(Credits: Niko Tavernise / Netflix)

So Netflix thought they were being cute when they dropped a little behind-the-scenes documentary for Stranger Things fans to cry over and move on. They thought One Last Adventure would feel like a goodbye hug with some nostalgic footage. Nothing too deep. Just vibes and set tours, right?

Big mistake, huge! (Pretty Woman style).

Because what were they even thinking? They thought this documentary would act as damage control for what happened in the last episode. Instead, it turned out to be a disastrous showdown of how unfinished and unplanned season five really was. All those weird vibes you felt during the finale? Turns out you weren’t overthinking. The doc basically confirmed that they were writing, rewriting, debating, scrambling… all mid-shoot.

And this is why the fandom is on fire. All those open-ended arcs and that awkward pacing with hundreds of those continuity errors weren’t just bad editing. It is what happens when your finale is built under pressure, and nobody agrees on the emotional centre of the show.

So, here it is. The seven biggest things this documentary slipped out. Reasons that explain why your brain is still in shock about the finale.

Seven shocking revelations from the ‘Stranger Things’ doc

1. They started filming with no script for the finale

Yes, you read that right. The final episode? Not even finished when they started shooting. Not outlined. Not polished. Sure, they had claimed on multiple occasions that they had known the ending since forever, but then where did this come from? Were those just vibes and vague ideas? Do you remember Holly’s scene in Vecna’s mind prison? Turns out it was filmed early because it had to look summery. Even though the plot wasn’t locked.

There is a point where a crew member straight up says they are filming without knowing what is going on. Ross Duffer? Literally says he has never fully read episode eight. And they were already deep into shooting? Make it make sense. So if the finale felt like it was stitched together with a lot of random scenes, that’s because it was.

2. They were still arguing about Eleven’s fate during production

You felt the confusion in that final scene, didn’t you? Like something wasn’t sitting right? That is because it was not even settled in the writers’ room. The documentary shows that the Duffers and the writers, including Paul Dichter, were actively debating whether Eleven chooses to live or sacrifice herself. Here is the thing: Eleven’s ending wasn’t a dramatic writing choice but an actual indecision caught on camera (What were they thinking adding this BTS to the documentary?).

Matt thought she chose to live, whereas Ross wanted it to stay vague. And no one agreed or locked it in. So while you were overanalysing her face at the end, wondering if she was at peace or holding back something dark, it turns out you weren’t alone, as the writers were doing the same.

3. That ChatGPT tab fans spotted? It was real

In one shot, a Duffer Brother has ChatGPT open on his laptop. One second of footage, ONE SECOND. That’s all it took for the internet to explode. Reddit threads were blowing up like anything. Fans were asking if the finale was AI-written, and Netflix said nothing. The doc director tried to calm it down, saying it was probably for basic research… Sure, we believe you!

Say whatever or not, but it was open during script development. It was visible, and nobody denied it, which only added fuel to the fire. So yeah, maybe it wasn’t writing full scenes. But it was there. And after everything that felt off in the finale, that is all it took for fans to lose it.

4. Netflix was pressuring them to finish the script mid-shoot

After watching that finale, one thing we can all agree on is that this wasn’t an “art takes time” type of situation. This was clearly lazy writing or a “they didn’t know what they were doing” type situation. Netflix was breathing down their necks. Production was on a timer. And Matt Duffer, who said he used to work seven days a week, now had two kids and couldn’t keep up the pace.

But do we blame Netflix? Not really, as the creators took three freaking years and a budget of $400 million to create the “epic” finale. Naturally, the OTT would come down their necks. People showed up to work with no final pages. That is clearly not artistic tension in our opinion. That is a bright daylight mess. “Controlled chaos”, if you are being generous.

5. They almost had Demogorgons in the finale… but scrapped it

This might be one of the most made fun of things about Stranger Things on the internet, because where the hell were those damn Demogorgons in the finale? There was a whole debate in the doc about whether the final battle should have monsters. And it was only fair to them because it all started with a Demogorgon. And nobody can disagree when we say that there have been times when we have feared Demogorgons more than that thing which got destroyed in 5 minutes in the finale (The Mind Flayer). One writer begged for Demogorgons. Another said the audience was “over it”. We clearly weren’t.

So they ditched the creatures. Went with a more memory-heavy, internal abyss. And now, fans are sitting here wondering where the monsters went. This was clearly not a bold new direction. Sure, creative liberty is one thing, but modifying the facts for your convenience is nothing but pure ignorance.

6. The finale changed halfway through filming

Yup! Reading the statement again won’t change the truth, fellow Stranger Things fanatics. And to prove the point, there is a moment in the doc. It is when you pause at the whiteboard moment that you see it. Joyce? Originally supposed to be in the lab group. Not the Abyss. I mean, the actress, under whose name the series was getting marketed in the first season, barely got any time in the season finale. The final bow alone felt like a compensation, a formality to show that she has been acknowledged, but that’s not enough.

Changing her position was a major restructure which happened after they had already started filming. This means one and only one thing: that the version of the finale you watched? It is not the original. It is whatever they could pull together while schedules were moving and actors were wrapping scenes for arcs that hadn’t been decided yet. What you got was the version they could finish in time.

7. They knew fans might hate it

Saving the best for the last because we knew thing one would sting the most. So THEY KNEW it. Matt Duffer literally says, “It’s terrifying… You see these shows people love, and the ending falters, and they discard the rest of the show.” Should’ve paid more attention to your hunch, Matt, because what the hell was that?

This moment in the doc sure isn’t a casual one because they knew what they were doing, and yet they did it. Everyone on set knew this could go badly. We all remember when Finn Wolfhard said in the press junket that he is worried about the ending. Oh, Finn, you couldn’t be more right. All the love, which was built by the cast and crew and the fans over the years, was crushed by just one finale. And now that it has, now that fans are spiralling and rewatches feel bitter, that Matt Duffer quote hits harder than anything Vecna ever did.