The grandfather clock has chimed for the final time. After a decade of Dungeons & Dragons, Demogorgons, and Eggos, Stranger Things concluded its historic run last night with a feature-length finale titled “The Rightside Up.” The episode delivered on the Duffer Brothers’ promise of a massive ending, but it also came with a high cost.
While fans spent years terrified that Steve Harrington or Max Mayfield would meet their end, the show pulled a bait-and-switch. The core Hawkins party survived the final battle, but two significant characters did not. Those characters were Vecna (Henry Creel) and Kali (Eight). The most heartbreaking death of the finale belonged to Kali Prasad. After being absent since Season 2, Eleven’s “sister” made a shocking return in Season 5 to help destroy the government program that created them.
In the finale’s climax, Kali and Eleven infiltrated the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab. When the military, led by the ruthless Colonel Akers, stormed the facility, Kali made the ultimate play. She used her illusion powers to distract the soldiers so Hopper and Eleven could escape.
She was fatally shot in the chaos. Her death served as the episode’s emotional anchor. It proved that she was more than just a “lost sister” because she was a hero. Her final words to Eleven urged her to “live the life we never got.” This plea drove El’s actions for the rest of the episode.
It would not be a finale without a boss battle. The death of Vecna was the gruesome heavy metal spectacle fans were hoping for.
The villain was defeated on three fronts. While Eleven battled him psychically, Will Byers used his lingering connection to the Mind Flayer to trap Henry Creel in his own mind. The final physical blow came from Joyce Byers. She decapitated the weakened monster with an axe in the real world.
Vecna’s death caused the Mind Flayer to dissolve instantly. This effectively ended the threat of the Upside Down forever. It was a victory, but it left the town of Hawkins scarred permanently.
The biggest talking point of the morning is the fate of Eleven.
To the world, Eleven is dead. The finale showed her appearing to disintegrate while closing the massive “bridge” between worlds. However, the show’s epilogue set 18 months later strongly suggests this is a ruse.
Mike Wheeler is shown to be confident that she is still out there. Hopper is seen leaving a box of Eggos in the woods (a callback to Season 1) and keeping a file labeled “Jane” hidden in his desk. The prevailing theory is that Kali helped El fake her death to escape the government forever. This would allow her to finally live a peaceful and anonymous life.
Breathe easy, internet. Steve Harrington is alive. Despite overwhelming betting odds that he would die a hero, the former King of Hawkins High made it to the end credits. The 18-month time jump reveals he is now the coach of the Little League team and is finally content with who he is.
Max Mayfield also survived. The finale showed her awake and recovering. She is blind and uses a wheelchair, but she was present at the group’s high school graduation to cheer on Lucas, Dustin, Mike, and Will.
Other notable survivors include Hopper and Joyce. They got engaged in the finale’s closing moments (Hopper proposed at Enzo’s, finally). Jonathan is heading to NYU film school. Even Ted Wheeler made it. He is confirmed to be alive and sleeping in his recliner in the final montage.
The series ended not with a bang, but with a quiet game of D&D in the Wheeler basement. This brings the story full circle to where it all began.