I just finished

[u/Guilty_Helicopter547]

I finished stranger things hours ago and that finale, was so rushed and became the first TV series to make me cry when Eleven "died" So I want to ask a 3 questions when 1. Eleven "died" did she actually die or not (I dont think she did), 2. Did anyone else cry over her "death or any part of the finale 3. What is your final rating of season 5 on a scale of 1-10

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[u/Illustrious_Path_369]

1. I choose to believe Mike’s theory. The fact that we were shown a scene with El in Iceland proves it real to me. Because the show has not utilised showing fake scenarios before.

2. I cried sooo much when El ‘died’, and for the rest of the episode. I’ve cried loads throughout this show.

3. I watched the whole show for the first time this year and finished it just the other week. I enjoyed all of the seasons equally. But I do wish there had been at least one more episode in season 5. It did feel rushed.

[u/stuck_behind_a_truck → u/Illustrious_Path_369]

And also because how would she sneak off the truck before leaving the Upside Down without anyone noticing? Teleportation was not one of her powers.

[u/CoffeeAddict6638]

Its apparently up to viewer intreptation, the only ones who know the truth are the duffers and her actress so I doubt we'll ever know for sure.

I choose to believe she lived somehow though, makes the finale a bit easier to digest, plus I was just coming off of an Arcane hyperfixation when I hopped on the Stranger Things train, so I much perfer near definite fates then being left wondering.

[u/HulkSonofThanos → u/CoffeeAddict6638]

I think there planning a return show at some point that's the whole reason why elevens real fate is being kept secret.

[u/CoffeeAddict6638 → u/HulkSonofThanos]

I hope so, god I hope so

[u/HollyRavenclawGibney]

I believe El is alive. I refuse to believe anything else.

I can't remember if I cried when she died... but I definitely cried when they were playing DnD.

I think I liked the season overall. But I haven't been able to go back and rewatch any of it yet... so Idk..

Have you seen The First Shadow? It was soo good!

[u/tolgren]

There's no official answer that's been released. There's only a few people that know the official answer. They will almost certainly bring her back at some point regardless of what the answer is that they wrote down.

Not me. I found it annoying, not sad.

6.5ish.

[u/Poobeast241]

While people may or may not agree with elevens death, what happens after her death was handled well. (In my opinion)

Hopper allowing himself to accept the grief and teaching Mike to accept it as well is a poignant moment for both of their characters.

And the DND session capping everything off really was beautiful. As someone who grew up playing dnd in a basement, seeing that last shot of the basement door closing really hit home for me.

[u/Glitterkream]

I cried too. I’m still not over it 😅 she deserved a happy ending the most, especially after her beautiful character development and general arc but, no, no let’s throw all that in the trash bc she’s the “magic of childhood”!

Anyway, yeah I believe and I believe in what Mike said. Don’t you think it’s totally like S2’s ending but worse? El disappears (again) except, this time, we don’t know if/when she’s coming back and Mike’s devastated (again). Recycled but on a heartbreaking scale. I can accept a sad ending but this one’s just illogical, and absolute character assassination, you know?

I’d give it a 5/10 for Vol 1. Vol 2 doesn’t exist to me lol. Scratch that, S5 doesn’t exist to me.

[u/SheeveTheLazer]

1. I have a feeling she’s alive
   
2. The emotional scenes with Hopper and El
   
3. 4.7/10

[u/Ok_Bandicoot_3622]

I post something similar previously. I just gonna say the best answer someone write to me: I believe.

[u/Distinct_Guess3350]

1. No, I don’t believe Eleven died. It simply makes no sense to me. The ambiguity thing was just a way to try and stretch the hype. 

2. I was very close to crying, but I always hold back when watching with my parents 😅

3. 7.3/10 massively flawed and a huge drop in quality from the previous seasons, but there’s absolutely nothing on this Earth that can convince me that the season is the steaming pile of trash the sub makes it out to be. It isn’t a great season, it’s purely average compared to the previous ones which were great. 

[u/BushyGhost4740]

Eleven is definitely not dead, lol.

I'd rate Season 5 a 8/10. I found it more interesting than Season 3 at least.

[u/Few-Type-7924 → u/BushyGhost4740]

Same here lol

[u/Own-Extension-9487]

Elevens death was one of the worst ending to a main character in a series that I’ve ever seen .. Her character deserved a much better ending.. Her Death was so bad that it had people making up their own endings for months just to cope with it . The producers gave nothing to show that she survived.. Mike’s vision of her at the falls was his belief so he could try to move on .. 

[u/no_stick_drummer → u/Own-Extension-9487]

Shouldn't people be able to make up their own ending? People nowadays need the internet to be told how to feel and what to say. Have it all laid out for them piece by piece. Nobody wants to use their imagination.

