Fans are all making the same complaint about the new season of Stranger Things.
After nearly a decade on screens, Netflix’s flagship sci-fi series is approaching its end.
Season 5, split into multiple volumes, was meant to deliver a nostalgic, high-stakes farewell for Eleven and the Hawkins gang.
Instead, as Volume 2 landed on Christmas Day, frustration over the latest series – which existed from the release of the first volume back in November – has only grown louder.
The final season reunites viewers with Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max, Hopper and the rest of the ensemble as Hawkins continues to collapse and the Upside Down bleeds further into the real world.
But while anticipation for the finale is at an all-time high, many fans and critics now agree on one major problem.
Millie Bobby Brown addresses David Harbour relationship amid bullying allegations
In the weeks before the release of season 5, it was reported that Millie Bobby Brown had allegedly filed ‘harassment and bullying’ against her co-star David Harbour ahead of filming the show’s final installment.
Yet the pair put on a united front at the premiere of Stranger Things season 5, smiling, hugging, and publicly showing unity.
Now, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brown has opened up about her ‘friendship’ with Harbour.
When asked why it was ‘important’ that she and Harbour put on a united front amid the reports, the actress said: “We’ve been doing that for the last 10 years. I mean, we have always been united in that. We love this show with everything, and we value our friendship more than anything.”
Brown added that it was ‘so nice’ to be able to ‘come back together’ with Harbour and shoot the final season.
“It was quite nostalgic because it reminded me so much of Season 2 and 3, where we’re both kind of butting heads and she’s growing up, she’s trying to find her own voice and he’s trying to parent, and that dynamic definitely comes back into play once again, and I’m really excited for people to see that,” she explained.
But this isn’t the only drama Harbour has faced in the lead-up to season 5…
Harbour and Lily Allen breakup
Harbour and singer Lily Allen broke up in early 2025 after four years of marriage, and the ‘Smile’ singer has since dropped the album ‘West End Girl,’ which seemingly dives into the unraveling of their open marriage.
Allen’s viral breakup album explores being a woman who has given her partner ‘all my power,’ and there are also scathing lyrics such as ‘been no romance since we wed,’ followed by: “But you let me think it was me in my head, and nothing to do with them girls in your bed.”
The album certainly raised questions about their breakup, especially for listeners who honed in on the lyrics about a woman named Madeline.
Harbour hasn’t publicly reacted to ‘West End Girl’ or spoken of the end of his relationship to Allen; however, in a November 2025 cover story interview with Esquire Spain, he alluded to ‘mistakes’ and ‘slip-ups’ in his life.
What happens in Stranger Things season 5?
Warning: This section of the article may contain spoilers
Netflix once again split its biggest release into volumes. Volume 1 consisted of four episodes, while Volume 2 added three more chapters.
The new episodes delve deeper into the mythology of the Upside Down, offering long-teased explanations about what it actually is and why Hawkins became the epicentre of the horror.
The season sets the stage for the final confrontation between Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Eleven and the series’ main villain, Vecna, with the finale scheduled to arrive on New Year’s Eve.
Linda Hamilton also continues her role as Dr. Kay, a military scientist with a hidden agenda who is hunting Eleven, adding another layer of threat as the story barrels toward its conclusion.
“She’s got a special agenda there that is kind of withheld throughout most of the season,” the actress told Tudum.
“And that’s all I can say about that. But she was great fun to play. They gave me some good stuff to do. Got to mix it up a little bit.”
Volume 1 drew mixed reactions
When Volume 1 was released, it drew mixed reactions from critics and fans.
USA Today‘s Kelly Lawler said the show ‘seesaws between thrilling and annoying,’ while Sophie Gilbert from The Atlantic described it as being ‘largely joyless and grim.’
Still, The Guardian‘s Jack Seale declared it to be ‘this luxurious final run will have you standing on a chair, yelling with joy.’
Meanwhile, Ed Potton awarded the season four stars in The Times, calling the opening run of episodes: “Richly entertaining stuff with proper jeopardy and bags of emotion.”
Fans complained about the body-count in the new season.
There were several near-death moments in Volume 1 end with characters surviving in ways some viewers feel strain credibility.
One fan fumed: “Way too many non-deaths in the first volume… Eleven literally blew up a part of that guy’s mind and he is just fine?
“Hopper’s fake-out sacrifice for the end of volume reveal is also cheap… deaths raise the stakes. I also think Max should have just died last season but that’s just me.”
Another remarked: “And once again, Stranger Things didn’t have the courage to kill off its characters.”
“I will say Stranger Things is so scared of killing off important characters, like it’s been 5 seasons and still the most central character to die has been Billy, which is crazy cause he wasn’t even like a main character,” a third wrote.
Meanwhile, others leapt to the show’s defence.
One person commented: “Idk why people are so infatuated with killing off main characters. S***’s weird and nine times out of 10 makes the show worse.”
In agreement, a second said: “Killing main characters is usually hacky, a cheap shock button that ends the character’s potential and sidesteps the far more challenging and rewarding work of letting them live through consequences.”
Volume 2 also divides viewers
While early reviews for Volume 1 were mixed, reaction to Volume 2 has been significantly harsher.
On social media, many fans complained that the story has barely progressed despite seven episodes now being available.
“The season is soooo s**t lol,” one viewer wrote.
“They’ve massacred a once perfect show,” another added.
A third said: “Felt like three episodes of no progress apart from a couple good scenes.”
Others pointed to pacing issues, with one fan commenting: “Massive let down. Feel like we didn’t really get anywhere and they kept dragging things out. Last season was so much better.”
Another warned: “Seven episodes so far and the story has barely moved forward. It’s gonna be so rushed.”
One particularly angry viewer joked: “It’s time to start a worldwide campaign to arrest the Duffer Brothers.”
Critics echo the same concerns
Professional critics have increasingly mirrored fan frustration.
Erik Kain of Forbes argued that the show has become bloated and emotionally flat.
“The cast is too big to let any one character shine,” he wrote. “Exposition dumps and emotional heart-to-hearts have replaced any sense of urgency. The stakes are theoretically higher than they’ve ever been, but in practice the story feels flat and lifeless.”
Kain added that character deaths are no longer the issue.
“I’m not really bothered by the fact that the Duffer Brothers haven’t killed off any main characters this season,” he said. “I’m bothered by the fact that I don’t think I’d care anymore if they did.”
Stuart Heritage of The Guardian raised similar concerns about the looming finale.
He wrote: “As things stand, the finale has a mountain of admin to battle through. Vecna needs to be defeated. Children need to be rescued. The world needs to be saved. The evil scientists – who started all this, remember – need to be stopped.
“And then, when all that is done, it somehow needs to find believable and distinct emotional denouements for (if I’ve counted correctly) 17 characters.
“There is so much work to do in such a short space of time it’s unfathomable how the Duffers can wrap a satisfying bow around such a sprawling mass. Then again, stranger things have happened.”
Everyone is making the same complaint
Despite new revelations about the Upside Down and deeper character moments, the biggest complaint remains unchanged.
Many viewers feel that season 5 has lacked momentum, urgency and meaningful consequences.
With the series finale now just days away, expectations are sharply divided.
Either the final episode delivers a bold, emotionally satisfying ending that justifies the slow burn, or Stranger Things risks going out not as a cultural triumph, but as one of the most hotly debated finales in modern television.
Watch the trailer for season 5 of Stranger Things below…
All seasons of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix. Stranger Things’ finale drops on New Year’s Eve.
