After years of buildup, the final season of Stranger Things is finally on the horizon and the new trailer has fans buzzing with excitement and debate. Personally, I have mixed feelings. The teaser honestly felt stronger than the full trailer. It looked epic, but emotionally, it left me a bit underwhelmed. Not much actually happened, except for Eleven finally regaining her powers.
When Mike says, “Being stuck in here, no end in sight. Maybe tonight is our break. We find Vecna, we end this once and for all. Together,” it didn’t land for me. Maybe it’s just me, but that line felt predictable and flat almost like filler. The writing there doesn’t have the emotional punch this story deserves.
The one line that did stand out was: “This is not one of your campaigns. You don’t get to write the ending not this time.” That felt powerful and true to the heart of the show the idea that these kids have grown beyond their D&D world, and now they’re facing real-life monsters, not just imaginary ones.
Moving on to the characters, one thing I couldn’t ignore was how little we saw of Steve. That immediately set off alarm bells fans (including me) are already worrying that his story might end tragically. The same goes for Joyce and Jonathan. And if Lucas dies? I’m not going to be happy, to put it mildly.
Then there’s that haunting final moment: Vecna saying to Will, “William, you are going to help me one last time.” That gave me chills. I love the fan comparisons to Harry Potter, especially the parallels between Vecna and Voldemort, and Will and Harry. The line, “Come on, Tom let’s finish this the way we started, together,” mirrors it perfectly. It’s almost like Stranger Things is doing its own sci-fi version of that classic good-vs-evil showdown.
Finally, I keep wondering about The First Shadow, the Stranger Things stage production. There must be a clue in there about Season 5 maybe something about Will’s connection to the Upside Down or Vecna’s origins. I haven’t cracked it yet, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s important.
Even if the trailer didn’t blow me away, it’s clear that Stranger Things is building toward an emotional, full-circle ending. Maybe that’s the point keeping us guessing until the very last battle.