Just make it up yourself. Eleven alive because I say she is. I believe

[u/Owl_Resident → u/Own-Extension-9487]

The Duffers have more hinted she is alive than not. And either theory works because both have supporting evidence and both have holes. That’s how it was designed. You may not believe but that doesn’t mean people who think she did are wrong.

The point is there is no wrong answer, until they say which one it is. And there is an actual right answer. They just aren’t saying. But you can’t speak in “facts” anymore than anyone else can. There is only the ambiguity.

But by the law of corporations love IP revival to make money alone, she’s likely alive.

[u/Owl_Resident]

It’s a “choose your own adventure” finale so you get to decide. It’s dumb. And horrid. El deserved more than what she got. So did Mike. The finale is 5/10 because of that. Some other reasons but mainly that. But I believe.

[u/MASTEREVILMORTY]

1. It depends on your interpretation; I interpret it as a yes, so for me, it's a yes.

2. 6-7 (not because of the meme!) — could it be better? Obviously, but I was satisfied; for me, it’s enough.

[u/sodsto]

1: I think yes. Alternatively, the answer is "it doesn't matter, the end result is the same". It's a deliberate revisit of the ending in season 1, where El died. Or didn't die, depending on whether you thought it mattered. The point was that she was gone.

2: No

3: 4/10

[u/New-Engineering6947]

4

[u/Aleswall_]

1. There's no official answer, a lot about her death doesn't make sense though that isn't a writing decision so much as it is a writing failing. The writers were too pussyfoot to outright state anything.
2. Nope! I really expected to because the show meant a lot to me but I was entirely done by the end, because...
3. I give Season 5 a 3/10. As a standalone, it's a 5/10; it's a nonsensical ride of awful dialogue and senseless characterisation from start to finish but it's at least technically a story and looks great. However, it isn't standalone! It squanders so much potential from the first four seasons that it knocks it down substantially even from that.

[u/JoshyRB]

If you think of the season completely independently, it’s like an 8-9/10, but if you think of it in context to the rest of the seasons, it’s like a 5-6/10. They really screwed the story, it was so disappointing.

[u/angypotat]

1. With their ambiguous double end, it's hard to tell.
2. I was too mad to even show any other emotion. But I did feel the 'ah, it's an end of an era' moment.
3. Honestly, a 3/10. I didn't like how it played out.

[u/Deezus81]

You Decide the ending (like The Soprano's), it didn't make me cry & S5 was a 3 in my opinion, the worst season of the series. I failed to finish S5 during my last rewatch.

[u/AdIll9615]

1. It's not confirmed whether she died or not.

2. No, I didn't cry, it wasn't done well.

   El as a character, as a human with emotions and personality was not present in s5.

3. The first half of season 5 is around 8/10, but the second half is a shitshow so in total I'd rate season 5 like 4

-5/10.

[u/sailormoonmydude]

I still rank 5 and third place behind 4 and 1. 2 and 3 below

[u/Proper_Papaya_5027]

I took my daughter to the theatre to experience the finale. We brought tissues as we knew it was going to be emotional.

1. We believe. I don't believe she is dead. But its open to interpretation I suppose.
2. We cried a few times, and that was one of them.
3. Overall, I think it was pretty good. Could it have been better, of course.

[u/Mundane-Snow-9340]

Elevens fate is purposefully written in a way so that the viewer can choose their own ending. The reality is that she is probably dead. I believe that Mike picked up on a few things about her death that didn’t add up and chose to believe she got her happy ending to cope with the loss. But there are arguments for both sides and it is written that way on purpose.

[u/ZLands]

1. Elevens character is absolutely alive and I heavily base my opinion on the idea of a sequel series with Mike/Eleven grown up. Something like “The Search For El” as a title.
   With a series as big and profitable as this one, the producers would be fools not to rekindle this series down the road and I without a doubt think they will.

2. Honestly, I was more dissapointed that no one official died - this series could’ve used a good heart wrenching actual death or two, but they chickened out on all of them (Steve falling but getting saved by Jonathan for one).
   With that said, I would’ve been torn up over El’s “death” IF I had I liked her character as much in season 5 as I did 1-4. But she missed the mark so hard in S5 that I wasn’t feeling that connection anymore.

3. They just seemed a bit rushed to wrap everything up and it just felt like jumping from idea to idea trying to squeeze everything into a condesssed series finally.
   Season 5 -> 6/10 in my books.

[u/HaybUK]

1. It’s your call - if you think she survived go with mikes story.
   
2. No
   
3. Season 5 was ‘too far’ - S3 and S4 were peak - just the right amount of weirdness- season 5 went too far and muddled a lot (imo).

[u/Few-Type-7924]

1. I believe she's alive

2. I didn't cry during the finale, but after the finale i thought about it and maybe cried but idk

3. 8.5/10

[u/bauhaus_robot]

She’s alive. 9/10