9 Biggest Moments From ‘Stranger Things 5’ Finale

Note: This story contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 8 of “Stranger Things”

The series finale of “Stranger Things” went out with a bang on New Year’s Eve, wrapping up five seasons with an epic conclusion.

The episode, titled “The Rightside Up,” sees Eleven and the rest of the group head into the Abyss for a final showdown with Vecna and the Mind Flayer to save Hawkins before the two worlds merge together.

Though the end of the show has divided fans on social media, it was filled with both shocking and heartfelt moments. Below is a roundup of some of the most notable:

1. Jonathan saves Steve

While trying to align the radio tower in the Upside Down with the Abyss, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) starts to fall and is holding on for dear life. But just as he lets go and it looks like the end for him, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) grabs him and pulls him up. The two later bury the hatchet over their longstanding rivalry for Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) affection and decide she’s better off being independent.

2. Hopper “shoots” Eleven

One of the most shocking moments in the finale is undoubtedly when Hopper (David Harbour) accidentally shoots Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) while she’s submerged inside the water tank and looking for Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) inside his mind.

While anxiously waiting to pull Eleven out, Hopper is haunted by Vecna, who shows him an illusion of his daughter Sophia. Just as he thinks he’s shot Vecna, the camera shows the water tank is leaking and Eleven is bleeding. Luckily, it proves to be the episodes second fake-out in terms of character deaths, with Eleven surviving and her injury only part of Hopper’s hallucination.

3. Lt. Akers and Kali’s deaths

While some characters avoid death in the finale, others aren’t so lucky.

After Hopper and Kali end up held hostage by the military and Lt. Robert Akers (Alex Breaux), Eleven saves them with an assist from Murray (Brett Gelman), who blows up a helicopter with C4. Though Akers ends up killing Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), Eleven is able to possess him and forces him to turn a gun on and shoot himself.

4. Joyce kills Vecna

After defeating Vecna, who is impaled against a spike in the heart of the Mind Flayer, Joyce (Winona Ryder) delivers the fatal blow by decapitating him with an axe. As she cuts into him multiple times and the group gets their payback, the episode flashes between the main characters and the traumatic deaths and experiences they’ve witnessed throughout the series.

5. Eleven says goodbye to Mike

The celebration of Vecna’s defeat is short-lived as the group is captured by the military upon leaving the Upside Down, who has the whole group held at gunpoint as it appears they may finally capture Eleven. But she is revealed to be standing between the gate to the Upside Down and Hawkins and is preparing to sacrifice herself.

Right before the bomb goes off, Eleven takes Mike into her mind as the pair give a tearful goodbye to each other and embrace as Prince’s “Purple Rain” plays. She tells him to thank everyone for being kind to her and showing her how to be a good friend and to explain why she’s sacrificing herself. He replies that he doesn’t understand, to which she says “I know, but one day you will.” She also tells him that she’ll always be with him as the two kiss.

6. Eleven disappears with the Upside Down

After releasing Mike from her mind, the gang screams her name as the bomb goes off, closing the portal to the Upside Down and taking Eleven with it. Mike steps toward where the portal was to reveal a destroyed wall as the rest of the group remains stunned.

7. The gang graduates Hawkins

18 months after defeating Vecna and the Upside Down disappearing forever, Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Max (Sadie Sink) and Mike have all graduated from Hawkins.

Dustin delivers the commencement speech as valedictorian, in which he reflects on childhood being stolen from them over the past six years, but acknowledges that while there was bad moments, there was also “so much good.” He also says that the chaos was good for Hawkins as it created much-needed change and made him and everyone else better. He also pays tribute to Eddie, telling his class “screw conformity.”

8. Hopper proposes to Joyce

In the finale’s epilogue, Joyce and Hopper finally get their date at Enzo’s, where the latter proposes to the former. He also floats the idea of them leaving Hawkins for Montauk (a nod to the setting that was initially proposed for “Stranger Things” and later changed).

9. The final Dungeons & Dragons campaign

The final scene of the show sees Will, Lucas, Dustin, Max and Mike playing one more game of Dungeons & Dragons. As the group tearfully finishes the game, they choose to believe Mike’s theory that Eleven faked her death and is finally able to live a life without being hunted by the military.

Each person proceeds to leave their D&D books and the basement one by one as Mike’s sister Holly (Nell Fisher), Derek (Jake Connolly) and their friends begin their own campaign, passing the torch to the next generation as the episode fades to black.

All five seasons of Stranger Things are streaming now on Netflix

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