things 5 is streaming on Netflix.
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