Stranger Things

Let’s start by sharing a summary of the most-watched horror-thriller series in Netflix history:

Stranger Things is a science fiction-thriller series set in the small American town of Hawkins in the 1980s. When a young boy, Will Byers, mysteriously disappears, his friends search for him and discover secret government experiments, supernatural events, and the existence of a dark parallel universe called the Upside Down.

Around the same time as Will’s disappearance, a runaway girl with telekinetic powers, Eleven (El), arrives in town. El’s powers play a key role in both finding Will and fighting the creatures threatening the town. Over time, the town battles terrifying creatures like the Demogorgon and a greater threat from the Upside Down: the Mind Flayer.

The series blends childhood friendships, family ties, secret government projects, and a growing supernatural threat, while standing out with its 80s nostalgia, music, and atmosphere. Each season the threat grows larger, and the characters try to protect each other and save Hawkins.

Let’s summarize each season of this series, which has a total of 5 seasons.

Season 1

Will disappears, and while his friends are searching for him, he meets Eleven. The “Upside Down” appears in Hawkins, and the town faces the threat of the Demogorgon.

Season 2

Will has returned, but the effects of the Upside Down continue. This time, the town struggles with a greater power: the Mind Flayer and its creatures.

Season 3

A newly opened shopping mall in Hawkins changes the atmosphere. Secret Russian experiments threaten to open the Upside Down again; the Mind Flayer returns even more dangerously.

Season 4

The town enters a darker period: a new and powerful enemy, Vecna, emerges. The connection between the Upside Down and Hawkins strengthens, setting the stage for the grand finale.

Season 5

The final season takes place as the Upside Down begins to completely take over Hawkins, and Eleven and her crew reunite to stop Vecna ​​and save the town. In this season, the real world we live in faces the threat of annihilation.

Let’s elaborate on Season 5 without spoilers: Following the rifts that opened at the end of Season 4, Season 5 begins with Hawkins effectively falling apart and the Upside Down threat now “into the town.” As the group aims to find and destroy Vecna, the town is placed under military quarantine, and Eleven once again becomes a target. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, everyone’s paths cross again, and the finale leads to the final showdown that will determine the fate of Hawkins and the Upside Down.

Now, let’s talk about what I liked and disliked about the show:

What I liked:

1) The blending of many genres: Stranger Things doesn’t fit into a single genre; But generally, it’s a mix of genres:

• Science fiction (sci-fi): Upside Down, experiments, paranormal powers
• Thriller/Mystery: Disappearances, investigation, constantly escalating danger
• Horror (especially seasons 1 and 4): Creatures, dark atmosphere, body horror elements
• Fantasy/Supernatural: Telekinesis, parallel universes, supernatural beings
• Drama: Family relationships, coming-of-age story
• Adventure: Team missions, escape, exploration

In short: We can say it’s a series that mixes science fiction + thriller + supernatural horror + adventure. So, there’s a kind of genre fusion. This sets it apart from classic series. I liked that it reflects its own style and is original.

2) Series Characters: Many of the actors in the series do a fantastic job and add their own unique color to the show. The performances of these characters alone are worth watching. I’d also like to list the actors and actresses whose performances I liked the most in the series, in order of my preference:

Top 5 Actors

1. Jamie Campbell Bower: Henry Creel/One/Vecna
2. Brett Gelman: Murray Bauman
3. Joe Keery: Steve Harrington
4. Joseph Quinn: Eddie Munson
5. Tom Vlaschiha: Dimitri

Top 5 Actresses

1. Maya Hawke: Robin Buckley
2. Millie Brown Bobbie: Eleven/El/Jane
3. Winona Ryder: Joyce Byers
4. Priah Ferguson: Erica Sinclair
5. Cara Buono: Karen Wheeler

Also, the addition of different characters each season enriches the series and prevents monotony. For example, Maya Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley, a character whose performance I liked the most, joined the series in season 3 but became a character who truly carried the show.

3) Surprise elements in the script: I liked the inclusion of surprise elements in the script. In many places, just when you think “this is it,” the story can take a completely different turn. These surprises pique curiosity and make you want to watch more. We can say that the Duffer Brothers, who created a monster-filled, interdimensional series inspired by the 1980s, did a good job with the script and execution.

4) Paranormal events depicted in the series: First, let’s define paranormal. Paranormal, or unusual, is a term used in parapsychology to describe psychic phenomena such as telepathy and psychokinesis, events that cannot be explained by known laws of physics and chemistry, and the psychic abilities involved in these events. Personally, I believe in paranormal events; I believe that humans and all other living things are made of energy, that there is another dimension, and that some special people have intuitions and abilities to direct these paranormal events. Aside from some horror film elements that seemed absurd in the series, I actually enjoyed watching the paranormal events and activities depicted, the unbelievable elements that we could witness in real life.

