After fans spent years anticipating the ultimate Hawkins showdown since Season 4 concluded in 2022, the series finale of Stranger Things unfortunately arrived to a wave of fan disappointment.
To wrap up the fifth and final season, the episode 'The Rightside Up' lasted over two hours, revealing the fates of main villain Vecna and the heroes who took him down.
Previously hailed as creative masterminds, Matt and Ross Duffer now find themselves pleading with the restless Stranger Things fanbase to 'cut them some slack' for the show's ending.
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Meanwhile, the release of One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 documentary was supposed to expose the challenges behind creating this 'difficult' season, yet rather than generate compassion, it appears to have intensified the backlash.
Running for two hours, the documentary shows the final weeks leading up to the show's conclusion, when they didn't have a completed script.
At one point in the video, Matt admitted: “I have to write it, and we’re just low on time.”
Keen-eyed viewers are already analysing the documentary-style episode, with some now accusing the creators of using AI for the finale after they spotted OpenAI's ChatGPT tabs open on their laptops.
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The drama doesn't stop there, though, especially as two main characters were completely missing from the show's behind-the-scenes footage. Directed by Martina Radwan, the insider look featured exclusive chats with many of the cast members including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and Natalie Dyer.
But there seemed to be no camera interaction with David Harbour (who played Jim Hopper) and Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers).
But you may be glad to know that, despite the ongoing drama behind the show's production, including harassment and bullying complaints, and Winona's lack of screentime, the reason for the missing pair isn't a result of bad blood.
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Speaking to Variety, Radwan explained that there simply wasn't enough time to interview the two main grown-up cast members of the show.
"We just didn't get the time. They were busy with other projects, and so we didn't have the time to sit down," she explained. "Unfortunately, with David and Winona, we couldn't find the time. We tried."
As such, the Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands star has been busy outside of her TV show acting roles.
Fans recently spotted Ryder in A$AP Rocky's new music video, where she plays a neighbour who bops along in a Beavis and Butthead tee while munching blueberries.
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Nevertheless, the Stranger Things creators have thanked their fans for all the support over the last 10 years as they said their final goodbyes in the documentary.
“The show is now a decade old, and seeing the fanbase not only endure but continue to grow has been incredibly rewarding for us, the actors, and the thousands of artists who helped bring this story to life. We truly cannot thank everyone enough,” Matt and Ross Duffer said.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is now streaming on Netflix.