by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
After 10 years, Netflix’s most recognizable show has come to an end—and with quite a buildup as the three-part final season ends with a massive finale. I’ll admit, it did feel like an event, even if I wasn’t among those that trekked to theaters to take it in. I was buzzing as I sat down to watch the crew stage one final battle against Vecna for the fate of Hawkins and the world at large.
When the finale is at its best, Vecna/Henry (Jamie Campbell Bower) is the threat. He’s giving a great performance and Henry is, legit, terrifying. New characters get dragged under his spell and it’s highly effective. Campbell Bower and the makeup crew do a great job showing his unraveling as his own tools are used against him in an all-out press. The details we learn more about his origin, though theorized, added some real complexity to him. Our other villains, led by Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), are a larger opposition against our heroes than I’d hoped, however they aren’t as bad as I feared they would be. Despite the challenge they present, they are still obviously weaker than Vecna’s challenge.
The final quest does not consist of just fighting, there are character moments woven in too, which work to varying degrees. The best moments of the finale are when Hopper (David Harbour) gets—both solo moments as well as emotional time with El (Millie Bobby Brown). There’s a lot of pain and trauma to mine from and they do it successfully. It’s ever so brief, but, as in part one, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) get a really fun moment. If there’s a weaker of these character moments, it’s probably the conversation between Steve (Joe Keery) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), which felt more perfunctory than anything.
Though the character work is largely a strength, where I was shocked to find it largely falls flat, is the action. Even in part one of the season, the action was such a strength, it was perplexing to find that the grand finale is let down by distracting green screen effects. Every time our characters are in the Abyss—you know, the location the showrunners chose for the climactic showdown with Vecna—the green screen work is so obvious in everything from the fights to the reaction shots, that it takes you out of it. The other locales work better, but it’s a disappointing distraction. The show’s use of slow-motion and cut to black moments, though not common, piss me off every time, because it was not only cheap, it was unnecessary. Thankfully, I was never completely taken out, thanks to the emotional moments that do work—including the conclusion of the fighting against both enemies.
Leading into the final season, I think the Duffer Brothers got themselves into a pickle. Though they like to remind people the show isn’t Game of Thrones, the lead up to every season always promised that no one was safe and that tissues were a requirement over the last couple of seasons. While I wasn’t expecting that level of carnage, I was hoping that some of the choices would be a little bolder, but I don’t think the finale holds any great risks if that’s what you came to see.
However, I do think the ending we get for our various characters is satisfying overall. With a 2-hour-plus runtime, we get a pretty extended wrap-up, which will work better for some than others. The real heart of the show, our younger crew does work. Meaning, as per usual, the show knows how to leave you on a high note. I’m sure there’s a chance that it hit harder in a theater setting, but I still managed to enjoy myself at home on the couch. Though it is certainly flawed, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the finale—it’s just disappointing how close I came to that line and that I’m even having that mental debate with myself.
Rating: Liked It
Stranger Things is currently streaming on Netflix
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