An Upside Down Ending: The “Stranger Things” season five is not worth the time 

Since third grade, I have been waiting to see the downfall of Demogorgons, the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down. Even though these graphic creatures would scare me through my television and cause many nightmares in 2016, I still loved the show “Stranger Things.” 

So, the Christmas present I was most excited to receive this year was three more episodes of “Stranger Things” season five. Yes, I should've been spending time with my family on Christmas Day. However, at 7 p.m., when Volume Two of the three-part season was released, I was comfortably set up on my living room couch, TV remote in hand. 

However, any excitement I had for this gift was crushed, like opening a present you’re sure is a new phone, only to find it's a pair of socks. I stayed up far past my usual 11 p.m. bedtime to watch the three-hour-long episodes, but they were underwhelming. 

While I enjoyed the four prior episodes in Volume One, the second volume didn’t even come close to being comparable. In Volume Two, I thought maybe the poor writing and predictable plot were genius, throwing a plot twist out of nowhere. However, it was truly just bad screenwriting — after five seasons, you can see the Duffers getting burnt out. 

I found many scenes copied and pasted from other movies or shows, along with poor writing, which made the whole story feel rushed, even though the writing had over a decade of development. The Duffer Brothers previously produced four well-crafted, thoughtful seasons, and I know they could have achieved the same quality for the ending, but they didn’t. 

At the end of Volume One, the audience discovers that Will Byers, a boy previously trapped in the parallel version of Hawkins, Indiana known as the Upside Down, has powers similar to those of the telekinetic girl Eleven and her brother Henry (Vecna). But these powers can only be used when Will is tapped into the “Hive Mind.” So, to put it simply, Byers is still “connected” to the Upside Down, making him able to access Vecna’s powers when Vecna, the antagonist of the show, is close. 

In fact, this fourth episode, "Sorcerer," is the third-highest-ranked “Stranger Things” episode on IMDb, and I think its plot twist ending and epic fight scene could have concluded the series. The ending of this episode was the only scene in the season that really shocked me.

But I will give them this: I did enjoy the first episode of the new volume, “Shock Jock.” This episode has a subtle parallel to Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein,” and along with this, the audience briefly sees Will learn to control his powers and help his friends. 

There is also a killer line in this episode from one of my favorite characters: a 10-year-old named Delightful Derek. I mean, who wouldn't want to drop a “your mom” joke after being chased and caught by their kidnapper from another dimension? 

But, other than these few little things, I didn't enjoy Volume Two. Much of the content in the episodes was long, heart-to-heart conversations that just dragged on. I was shocked that characters would waste time having an emotional conversation while being hunted down by Vecna. I wanted action and mystery, not soppy conversations between side characters. 

At the end of the volume, there is an emotional scene in which Will shares personal information with almost all the characters, and it had the potential to be great. But it ended up being a long scene full of plotholes that go unaddressed, along with content that never gets mentioned again. The writing in this particular scene was repetitive and could have been cut in half with the same effect. 

Another critique I had was the lack of deaths in the season. Maybe I sound grim, but the Duffers clearly said in an interview to “bring your tissues” when watching season five. But, unless you have allergies or a bloody nose, I see no reason to use tissues. 

This is the last season of “Stranger Things,” so if a few main characters get lost when fighting the monsters of the Upside Down, it won’t be the end of the world. If anything, it adds drama — something this volume lacks. 

The series came to a close with a two-hour-long finale episode dropping on Dec. 31. I didn’t hesitate to spend another holiday on my couch, rather than watching the clock strike midnight to welcome the new year. 

Unfortunately, I would rather have watched the mundane New Year's Eve celebrations with ball drops and champagne toasts than the lame conclusion of my favorite show. The “Stranger Things” finale left me unimpressed, with overlooked writing mistakes and a boring ending. 

The biggest upset I had with this episode was that the characters' predictions about dimensions and wormholes were always correct, even though the theories were conceived in about five minutes. With the characters somehow making plans that seemingly never fail, it feels like watching a movie you already know the ending to. 

The only flaw in the character's plan is minute compared to the obstacles that could have arisen, which is just unrealistic. And the Duffers have an excellent setup for an emotional character death, but they are rescued at the last moment by their rival, about as cliché as it gets.  

Many plot holes from the season went unspoken. The audience never quite understands why Will’s mom incorrectly stated his birthday in Volume One. This could’ve set up a complex storyline that fit perfectly into the past seasons. In reality, it's just the Duffers who didn't fact-check, even though they had over a decade to write the script.

My least favorite part was the stale climax. The final battle scene, which should arguably have been the most action-packed and insane of the whole series, is 12 minutes long and has minimal emotion. In fact, the climactic fight scene against the Mind flayer in Season Three is longer and more dramatic than this one. 

It was rushed and overall boring. Everything goes according to the crew’s plan in the climax, with small-scale attacks that somehow have a significant effect on the main villain.  

And after this mediocre, unrealistic fight scene, there was still an hour left of the episode. They had the ability to make the climax longer, add more needed details or seal up previous mistakes, but no. They decided to make the last hour of the whole show a complete waste of time filled with unimportant, trite scenes. 

Most movies, I will admit, have rushed endings. And with a show like “Stranger Things,” I enjoy watching how each character ends up after the traumatic adventures they’ve endured. But they could have fit the whole ending in about 20 minutes at most and had a sustainable wrap-up for this show. 

To be honest, I was very disappointed with Volume Two and the finale of Stranger Things Season Five. Save your time by doing something other than watching the last five hours of Stranger Things. Stick to the nostalgia of the previous seasons, with better writing and plotlines.