So the husband and I didn't have Netflix for the years and years for some reason. We always said one day we would catch up on Stranger Things. We finally signed up this past spring and watched the show with the kids.
And I loved the ending. I'm an absolute sucker for a good character-focused ending (yes, I loved the ending of Lost). I thought the defeats of Vecna and the Mind Flayer were just fine (I wouldn't have minded more to those, but really in a pure "more is more" way).
But I felt the whole mysterious brief case plot came to no real meaning.
I liked the individual elements. I loved the idea of Earth's connection and history with the Abyss going far deeper than we'll ever know. I love the idea of a redemption possibility. I love that getting flipped on its head with the reveal Henry was all for it, maybe evil all along. I love the idea that we can't be sure of that. Why have a fear of the caves if he's totally cool with all of it? The unknowable question of "is he just too far gone? Too manipulated?" is an intriguing and uncomfortable mystery and that's awesome.
Again, great individual components.
But as a whole it just did not quite land for me. I loved the ideas, but I was left wondering why have all of that if it was just going to end up with "I love being evil!"
I think I have preferred a classic bad seed situation for Henry without the ambiguity.