Watching ‘Stranger Things’ Finale in a Theater: Biggest Fan Reactions

Hopper (David Harbor) and Kali (Linnea Bertelsen) feuded with each other throughout season five, arguing over their approaches to how Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) should use her powers. When both Kali and Eleven are paralyzed during an intense chase by the military, Hopper initially simply saves Eleven, but when he returns for Kali, it validates his heroism, earning thunderous applause from the audience.

Shortly after Hopper rescues Kali, both are captured and held hostage by the season's side antagonist, Lt. Robert Akers (Alex Breaux). Akers has proven himself to be a terrifying force throughout the season, so when Eleven frees them by forcing Akers to turn the gun on himself, it's cathartic. Credit must also be given to Murray (Brett Gelman) for disrupting the situation by blowing up the helicopter outside, adding to the climactic scene.

Because the finale of Stranger Things wraps up the story of a huge ensemble, it suffers from a bit of Return of the King syndrome (that is, it seems to have multiple final goodbye scenes happening in succession). Luckily, all the goodbyes were heartfelt, but it was Hopper and Joyce's (Winona Ryder) final scene together that got the biggest reaction. After all the kids graduate from high school, Hopper takes Joyce to a fancy restaurant and floats the idea of ​​them leaving Hawkins for Montauk (an allusion to the show's original proposed setting). However, the reaction came not from this subtle Easter egg, but from the moment Hopper gets down on one knee, gives Joyce a ring and asks her to spend the rest of her life with him.

The audience did not applaud during this scene, but sobs were heard in the hall. Hopper has long been protective of Eleven, and his refusal to allow her to sacrifice herself for the sake of peace stems from the pain he felt over the loss of his daughter Sarah. In this emotional scene, Eleven tenderly explains that although Hopper has proven to be a loving father to her, she is not Sarah. She then gives him back the scrunchie that once belonged to Sarah, relieving him of his guilt. There was hardly a dry eye in the house.

If Eleven's emotional moment with Hopper brought wet eyes and sobs, her final scene with Mike brought out audible sobs. When Eleven makes the decision to stay in the Upside Down after the bomb goes off, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) rushes in to try and save her, but she remembers him and explains what needs to be done. All the while, they tearfully embrace over Prince's “Purple Rain.” It's beautiful and tragic at the same time, and the audience had a blast with the characters.

The ensemble's victory over Vecna ​​(Jamie Campbell Bower) has some cathartic moments, but Joyce delivers the final blow to the titular villain, decapitating him with an ax after he's impaled on a spike through the Mind Flayer's heart. Before she starts cutting his neck, she says with fire in her eyes, “You fucked with the wrong family.” It was the finale's “I'm Iron Man” moment, and audiences just ate it up.

When Vecna ​​succumbs to the Mind Flayer and he begins to attack the heroes in the Abyss, several moments of heroism occur. Viewers applauded when Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) saved Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) from being hit, and then again when Nancy (Natalia Dyer) volunteered to be bait. However, the biggest cheers came when it was revealed that Eleven had successfully returned to the Abyss via a shortcut and distracted the Flenser with a boulder to the head. She then rushes to face him, blows a hole in his chest and dives like a superhero, receiving a superhero ovation.

Jake Connelly's Derek Turnbow is one of the best additions to Stranger Things 5 ​​and may be the funniest character in the entire series. So it's no surprise that he got the biggest laughs in the theater, from his surprise hug with Steve (Joe Keery) to his awkward waving at Mike. However, his biggest moment in the finale comes when he helps Holly (Nell Fisher) escape Vecna's clutches upon entering the Cave. He saves her by pulling her in, and once they're both safe, he throws Vecna ​​off and says his signature line: “Suck my fat one.” Dipshit Derek definitely pleased the audience with this one.

The audience gasped loudly at this scene where Hopper, tricked by Vecna, shoots a pistol at the ghost, but the bullets go straight into the water tank where Eleven is submerged. When he pulls back the metal to reveal the blood pouring from Eleven's body, shock could be heard in the theater. One person behind me even blurted out, “Shut up!” in surprise. Luckily, Eleven's wounds turned out to be as fake as the ghost itself, but Hopper's panicked decision to free her from the tank took the plot in an unexpected direction. Additionally, when Vecna ​​plays with Hopper's mind, his villainous voice is heard for the first time in the finale. Its vibrations shook the theater, sounding extremely eerie against the Egyptian's cinematic sound system.

The entire scene where Eleven tries to align the falling Void with the radio tower in “Upside Down” was fun to watch on the big screen. As the seconds counted down and the characters faced challenges in three different worlds, everyone was on the edge of their seats. However, viewers cried and screamed as the screen went black as it looked like Steve would fall to his death. Those cries of despair turned into cries of triumph when it was revealed that Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve's rival throughout the series, was saving him. It's an early moment in the episode that tests the audience's fears for the fates of all the characters. Luckily this one ended in catharsis. Plus, as a bonus, Joe Keery's name received the loudest applause during the closing credits.

If Joyce telling Vecna ​​that he had “messed with the wrong family” was the moment of the I Am Iron Man finale, then Will (Noah Schnapp) impersonating Vecna ​​to save Eleven and make way for his defeat was Captain America wielding Mjolnir. When Vecna ​​appears to have the upper hand in the final battle against Eleven, Will, taking control, gives the heroes the advantage one last time. It's a joyful moment that confirms the villain's fate and all the heroes are capable of.