So my daughter and I really got into Stranger Things. It was something we watched together and waited for each new season to arrive. It’s now over – and the ending has been left for the audience to decide what really happened. On the one hand, El & Team defeated Vecna, El sacrificed herself (or possibly got away) and the finale wrapped everything up nicely – or so we thought.
Some fans believe a new secret episode will drop tonight because there is significance with the number 7. If the Duffer Brothers and Netflix were able to pull off a secret finale – it would possibly be the first of it’s kind but I don’t think that’s the case at all. I believe the story ended, but thanks to some fans noticing interesting differences and nuances, and the way the Duffer Brothers presented the epilogue, there could be a third option for what really happened.
In the Epilogue – the 18 months after the final battle, everything is tied up nicely but there are some additional objects and differences in backgrounds that could open up the option that they didn’t win at all. Some of the fan theories are wild – but some of them are hard to ignore or to just brush off as “nothing” or a “coincidence”.
So I did a little digging of my own to see if there was anything regarding a Vecna/Henry connection and based on the epilogue portion alone, there are some very interesting details.
When Dustin is taking a photo in his house before graduation, check out the differences in wallpaper from this shot vs. his Ghostbuster scene from Season 2. It’s the same doorway and the same photo of him on the left. The patterns don’t match exactly. This correlates to when Holly was noticing the memories of what she experienced while in Henry’s mind was off a little – different colors or placement of things, etc. and the fact that the wallpaper is CLOSE but not the exact same really can’t be ignored unless someone wants to blame the continuity director.
Then in the cabin with Will, Hopper, Joyce and Jonathan, we see the Whatzit game in a red box to the left of Johnathan (since Henry was known as Mr. Whatzit to the kids this can’t just be by chance) and in past seasons, the curtains are white but we see a yellow tint/hue in this shot and in the kitchen shot the window looks different in each version. It’s like some things are slightly changed. The phone also looks higher on the wall but Joyce is shorter than Nancy so I’ll leave it at that.
In Robin’s latest on air DJ stint, she states that Hawkins isn’t the same. “This isn’t the Hawkins I even remember, it’s so different”. Is this a clue leading to the fact that they are in Henry’s mind and there are differences in the little things?
We then go to the graduation which has some of the oddest behavior for the background/extras which is what stood out to me. I have been a background extra before and the AD’s are very specific with how we are to act, how to position everything and also where to look. Very rarely are we ever told to look directly into the camera. It’s hard to ignore their positioning in the seats – both the graduates and the parents/family/friends sitting behind them have their hands in their lap, clasped much like Henry Creel likes to stand. There is no way that is not intentional based on being on a set myself. The probability of all the extras deciding to sit like that without being told is very unlikely. There is also a blank yellow sign in the background to the left. The probability of every director, assistant director, continuity director not fixing that if it was a mistake is also highly unlikely. It had to have been intentional. All the TV screenshots are mine and I’ve confirmed they are not doctored.
After the graduation Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and Robin go on the roof of the station for their feel good chat. In the season epilogue portion the brick looks gray/blue but in earlier episodes it’s reddish/white brick.
After the crew plays D&D and before Mike reveals his alternate ending idea Max says “Wait – that’s it? Comfort and Happiness? That seems trite. Aren’t you a master storyteller?” It’s an interesting statement – was everything too easy? They all seem so happy, it’s almost too perfect.
When Holly and her friends go into the basement to play towards the end, we see the Whatzit game again.
The other thing I noticed in the graduation scene is that the look and feel is very similar to how “colorful” it was when the kids were in the home with Henry and the town shots are similar, too. The town almost looks retro like it would have been when Henry was growing up. There are many bright colors – hot pink, red and yellow which is giving the same aesthetic of Henry’s manufactured world where the kids were.
I think based on these nuances, there is a strong case for Henry to have possibly won by trapping the crew into his own mind and making it seem like a super happy place. I don’t believe there is a secret episode, but definitely evidence for the viewer having to make up their mind for which ending they’d like to believe in.
With the majority of fans hating on any of these theories regarding Henry still being around or the situation being different than what was presented, maybe we’ll get some clarity with the making of episode that will come out on 1/12. In my personal opinion, there are too many “clues” to not consider this option. Maybe one day the Duffer Brothers will confirm or deny. Until then, it lies with the viewer most definitely. Based on what I’ve shared and the theories on social media – do you think there could be a third option which means they didn’t win and Vecna has everyone trapped in his mind? Of course the number one question would be HOW. I don’t think all of episode 5 was a facade – but something must have happened when they went to the Abyss which is a definite possibility. The main gripe about the finale from a lot of fans was the “final showdown” seemed too easy.
The series is over and done with so the Duffer Brothers have succeeded with the frenzy of hard core fans still looking at every episode to see if they can uncover the actual truth because I believe they definitely created doubt intentionally. Maybe Stranger Things ended like this on purpose to allow our imagination to run a little wild and figure out the best ending each of us would want for the characters. After all, the entire series is based on a game that is fueled by creative thinking, so it’s only fitting that it’s left up to us.
The Worldly Condition 