Season 5 Holly Wheeler Focus Sparks Fan Backlash
Stranger Things viewers express frustration over Holly Wheeler's expanded role in the final season, claiming it overshadowed beloved main characters and disrupted the show's narrative balance.
Following the conclusion of Stranger Things, viewers are dissecting season 5's creative choices. One decision has sparked heated online discussions: Holly Wheeler's prominent role throughout the final episodes.
A Reddit user questioned whether Holly deserved main character status in the last season. "Most of the screen time was usually taken by the OGs, which I always loved and wanted to watch," they wrote. "Did the shift from the older kids to now younger ones made sense to you or do you think show could've ended just fine with the same focus on the older cast?"
Fan Criticism Mounts
The post generated nearly a thousand responses. Most commenters praised Nell Fisher's performance but criticized the character's expanded presence as forced. "I think the Duffers wanted to bring the S1 vibes with a new set of kids not realizing they just sidelined the main cast to tell this new story to connect the show as a whole," one user explained.
Another fan suggested alternative storylines: "The storyline should have been about El and/or Will contacting Max and helping her escape from Vecna's mind. Adding essentially two new mains to an already bloated cast was a mistake. No shade on the kids though, they did a great job."
Max's Story Takes Backseat
Many viewers felt Max suffered most from Holly's prominence. "Holly should have been a secondary character to Max. Holly should have had a smaller role compared to Max and the show should have explored more through the lens of Max," one Redditor argued.
Others lamented missed opportunities for character interactions. "We could have had much more interactions between our main cast and given members of the main cast more to do," wrote one fan. "I don't think Steve and Eleven have ever properly interacted. Same with Eleven and Robin. Same with Nancy and Max."
No Spinoff Plans
Despite speculation, Holly won't headline her own series. The Duffer brothers confirmed their upcoming spinoff features entirely new characters with fresh mythology. "It's obviously not Holly and the kids or anything like that. It's something much smaller than that," Ross Duffer stated.
One fan summed up the general sentiment: "I actually like Holly. But the problem was it took away from the main characters in the final season. When we've seen newer characters before like Max and Billy they joined the main cast. But Holly's story was just her own with a bit of Max involved."