The story arc has made sense thus far, and has been both easy enough to follow and interestingly complex. Its use of classical horror tropes has been entertaining, and its use of cultural references is interesting and authentic to the story’s progression, complimenting it rather than serving as a crutch. It’s been a lot of fun so far, and has been well-received by critics. However, I do feel that, as the enemy responsible for much of the strife of the protagonists has been defeated and the characters seem ready to move on in separate directions, “Stranger Things” has reached the point where it can come to a satisfying conclusion in its fifth season.
Each volume of “Stranger Things” thus far has depicted an attempt on Vecna’s behalf to come closer to his goal of invading our world, or that of the protagonists. Before his assault, it appeared briefly that his plans had come into fruition — in season four, three characters were claimed as victims, and he thought that he had claimed a fourth. However, Max, his fourth victim, was rescued by Eleven at the last minute, before his attempt at breaking the barrier between the two worlds could be realized. In this way, the marginally separated premises of the previous three seasons are placed into overarching context. Vecna’s loss feels at the very least semi-conclusive — even if he is still alive his plans seem more or less undone. Another season will serve as a means of concluding Vecna’s character arc and conclusively exploring Eleven’s pursuit of a normal life. I hope that “Stranger Things” does not fall into the trap that other franchises have of continuing past the point of conclusion in ways that make little sense.
In his Poetics, Aristotle said that an ideal play would allow enough time for the hero to move either from misfortune to happiness or from happiness to misfortune. A story makes sense when it centers a change in the lives of the protagonists. Game of Thrones presented what I believe to be an essential problem of the televised “epic” — with too many characters and a story far from a natural ending, when forced to conclude unnaturally it left audiences unsatisfied. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has the opposite problem. In the first Avengers movie, Thanos’ existence as an existential threat was alluded to. Thanos’ death and the disbanding of the group felt like a natural conclusion, but the story kept going, with more new movies and unnecessary content emerging each year, seemingly without direction.
In order for “Stranger Things” to succeed and in order for it to maintain its high status with its audience, it needs to end in a way that makes sense. If the series follows its promise of ending with its fifth season, “Stranger Things” will most likely be given the conclusion that will best serve its story arc. The temptation to prolong a series like this might have been its undoing, but if it is ended with the central antagonist defeated and the soft dissolution of the protagonists as a group, it will be remembered in the same spirit in which these last four volumes have been enjoyed.
Desmond Keuper is a junior majoring in philosophy and is Assistant Opinions Editor.