Stranger Things Finale Is a Movie, But Not the Longest Episode
The epic conclusion to Stranger Things is on the horizon, and Netflix has just confirmed the final episode will be a massive, feature-length event. Fans can look forward to an extended goodbye to Hawkins, but how does its runtime stack up against the show's most monumental episodes?
Netflix has officially pulled back the curtain on the grand finale of it's flagship series, confirming a runtime that will give fans a cinematic send-off. The last-ever episode is set to clock in at a substantial 2 hours and 5 minutes, offering plenty of time for the Hawkins crew to face down Vecna and the creeping tendrils of the Upside Down one last time. While this is a massive runtime by any standard, it surprisingly falls just short of the show's all-time record, held by the season 4 closer which ran for an epic 2 hours and 19 minutes.
Even with so much story left to tell, the show's creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, have had the endgame in their sights for a long time. They revealed that the conclusion has been mapped out for years, dating back to the show's early days. "Obviously, it's stressful trying to figure out how you want to end the show," Ross Duffer previously stated. "Luckily, it was about six or seven years ago that we knew at least what the final scene is. We always knew what the last 40 minutes were going to be."
For anyone nervous about whether the series can deliver a satisfying conclusion, the cast and crew have been vocal in their confidence, promising an ending that will meet fan expectations. The final season's release is being rolled out in batches to build anticipation. The first four installments of the fifth season are currently available on Netflix. Viewers can catch the next three episodes on Christmas Day, with the two-hour grand finale set to drop on New Year’s Eve.