Courtesy of Netflix

Mike, Lucas, Max, Will and Dustin play one last Dungeons & Dragons game.

Editor’s Note: Major  spoilers for “Stranger Things” Season 5 — read this story only if you’ve watched the whole series.

At 11, I learned from my mom that I was old enough to start watching “Stranger Things,” the popular science fiction television series that debuted on Netflix in 2016 and was the brainchild of two brothers: Matt and Ross Duffer. 

I quickly became invested in the show and soon became a huge fan of the franchise. As a 5-year fan, I have concluded that the best season was the third season, but in my view, the fifth season delivered a satisfactory, if controversial, ending.

Prior to the finale’s release, I liked how the fifth season’s plot was developing, adding a lot of excitement surrounding all the strangeness in Hawkins, Indiana. After watching videos of fan theories, since only side characters had been killed, I was sure that some of the main characters, such as Eleven and Dustin, would die. 

Throughout the ‘80s-era show, only minor characters had been killed. Even after killing off Jim Hopper, a beloved father figure for Eleven, it was revealed that he actually hadn’t died. While I didn’t want any main character to die, I felt it was necessary to keep the show interesting and dynamic.

My immediate reaction to the finale was complicated, and truthfully, an emotional rollercoaster. At first, I felt devastated as I supposedly watched Eleven die. 

Then, Mike goes on to tell his remaining friends, Lucas, Dustin, Max and Will, about how he believes that Eleven faked her death. As Mike tells his friends his “predictions” for the rest of their lives and clips are shown of these moments happening, it is difficult for the viewer to distinguish between reality and fantasy. 

Personally, I choose to believe that Mike’s predictions are what actually happen in the future, especially since Eleven suffered in an extremely traumatic childhood and deserved to have a happy ending. For me, this happy ending includes her living the rest of her life with Mike. Although their relationship was toxic at times, I’ve always loved their relationship pairing. Therefore, I liked the predicted ending of Eleven having escaped the military and faking her death. From there she runs away to a far away place with waterfalls, maybe in the Alps. I prefer this ending because it leaves me with the hope that one day Eleven and Mike will reunite and live happily ever after.

I also really enjoyed some of the other characters’ endings. Lucas and Max were predicted to become a couple; I appreciated how the flash from the future was them together at the movies — a reference to a scene from Season 4. Joyce and Hopper’s happy ending was also really cute and I liked how Hopper proposed to her at Enzo’s — a reference to their planned date in Season 3. I also grew to like Joyce’s character, played by Winona Ryder, more as the series progressed. She became a very likable character when she became more present in her children’s lives.

I’m happy that Dustin and Steve remain good friends, but I was disappointed that Steve didn’t end up with Nancy. Nancy also had an out-of-character moment, when she dropped out of college to pursue her journalism career — which she could have pursued after graduating college. I was also happy that Nancy and Jonathan broke up prior to the finale; their relationship gradually grew more toxic throughout the seasons.

One thing that I’m still confused about is Vecna/Henry/One’s story and his relationship to the Mind Flayer and Upside Down. By rewatching the entire series with my family recently, I’ve been able to piece together the plot points. However, I’m still confused about how the Mind Flayer came to exist in the first place, leaving me wanting to know more about the backstory of the scientist that Henry killed.

The finale also inspired me to watch the prequel “Stranger Things” play currently running on Broadway, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” I think that Henry Creel’s past is expanded on more in the play.

As a diehard fan, I think that the series finale was a satisfactory ending to an amazing television series. For me, the show is nostalgic of when I was in middle school and the characters that resonated with me. I love the show’s overall theme of accepting people for who they are and how anyone can be a hero. Although the ambiguous ending is frustrating for some, it’s not the worst way to end a TV show. I also think that rewatching the show has made me like the ending more because many earlier plot points are referenced and settled in the finale, making it all the more satisfying.