The conclusion of a cultural phenomenon is rarely a quiet affair, but for the cast and fans of Stranger Things, the series finale of season five, volume three, has sparked a whirlwind of emotional tributes and intense narrative debate. After nearly a decade of battling Demogorgons and navigating the treacherous terrain of the Upside Down, the residents of Hawkins have officially hung up their walkie-talkies, leaving behind a legacy that has redefined the modern television landscape. At the center of this storm is Millie Bobby Brown, whose portrayal of the telekinetic powerhouse Eleven transformed her from a child actor into a global icon. One week after the final episodes debuted on Netflix, Brown took to social media to share the raw, unfiltered reality of saying goodbye to the character that defined her adolescence.
In a poignant video shared with her millions of followers, a 21-year-old Brown is seen in a recording studio, headphones around her neck, visibly shaken as she watches the final moments of the series. The actress, who has inhabited the role of Eleven since she was twelve, was unable to hold back tears as she processed her character’s ultimate fate. "Thank you for all these years," she whispered through sobs, her voice thick with the weight of the moment. After a brief pause to compose herself, she added with a mixture of grief and affection, "F–k. This damn show!" Her caption for the video—"Watching THAT scene for the first time"—pointed directly to the sequence that has since become the focal point of fan theories and critical analysis.
The scene in question offers a bittersweet resolution to the central romance of the series. Following a climactic battle that results in the destruction of the Upside Down, Mike Wheeler, played by Finn Wolfhard, gathers his closest friends—Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max—to recount the story of Eleven’s survival. Mike describes a world where Eleven escaped the clutches of death, finding peace in a remote village characterized by three majestic waterfalls—a place she had long dreamed of calling home. As a montage plays showing Eleven wandering through this idyllic countryside, her friends tearfully declare, "I believe." It is a moment of profound hope, suggesting that after years of being a government experiment and a supernatural soldier, Eleven has finally found the "normal life" she always craved.
However, the "I believe" finale has proven to be as divisive among the cast as it is among the audience. While the narrative presents Mike’s story as a beacon of light, Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield, offers a much more somber interpretation. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Sink admitted that she views the ending through a lens of tragic realism. "I think she’s dead," Sink stated bluntly, suggesting that Mike’s story is not a factual account of Eleven’s whereabouts, but rather a final, comforting myth designed to help the group transition out of their traumatic youth. For Sink, the idea that the story is "just one last story" before the characters say goodbye to their childhood makes for a narratively stronger, if more devastating, conclusion.
This ambiguity was entirely intentional, according to the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer. In an interview with Netflix’s Tudum, Ross Duffer explained that they wanted Eleven’s fate to remain open to interpretation, stating that "she lives on in their hearts, whether that’s real or not." Matt Duffer elaborated on this, noting that the finale was designed to confront the harsh reality of whether someone as burdened as Eleven could ever truly integrate into a mundane existence. By positioning Mike as the eternal optimist of the group, the Duffers allowed the audience to choose between the comfort of hope and the finality of loss.
As the sun sets on Hawkins, the sheer scale of the Stranger Things journey becomes even more impressive when looking back at its humble and often uncertain beginnings. Long before it was a billion-dollar franchise, the project was a script titled Montauk, inspired by the coastal setting of Long Island and the brothers’ love for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. The Duffers initially struggled to get the title changed, and even after they settled on Stranger Things, they faced a wall of rejection. Nearly 20 different networks passed on the series, with many executives expressing skepticism that an adult audience would ever invest in a show led by four children.
The production eventually moved from Long Island to Atlanta due to budget and weather concerns, but the heart of the show remained rooted in 1980s nostalgia. This extended to the casting process, where the Duffer brothers used scenes from the classic film Stand By Me to find their lead actors. The characters we know today were often shaped by the actors themselves; Finn Wolfhard’s "anxious, twitchy energy" led to a rewrite of Mike Wheeler, who was originally envisioned as a more passive dreamer. Similarly, Gaten Matarazzo’s unique personality turned Dustin from a stereotypical nerd into the heart of the group.
For Millie Bobby Brown, the role required a level of commitment that few child actors are asked to give. At twelve years old, she famously shaved her head to play Eleven, a move she later described as the most empowering moment of her life. Drawing inspiration from Charlize Theron’s Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road and the pixie-cut era of her co-star Winona Ryder, Brown embraced the look as a way to prove that beauty isn’t tied to hair. Her dedication extended to her craft as well; the British actress famously perfected her flawless American accent by binge-watching Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana.
The show’s impact reached far beyond the screen, influencing everything from fashion to the economy. Kellogg’s reported a staggering 14 percent increase in Eggo waffle sales following the release of season two, as Eleven’s favorite snack became a cultural staple once again. Meanwhile, the cast’s off-screen lives became just as much of a fascination for fans as their on-screen adventures. Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton’s real-life romance, which began in 2016, became a source of constant media interest, though the pair has worked hard to keep their relationship private. David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, became a social media legend for his interactions with fans, once hijacking a student’s senior photos and even officiating a wedding in full Chief Hopper attire.
As the series progressed, the stakes—and the budgets—soared. By season four, episodes were reportedly costing $30 million each, and the cast’s salaries reflected the show’s massive success. The core group of children saw their pay jump from $30,000 to over $200,000 per episode by the third season, while veterans like Winona Ryder and David Harbour were earning upwards of $350,000. This financial investment allowed the Duffers to expand the scope of the story, though they occasionally wrestled with the limitations of their own success. They famously considered cutting the controversial season two episode "The Lost Sister," featuring Eleven’s "sister" Kali, but realized that Eleven’s emotional arc wouldn’t land without it.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation from the show’s history is how many beloved characters were never meant to survive the first year. Both Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington and Brown’s Eleven were originally slated to die in season one. Steve was intended to be a "jocky douchebag" who met a grisly end, but the creators fell in love with Keery’s performance and decided to give him one of the greatest redemption arcs in television history. Eleven, too, was meant to sacrifice herself permanently, but the Duffers realized the show simply couldn’t function without her "special" presence.
Now that the main story has concluded, the Duffer brothers are looking toward the future. While the five-season arc they planned back in 2015 has come to an end, the "Upside Down" is far from closed. A spin-off series is currently in the early stages of development, with the creators keeping the premise a closely guarded secret. According to Matt and Ross, the only person who has managed to guess what the new series is about is Finn Wolfhard. For everyone else, the mystery remains, ensuring that while the story of Eleven and her friends may have reached its emotional finale, the legacy of Stranger Things will continue to haunt and inspire for years to come.
