Emotional Series Finale of ‘Stranger Things’ Celebrates Its Roots
SPOILER ALERT: This report contains details about the series finale of Stranger Things, available on Netflix.
Netflix’s groundbreaking series, Stranger Things, concluded its five-season journey with a nostalgic finale that revisited the show’s early days. The episode brought together characters Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), echoing the series’ inaugural scene of a Dungeons & Dragons game in Mike’s basement.
The two-hour finale also hinted at the series’ origins, which began almost 11 years prior. On April 2, 2015, Netflix announced the green light for Montauk, a supernatural drama crafted by filmmakers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, alongside executive producer Shawn Levy. The series was set for a 2016 debut.
Initially described as a tribute to 1980s classics, the series revolved around the mysterious disappearance of a young boy in 1980s Montauk, Long Island. As family, friends, and local authorities searched for the boy, they uncovered a web of government experiments, supernatural occurrences, and a mysterious girl with unimaginable powers.
While the core concept remained unchanged, the show underwent several transformations, including a title change to Stranger Things just before its release. The setting was shifted from Montauk, New York, to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
This rebranding followed a 2018 lawsuit by filmmaker Charles Kessler, who accused the Duffer Brothers of plagiarizing their concept from his short film, Montauk. Kessler later withdrew the lawsuit, acknowledging that “my work had nothing to do with the creation of Stranger Things.”
In a poignant twist during the finale, the original concept was subtly resurrected. In the epilogue, character Jim (David Harbour) expressed interest in moving to Montauk for a Chief of Police position, revealing his plans to Joyce (Winona Ryder) during a dinner where he also proposed.
Although the series left the couple’s future ambiguous, it concluded by bringing Stranger Things full circle, hearkening back to the Duffers’ original vision.
