The Duffer brothers production “Stranger Things” has faced backlash from season five, having fans debate whether or not the Duffers were geniuses, or if the finale was truly written poorly. Fans have been centering theories on Will’s connection to the Upside Down, Eleven’s fate, the Mind Flayer being the mastermind, the return of Eddie and Kali, and five deaths to end the series. The brothers have only promised and confirmed that the finale will focus on closure rather than deaths and a sentimental ending. They also plan to answer the big question: “Why was Will taken?”
The show has disappointed many fans who have waited three years from season four to five to see how the story ends. Based on the Netflix documentary, “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5,” the Duffers did not complete the finale script as it was being shot, making it difficult for the cast, along with the production team, to understand the show without being aware of what was going on.
Fans have speculated two theories: one that involved Ross Duffer and his divorce from his wife, Leigh Janiak, and the Duffers using AI to help write the script. The divorce of Duffer and Janiak has negatively impacted the final season’s writing, as she is known for screenwriting and directing horror films such as “Honeymoon” and the “Fear Street” trilogy. Although she does not have official credited writing or production roles on “Stranger Things,” fans have theorized that she heavily contributed to the show’s creative direction and writing. As for the Duffers using AI, fans claim that they saw ChatGPT on an open tab by the script in the documentary of the finale making, neither confirming nor denying the allegation.
The brothers not having a complete script has pressured their entire team to work on visual effects, set construction, set decorations and costumes based on conversations and meetings. The cast of “Stranger Things” had to work with partial scripts, having them rely on improvising and in the moment adjustments based on the preplanned story. The brothers went into production with the outline of the story and a storyboard to explain the major plot points of the ending.
On September 8, 2024, the final table reading for episode eight, “The Rightside Up,” was hosted and filmed by December 20, 2024. The delay of the writing was caused by the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. WGA had a 148-day labor dispute from May to September 27, 2023. Since 1960, these strikes have served as pivotal labor actions to secure compensation for the reuse of creative work and to push for better pay as the industry rapidly evolved. This strike affected people and productions alike, resulting in the loss of writers and delaying projects. This could be another factor in why we saw ChatGPT open on the Duffer’s computers.
Wrapping up the entire series that has been in production for more than 10 years, the team and cast were impacted emotionally. As the actors act out their last scene they are putting away their childhood and leaving it as a memory. From the beginning to the end “the foundation of the show is trust.” This series has opened doors for more project opportunities for most of the cast, while a few have decided to focus on other career paths.
Finn Wolfhard, the actor for Mike, has announced he won’t indefinitely stop acting, but will focus more on his music career more and has stated he’s being “choosy” on the projects he would like to work on in the future, preferring playing characters he truly loves. Others have already stated they are in bigger and more ambitious projects. Sadie Sink, who played Max, has announced she will be in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” while also making her Broadway debut in “Romeo and Juliet.” As the actors officially disbanded from this project, most have stayed friends outside of the series and have planned or talked about wanting to work together on projects later down the line.
