The five biggest loose ends ‘Stranger Things’ failed to tie up
A lot happened nine years ago when we first met the bike-riding gang of preteens in Stranger Things on Netflix. Will Byers vanished, the Upside Down was created, Demogorgons lurked on the loose, and no one really knew that a little shaved-headed girl could save the world.
But nine years down, after the Duffer Brothers swore to bring the show to a full circle, pledging to finally answer the questions that’ve been plaguing the viewers’ minds for nearly a decade, can we truly say that all our questions have been answered?
In all honesty, the core Stranger Things fans would beg to differ because even with a banger of a start to the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series, everyone feels a little off, and that has less to do with the show coming to an end. While the first volume raised twice as many questions as we already had, the second volume brought some explanations about the Upside Down.
And the final volume? Well, it had a considerable number of fans throwing popcorn at their screens and scratching their heads for a closure that’s worth all the wait. It’s hard to put the curiosity to rest, and it’s even harder to accept that these questions may not be answered ever. Still, here are the five biggest loose ends Stranger Things failed to tie up once and for all.
Top five plot holes Stranger Things came and went with
Who opened the latch of the door in the pilot episode?
November 6th, 1983, was the day it all began in Hawkins with the vanishing of Will Byers in Stranger Things. But for the longest time, fans have theorised about who the silhouetted figure could be before Will’s dragged to the Upside Down. In a conversation with Digital Spy, the Duffer Brothers set the record straight, saying, “Will’s biking and he sees a silhouetted figure in the road. I’ve seen people claim that that’s Vecna or that we went back and changed it. But that I swear was the Demogorgon.”
They clarified that at the time, they didn’t design Vecna or anything, and Matt Duffer went on to tease, “I will say the lock that gets opened telepathically, the Demogorgons aren’t telepathic. I’ll say that much.” Then, who exactly opens the gate in the pilot episode of season one?
Why is time frozen in the Upside Down on November 6th? What’s the significance of the date?
November 6th has always been an important date in Stranger Things. One of the reasons is that Will Byers was kidnapped and taken to the Upside Down. But by now, we very well know, that’s not all the date signified. All the evil doings in Hawkins revolved around the same date, which also seemed important to Henry Creel. In case you don’t remember, it was also the date of the school play in Vecna’s memories with the young Hawkins residents.
But now that it’s all done and dusted, fans still don’t know what’s so special about the date, despite the anniversary of Will’s abduction being a key to everything strange. Similarly, the carry-forward question that also doesn’t get answered in the final season is why the Upside Down appears to be frozen.
Where are all the Demo-army at?
After terrifying the Hawkins kids right from the start, Stranger Things‘ finale chose to skip answering the whereabouts of Vecna’s Demo-army, except for a brief appearance from the Demodogs that Karen Wheeler neutralised in earlier episodes. The kids made their way onto the Abyss, bested Vecna, and returned home safe, only to get caught off-guard by Dr Kay and her troops.
But why was the Abyss so mysteriously barren? Where were the Demogorgons? The Demobats? Or even the Demodogs?
Where is Dr Kay and her troops?
Dr Kay and the military’s presence and intentions may have driven Eleven’s final choice in Stranger Things. While she was supposed to replicate and carry forward Dr Brenner’s experiments, it’s wild to imagine she just disappeared after Eleven’s sacrifice.
Where did the mysterious stone come from?
In the series finale of Stranger Things, the characters ultimately come to learn that Henry Creel first came into contact with the Mind Flayer as a young boy when he discovered a wounded man in an abandoned mineshaft all those years ago. Not only was he coerced into killing the man, but later, he also came across a mysterious stone that is believed to have created the link between himself and the Mind Flayer.
This is how the big bad of the show actually came to be. But what is the origin of the stone? While several theories have emerged based on the prequel story, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the questions haven’t been entirely answered. However, considering the spin-offs waiting in the wings, one can hope we can all see the light of those days where the answers are out in the open.