Stranger Things brought the Hawkins gang’s story to a close back in December, but there’s a new release to look forward to next month. Unfortunately, it’s poised to make Stranger Things Season 5 even more controversial. Like many popular TV series, Stranger Things split its fan base with its ending. Some viewers appreciated the way it wrapped its decade-long story, but others found fault with everything from the lack of character deaths to the contradictions surrounding the Upside Down.
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The criticisms of the ending have died down a bit since Stranger Things Season 5’s three-part release at the end of 2025. However, a new addition to the franchise is likely to reignite the complaints and potentially make them worse. Although Netflix’s first Stranger Things spinoff proved a surprisingly pleasant expansion of the world, the series’ next release will bring us back to Season 5 — and in a way that backfired on another massive show.
Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 5 Comes Out in July
Netflix is releasing the scripts for all the seasons of Stranger Things in book form, and the last addition to this series comes out on July 14. Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 5 will offer fans a bound copy of the final outing’s scripts, along with an introduction from creators Matt and Ross Duffer. It’s a nice addition to any diehard fan’s collection, especially alongside the other four books. And TV and film scripts can make for intriguing reads, even for those who have seen the finished product before. As they include descriptions and notes, they often recontextualize certain scenes and bits of dialogue.
In practice, the actors use these details to enhance their performances. Released after the fact, they can push fans to look at things in a whole new light. Of course, that makes this upcoming Stranger Things release as worrying as it is exciting. Publishing the scripts is a fun way to build on the excitement surrounding the Netflix series’ ending. However, depending on what the scripts say, they could make some of the biggest complaints about the final season worse. It wouldn’t be the first time additional context made a show more controversial in hindsight.
The Stranger Things Season 5 Scripts Could Make Some of Fans’ Biggest Complaints Worse
Viewers may have critiques when watching Stranger Things Season 5, but their interpretations are based entirely on what’s shown on-screen, as well as the conclusions they draw from that. That means intentionally ambiguous things like Eleven’s fate can be read into as much or as little as fans would like. And the developments that are given clarity are straightforward, even if they’re unpopular. The scripts may elaborate on such elements in satisfying ways, but they could also have the opposite effect.
The details in the Stranger Things Season 5 scripts risk making certain developments more contentious, depending on how they explain things. They could render certain reveals more confusing via context that isn’t included in the actual show. They could also feature commentary that adds to fans’ frustrations. It’s happened before with Game of Thrones Season 8, which angered people more with its explanations for incidents that were originally left open to interpretation.
Releasing Scripts & Commentary Already Backfired on Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones doesn’t have bound and published books showcasing its scripts, but HBO released the Season 8 scripts at the Writers Guild Foundation Shavelson-Webb Library in LA following its 2019 run. Fans were eager to pick them apart, and they were also willing to share issues they found with their new discoveries on sites like Reddit — some of which revived previous complaints or actively made them worse.
For example, Drogon burning the Iron Throne in the Game of Thrones finale is one of those details that fans can analyze endlessly. Many deemed it symbolism for burning the hierarchal structures of Westeros, while others saw it as a condemnation of the power struggle that killed Daenerys. These interpretations already faced backlash for being heavy-handed. However, the Game of Thrones Season 8 scripts claimed that Drogon’s actions were the result of wanting to “burn the world,” eliminating that deeper meaning behind his actions. That revelation made viewers even more exasperated with something they’d already been mixed on.
Things like this make script releases risky, particularly for shows already facing fans’ ire. If fans are already annoyed with certain aspects of a series, they’re likely to find further fault with more context. With any luck, Stranger Things‘ July release won’t face that problem — but until the scripts are public, the jury’s out on that.
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