By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 6 seconds ago
The most controversial thing about the Stranger Things series finale is that the final fate of Eleven is left to the viewer. She seemingly makes a heroic sacrifice (dying along with the Upside Down) to prevent the government and anyone else from continuing the research that began with Henry Creel. Later, Mike realizes that she couldn’t have used her powers and shares a theory that Eleven managed to escape and that her demise was just a mental illusion created by Kali.
Some fans were happy because this left the door open for a future Mike/Eleven reunion; unfortunately, the Stranger Things showrunners confirmed that it will never happen.
Eleven Will Never See Mike Ever Again
On paper, the primary benefit of Eleven’s fate being ambiguous is that Stranger Things can have it both ways: fans disappointed that no main characters definitively died believe that she sacrificed herself, and fans who wanted a happy ending for everyone can believe she’s still alive. However, for much of the fandom, Eleven’s happy ending involves her eventually reuniting with Mike, the love of her life. Unfortunately, Ross Duffer confirmed in a recent interview with Variety that even Mike has accepted the truth that neither he nor any of his friends will ever see Eleven again.
“If she were alive, the way I would see it is no,” he said. “Any contact would risk bringing her back out in the open and starting the cycle again. So, in the story that Mike’s telling, I don’t think he sees a version where they reconnect.”
For Stranger Things fans who had imagined a later, more joyful ending for these two characters, this is very grim news. The co-showrunner just confirmed that even if Mike’s theory was correct and if Eleven managed to survive her seeming death in the series finale, she would never again be able to get back together with Mike. Furthermore, Ross Duffer confirmed that Mike is very well aware that he will never again see the love of his life, which is likely why he seems so much sadder than the rest of his friends in the final episode.
No Father/Daughter Reunion Will Ever Happen
To add salt to the wound, this would mean that Eleven would never be able to see Hopper again, either. Many Stranger Things fans thought it was stranger how readily Hop accepted the death of his surrogate daughter and moved on with his life, with some speculating that he was emotionally stable because he was secretly in contact with Eleven. However, Ross Duffer’s words mean that she would also have to forever avoid contact with her adoptive father.
What the Duffer Brothers (who have said they generally try to avoid online chatter) might not realize is that they just made arguably the worst part of the Stranger Things series finale even worse. Large swathes of the fandom hated that Eleven got such an awful ending…after spending her life in abuse and isolation, she has to effectively go into permanent exile in order to keep her friends and family safe. Previously, fans were clinging to the idea that she would eventually reunite with everyone (likely for a movie or spinoff series), but Ross Duffer personally drove a nail into the coffin of those hopes.
When Fanfiction Is Better Than The Show
Sadly, fan reaction to this interview proves that the Duffers can’t have it both ways. That is, they can’t leave so much about the series finale (including whether Eleven lives or dies) up to the audience while also shooting down fan theories about what happened after the credits rolled. As a result of their full-court press tour, a growing number of fans are realizing that the theories they came up with are infinitely more rewarding and entertaining than what the showrunners came up with. If fan fiction is better than the actual product, then what’s the point of Netflix spending half a billion dollars to create such a disappointing final season?
Considering that the final season is the lowest-rated in the entire series, it seems the Duffers might need to seriously brush up on their writing skills. Otherwise, the upcoming Stranger Things spinoff they are so excited about may end up just as dead and lifeless as anything in the Upside Down.
