Watching ‘Stranger Things’ Finale in a Theater: Biggest Reactions from Fans

Hopper (David Harbour) and Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) have been at odds all season, arguing over their respective approaches to how Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) should use her powers. When both Kali and Eleven are paralyzed during a tense chase through the army, Hopper initially only saves Eleven, but when he returns to Kali, this confirms his heroism, warranting strong applause from the audience.

Shortly after Hopper rescues Kali, both are captured and held hostage by the season’s side antagonist, Lieutenant Robert Akers (Alex Breaux). Akers has proven to be an annoying force all season, so when Eleven freed them by forcing Akers to turn his gun on himself, it had a cathartic reaction. Credit also goes to Murray (Brett Gelman) for disrupting the situation by blowing up the helicopter outside, adding to the climactic sequence.

Because the finale of “Stranger Things” wraps up the stories of its massive ensemble, it suffers from a bit of “Return of the King” syndrome (seems like several final farewell scenes happen one after the other). Luckily, all the goodbyes are heartfelt, but the one that got the biggest reaction was Hopper and Joyce’s (Winona Ryder) final scene together. After the kids all graduate from high school, Hopper takes Joyce to a fancy restaurant and comes up with the idea of ​​them leaving Hawkins for Montauk (a nod to the show’s original proposed setting). However, the reaction didn’t come from this subtle Easter Egg, but from the moment Hopper gets down on one knee, hands Joyce a ring and asks her to spend the rest of her life with him.

The audience did not cheer during this scene, but there was a snort in the theater. Hopper has long protected Eleven, and his refusal to let her sacrifice herself for the world stems from the pain he felt at the loss of his daughter Sara. In this emotional scene, Eleven tenderly explains that although Hopper has proven to be a loving father figure to her, she is not Sara. She then gives him back a hair tie that once belonged to Sara, freeing him from his guilt. There were hardly any dry eyes in the house.

While Eleven’s emotional moment with Hopper brought some dewy eyes and sniffles, her final scene with Mike brought audible sobs. When Eleven makes the decision to stay upside down when the bomb goes off, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) rushes in to try to save her, but she takes him in and explains what needs to be done. Meanwhile, they share tearful embraces during Prince’s “Purple Rain.” It’s beautiful and tragic at the same time, and audiences were devastated by the characters.

There are several cathartic moments in the ensemble’s defeat of Vecna ​​(Jamie Campbell Bower), but Joyce delivers the final blow to the arch-villain, decapitating him with an ax after he is impaled against a spike in the Mind Flayer’s heart. Before she starts cutting out his neck, she says with fire in her eyes, “You fucked the wrong family.” It was the “I am Iron Man” moment in the finale, and the crowd absolutely ate it up.

When Vecna ​​gives in to the Mind Flayer and it begins attacking the heroes in the Abyss, there are several moments of heroism. The crowd clapped when Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) saved Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) from being crushed and again when Nancy (Natalia Dyer) volunteered herself as bait. The biggest applause, however, came when it was revealed that Eleven has successfully re-entered Abyss via her shortcut and distracts the Flayer with a boulder to the head. She then charges at it head-on, rips a hole in its chest and dives in like a superhero, receiving a superheroic ovation.

Jake Connelly’s Derek Turnbow is one of the best additions to “Stranger Things 5” and perhaps the funniest character in the entire series. It’s no surprise that he provided the biggest laughs in the theater – from his unexpected hug with Steve (Joe Keery) to his awkward wave at Mike. His brightest moment in the finale, however, comes when he helps Holly (Nell Fisher) escape Vecna’s clutches as he enters the Cave. He saves her by pulling her in and once they are both safe, he spins Vecna ​​out and delivers his signature line, “Suck my fat one.” Dipshit Derek certainly made the crowd happy.

The audience gasped audibly at this scene, in which Hopper, tricked by Vecna, fires his gun at an apparition, sending the bullets straight into the water tank where Eleven is submerged. When he pulled back the metal and the blood from Eleven’s body became visible, the shock of the theater was audible. One person behind me even blurted, “Shut up!” surprised. Fortunately, Eleven’s wounds were as fictional as the apparition itself, but Hopper’s panicked decision to free her from the tank took the plot in an unexpected direction. When Vecna ​​plays with Hopper’s mind, it is also the first time his evil voice is heard in the finale. Its vibrations rocked the theater and sounded extremely eerie over the Egyptian’s cinematic sound system.

The whole scene where Eleven tries to align the falling Abyss with the radio tower in Upside Down was thrilling to watch on the big screen. As the seconds counted down and the characters faced off in three different realms, everyone was on the edge of their seats. However, the audience cried and screamed as the screen went black, as it looked like Steve was going to fall to his death. Those cries of despair turned into cheers of triumph when it was revealed that Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) – a rival of Steve’s on the series – saves him. It’s an early moment in the episode that tests the audience’s fear of the fate of all the characters. Fortunately, this one ended with catharsis. As a bonus, Joe Keery’s name also received the loudest applause during the end credits.

If Joyce telling Vecna ​​that he “fucked the wrong family” was the “I’m Iron Man” moment in the finale, then it was Will (Noah Schnapp) embodying Vecna ​​to save Eleven and make way for his defeat Captain America with Mjölnir. Just when Vecna ​​seems to have the upper hand in the final battle against Eleven, Will taking control gives the heroes the upper hand for the last time. It’s the satisfying moment that confirms the villain’s fate and everything the heroes are capable of.