New Stranger Things Trailer Isn’t What Fans Expected, and Netflix Gave Everyone a Heart Attack

It’s been less than a week since the premiere of the Stranger Things series finale, and though many were happy with the end result of what the Duffer brothers brought to the screen, some fans weren’t as thrilled. That unhappiness has given way to a bizarre conspiracy theory, one that is in keeping with the Dungeons & Dragons roots of Stranger Things and which posits that there’s an actual secret episode for the show, one that serves as the ACTUAL ending to the series. It has taken on the name Conformity Gate, and Netflix definitely stoked the flames of it this morning with a new Stranger Things trailer.

On Monday, Netflix uploaded a new trailer online, with a thumbnail that includes the cast of Stranger Things playing Dungeons & Dragons like they were doing in one of the last scenes of the series. It had only two words in the thumbnail, “Official Trailer,” prompting many to believe the conspiracy was true and that a first look at this secret episode had actually been revealed by the streamer. In fact, this “One Last Adventure” trailer that was released may be a surprise drop from Netflix, but fans hoping for that one last episode will almost certainly be disappointed with the footage here.

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The two-minute-long trailer released by Netflix today reveals that the big surprise arriving this week for Stranger Things fans isn’t the actual, super-secret series finale that they had been hiding, but a making of documentary about the creation of the final season of the hit show. One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 Documentary is set to arrive one week from today, Monday, January 12, and will seemingly detail a myriad of moments from the development and writing to filming and completion of the final episodes of Stranger Things.

There’s some choice footage shown in the trailer, with a lot of crying from the cast, but also seemingly a lot of access to the Duffers themselves along with series executive producer Shawn Levy. The Duffers are even heard on camera at one point teasing, “There was a debate in terms of Eleven’s fate,” perhaps indicating that the documentary will detail story points and details that were considered but abandoned, which is sure to make some fans wish for an alternate reality.

Of course, what’s especially noteworthy about the “One Last Adventure” trailer is how it has tricked everyone. The comments on the video are littered with fans who were not only convinced that the conspiracy of “Conformity Gate” was real, but who even watched a lot of the trailer, thinking it may still be true. “You know everyone had a heart attack,” one of the top comments on the video reads, with another admitting, “thought this was the ninth episode trailer for a sec.” Even fans that weren’t convinced by “Conformity Gate” admitted they were briefly tricked, with one user writing: “My fking heart dropped when i saw the word TRAILER and saw the thumbnail, thought it was the hidden episode When i didnt even believe it lol.” (sic)

Suffice to say, the journey for Stranger Things has ended, at least this iteration. The show’s long-in-development spinoff appears to still be a priority for Netflix, along with the animated TV show that will premiere this year. Next week will be the last time that fans will get to see their favorites on set and in costume when One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 Documentary premieres.