In fact, the series’ script is based on real-life events. Stranger Things is inspired by the conspiracy theory known as the “Montauk Project,” which claims that the United States government developed psychological warfare and time travel methods at Camp Hero State Park or Montauk Air Force Station. Montauk is also mentioned at the end of the series.

5) Being a child in the 80s: Since the main characters of the series are children living in the 80s, and I was also a child in the 80s, I was able to empathize directly with the series and those characters. I personally enjoyed seeing some elements in the series that those who lived in the 80s would remember but no longer exist today; I personally experienced nostalgia (typewriters, newly released televisions, rotary phones, etc.). In those years, children weren’t so dependent on computers or phones. Everyone played and hung out freely outside. Social circles were stronger. As the last representatives of this era, I can say we had a lucky childhood.

Now, let’s get to the aspects of the series I didn’t like:

1) Some episodes are unnecessarily long: After the first season, we witness the episodes getting longer. Especially in some episodes, they’ve stretched them out so unnecessarily that they’ve approached the level of Turkish series where even a simple glance takes 5-10 minutes. This disrupts the high tempo of the series in some places, so I can say that I got bored in some episodes.

2) The enemies becoming stuck in a vicious cycle: The first season of the series deals with the Demogorgon, the next two seasons with the Mind Flayer, and finally with Vecna. In my opinion, if a new terrifying character were added each season, the pace and excitement of the series would be higher, given the successfully created terrifying characters that carry horror film elements. By the way, the ones that provided the most fear and excitement were actually the Demogorgon and his counterparts (Demodog, etc.), who, as the lowest-ranking members of the series, carried out the orders of the Mind Flayer and Vecna.

3) Some actors’ performances are inadequate: While many actors truly excelled and added a unique performance to the series, some actors’ acting was lacking. I won’t name names here out of politeness, but you can observe a significant difference in the acting.

As for what will happen next; the producers of the series have announced that there will be spin-off series in the style of classic sequels to very popular series. In other words, they take some of the characters that shone in the series and create other series based on them. We’ll see together which character or characters the first spin-off series from Stranger Things will be based on.

Conclusion

Stranger Things ended on an epic note and emotionally with a dramatic two-hour final episode that briefly crashed Netflix servers (see: https://www.t24.com.tr/haber/stranger-things-dizisi-destansi-ve-duygusal-bir-sonla-final-yapti,1288097 ).

Viewers flocked to watch the dramatic two-hour final episode, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” which concluded the 10-year run of the science fiction-horror series, as soon as it aired on 1 January 2026, at 4:00 AM Turkish time. The high demand caused overload on the Netflix system, resulting in crashes in some areas.

Some fans also attended special theatrical screenings of the finale in some cities in the US and Canada, some of which were attended by the show’s stars.

Old Scenes Scrutinized in Distinguished Scenes

We can say that the series finale generally met expectations. Due to the frenzied level of adoration, viewers scrutinized scenes and reviewed past seasons to understand how everything could have ended in the Upside Down, quickly pointing out gaps in the story or problems with the scriptwriting.

They pointed out flaws in the scene where Will Byers comes out as gay, or gaffes like the Under Armour logo (a brand not established until 1996) appearing on Holly Wheeler’s jacket.

Numerous theories discussed on social media made the ending of this saga even more exciting. Ultimately, some theories were spot-on. Others weren’t.

In the finale, we witness an epic final battle requiring all characters to defeat Vecna ​​and the Mind Flayer before the worlds merge and Hawkins, Indiana, and the world as we know it, are taken over.

However, despite such an epic finale, there are definitely some gaps in the final episode that are not fully explained.

Cinemagoers dressed as Demogorgons

In the end, some were satisfied with the series finale, and some were not. In the US and Canada, the final episode was shown in theaters like a normal movie. We understood why the final episodes of seasons 4 and 5 were made 2 hours long. Integrating Netflix series with cinema in this way is a good idea. This shows that Netflix can be an element that complements, rather than ends, cinema.

Among those who came to watch the final episode in theaters were people dressed as characters from the series or as Demogorgons. They took photos in Stranger Things themed lobbies, and Netflix also distributed special merchandise such as t-shirts and figurines.

Personally, I sometimes watched this fusion series with a sense of tedium, but mostly it excited me. Its 80s theme and the performances of some of the actors made me want to follow it. I recommend that those who haven’t seen it watch it without getting too carried away.

Last year, I shared a post with you every week, reaching 52 posts in total. That’s almost 500 posts in total. I will continue at a similar pace this year, sharing a post every week. On the occasion of this first post of the year, I wish all my readers A Healthy and Happy 2026.