A nearly 10-year-long journey — with tales of monsters, parallel dimensions, evil scientists, unbreakable friendships, and the sheer brilliance of ’80s music — is set to conclude with the Stranger Things finale on 1 January.
And like the rest of the world, Kolkata is no stranger to the Stranger Things craze, which seems to have peaked ahead of the final episode.
But the run-up to the showdown between the Hawkins gang and Vecna, especially after Season 5 Volume 2 of the Netflix show by the Duffer Brothers, has garnered mixed reactions from Kolkata fans. While some are satisfied with its emotional closure, many others express frustration over its pacing and unsolved queries.
From Will Byer’s long-awaited main character moment to unnerving death predictions, Kolkata fans weighed in on the latest instalment.
‘Everything has been left for the finale’
(All pictures: TT Online correspondent)
Ahana Bagchi (19), a comparative literature student, pointed out that the second volume offered plot building once again rather than anything that pays off. “I did enjoy Dustin coming back to his element, coming up with theories, and this quality of his rubbing off on Steve. Finally, Max is back, though she really needs to learn how to RUN. Also, Mr Clarke joining them was a fun thing to see. All the Steve and Dustin moments were really cool.”
However, she criticised Eleven for being weak in the season. Kali trying to manipulate Eleven into the suicide mission was “a bit annoying”, she said.
Who will die? Vecna for sure. Possibly Eleven, Kali (as everyone would manifest), Will, Jonathan or Nancy. Ahana hopes it isn’t anyone between Steve and Dustin.
‘The expectations were different, yet what we received was pretty satisfying’
Sayan Dutta, a Rabindrasangeet singer and tutor, said, “The expectations were different, yet what we received was pretty satisfying.”
Although he, like everyone else, was expecting shocking deaths in Volume 2, Sayan appreciated the Duffer Brothers for focusing on emotional closure to characters who have “dealt with so much all this while”.
“Will accepting his own self, the development of every interpersonal relationship — like Steve and Dustin's bond and Hopper's care for El — stood out for me,” the 26-year-old said. On the flip side, Sayan found Millie Bobbie Brown as Eleven “abysmal”.
Who will die? “Eleven, Kali or maybe Will.”
‘It went a little slow for me’
Rishita Samaddar, a content writer from Behala, said, “It went a little slow for me.” The 25-year-old said she expected more clarity considering the storylines of the previous seasons.
“Episode 6 was the best. But I really disliked how Henry's backstory or the Mind Flayer was not explored properly, and the main characters felt sidelined,” she explained, adding that the finale seems predictable now.
Who will die? Eleven or Kali, she predicts.
‘The suspense worked for me’
For some, like Souhardya Ghosh, who lives in Madhyamgram, the volume lived up to the expectations because of the “catchy storyline and suspenseful plot”.
“The best moment was when Max came back. The worst moment was when Steve and Henderson were fighting,” the 24-year-old said.
Who will die? Steve, in his opinion.
‘It feels like there are more questions than answers’
Sohini Dasgupta, a content editor, said, “It feels like there are more questions than answers.” She had expected Volume 2 to have some heart-pounding action after the pace set by the first one, but it was a tad underwhelming.
“The worst moment was Max and Holly hesitating while escaping Vecna’s mind. Nobody was moving an inch — it was frustrating. Kali asking Eleven to sacrifice herself was also really annoying,” the 27-year-old said.
“The best moment was everyone figuring out the wormhole, accompanied by Steve’s car floating away. It was a great full-circle moment,” she added.
Who will die? Sohini hopes none of the main characters die, especially Steve.
‘They copied the entire idea of wormholes and god particles from Dark’
Subhajit Das, a 23-year-old software engineer, recalled the impact of the German series Dark, which became a hit during the Covid-19 Pandemic. “They copied the entire idea of wormholes and god particles from Dark and renamed it as exotic matter,” he said.
Who will die? Steve Harrington and Eleven, he feels.
‘The scenes where Will faced Vecna were the best ones’
Nishantika Bagchi, an advocate, said, “The scene where Will jacked into the Hive Mind and possessed Vecna to save Max was the best one.”
“The whole theory of the Upside Down, the exotic matter and the wormhole destroyed all the fan theories we had been cooking up. And Will coming out was so predictable,” she said. The only badass moment? Mrs Wheeler burning the demodogs in the hospital when they came hunting for Max.
Who will die? Everyone expects Steve, the hair Harrington to die, but she thinks someone else might die instead.
‘The world is ending and they’re busy solving relationships’
Trijeet Mukherjee, a 22-year-old chef, highlighted a key issue with the latest instalment. “The world was going to end and they were busy solving relationships,” he said with a laugh.
Who will die? Eleven or Steve, he said.
‘The bridge connecting the two worlds is very interesting’
One of the younger viewers, Srijan Mukherjee, from Hooghly, said, “The bridge connecting the two worlds is very interesting.” The 17-year-old is excited for the final episode and wants to see how Eleven and Kali will defeat Vecna.
Who will die? Srijan thinks no one will.