- A documentary about the making of Stranger Things Season 5 is now out on Netflix
- Fan reception to its release has not been kind
- Viewers are frustrated by what it reveals about the show’s divisive ending
Frustrated Stranger Things fans have hit out at the show’s creators after new light was shed on last season’s seemingly problematic developments.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 is a newly released two-hour documentary that does what the title suggests. That said, it does provide a behind-the-scenes (BTS) look at the production Stranger Things season 5.
Full spoilers follow for aforementioned documentaries and Stranger Things‘ season 5 finaleso come back now if you haven’t seen them yet.
“We went into production without a finished script for the finale” 3:27s from r/StrangerThings
Fans’ frustration was initially sparked by a snippet just three and a half minutes in One last adventure‘s running time. Speaking to filmmaker Martina Radwan, one of the show’s creators – Ross Duffer – admits “we went into production without having a finished script for the finale”.
Considering how polarizing the final episode – ‘The Rightside Up’ – of the franchise’s main show has proven to be since it first aired, that’s a wild thing to confirm. Unsurprisingly, fans were quick to pick up on the statement, and a thread on r/StrangerThings turned into a debate about the intricacies of filmmaking and screenwriting.
Meanwhile, on other social media platforms, including X/Twitter, viewer reactions ranged from stunned to outraged.
THEY FILMED THE FIRST EPISODE WITHOUT WRITING THE ENDING BRO WHAT?????12 January 2026
And that’s not the only thing that has garnered one of Netflix’s best shows a devoted following.
Around the 45-minute mark, a conversation the Duffers and their writing colleagues revealed that a discussion took place about the finale’s ‘boss battle’ sequence, where our heroes battled – and defeated – Vecna and The Mind Flayer.
Fans have questioned why other creatures, including the demogorgons, were not present during the final confrontation. Speaking to The Wrap after the finale, the Duffers cited audience “demo fatigue” as the main reason why.
the way they just ignored him😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/R3ly9FqlhF12 January 2026
One last adventurehowever, shows that the writers’ room was divided over their inclusion. “It’s crazy if there is nothing [else] there, I think,” one writer points out, with Matt Duffer agreeing with him, before Ross Duffer and another writer counter with the view that viewers have had their fill of demogorgons, demobats and demodogs.
Again, some have expressed their displeasure at this development, with an r/StrangerThings thread and other online reactions indicating that parts of the fanbase aren’t enamored with the decision-making process.
Not even 3 minutes in and I’m annoyed. from r/StrangerThings
There are other examples of fan ire emerging in the wake of One last adventure‘s release – and this Stranger Things The Reddit thread compiles other telling observations fans have made. But perhaps the biggest source of consternation are fans who are accusing the Duffer brothers of using Reddit and ChatGPT to help them write the show’s final season.
Now, context is important here. There is no evidence that they used the latter artificial intelligence (AI) tool for writing Stranger Things 5s manuscripts. Meanwhile, the Duffers have previously indicated that they’ve recreated story elements from previous seasons (per Variety), but never explicitly said that Reddit fan theories were the reason for this.
I see two chatgpt tabs, their career is over. RIP 🙏 https://t.co/Km07cX9qEi12 January 2026
Once again, though, that hasn’t stopped the audience from drawing conclusions. A quick X/Twitter scan of those discussing One last adventure shows people calling Duffers for using ChatGPT period. Others have done the same in yet another r/StrangerThings thread, while another discussion thread on the same Reddit page has fans asking why they’ve opened up the social media platform while writing Season 5’s scripts.
Of course, there are just as many fans defending the Duffers and/or saying they’re happy that Netflix, aka one of the world’s best streaming services, gave them a BTS look at the making of one of their favorite TV shows. As anyone who regularly uses the internet will know, negative reactions and fan rage tend to get more attention than more positive reactions.
Expect more of the same cynicism and pessimism in the coming days as more people tune into the documentary and express annoyance at the content within.
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