Just days after Season 5 Vol. 2 dropped on Netflix, Stranger Things has found itself at the centre of an intense online backlash. The long-running sci-fi juggernaut is being review bombed, with its fan-driven scores taking a sudden and dramatic hit across major platforms.
Once comfortably sitting in the 70s, the show’s Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter has now fallen to 56%, a sharp drop that stands in stark contrast to earlier seasons. For context, Season 4 holds an 89% audience score, while Seasons 1 through 3 remain firmly above 85%.
What Triggered the Sudden Backlash
The review bombing appears to have accelerated after the release of the penultimate episode titled “The Bridge.” The episode includes a key emotional moment where Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) comes out as gay to his friends, just as the Hawkins group prepares for its final confrontation with Vecna.
While Will’s sexuality has been subtly hinted at since the show’s earliest seasons, the directness and timing of the scene sparked strong — and polarised — reactions online.
IMDb Numbers Tell a Clear Story
“The Bridge” is now the lowest-rated episode in the entire series on IMDb, currently sitting at 5.4/10. What’s more telling is the volume:
- Over 96,000 users rated the episode
- Most other Season 5 episodes have fewer than 50,000 ratings
- It’s the only episode in the series rated below 7.8, with most episodes historically landing between 8.6 and 9.2
The spike in ratings activity strongly suggests an organised backlash rather than organic audience reception.
Culture War Enters the Conversation
The controversy quickly spilled beyond fan circles. Elon Musk weighed in on social media, responding to posts claiming fans were unhappy about Will’s coming-out moment. Calling the scene “forced,” Musk argued that viewers simply wanted “basic sci-fi” without cultural messaging.
Such reactions have reignited debates around so-called “toxic fandom,” a phenomenon that has affected multiple franchises in recent years — from Star Wars and The Rings of Power to Bridgerton.
Not All Criticism Is About Will
Interestingly, a significant section of viewers has clarified that their frustration isn’t about Will being gay. Instead, many have criticised:
- Slow pacing in the final stretch
- Heavy-handed exposition
- Uneven writing as the season nears its conclusion
Some fans feel the emotional beats came too late, while others argue the show struggled to evolve its characters meaningfully as they aged.
Critics Are Divided Too
Professional critics have echoed mixed reactions. One line of criticism suggests Stranger Things has leaned too heavily on nostalgia and genre references, without deepening its characters enough in its later seasons.
At the same time, others have praised Will’s moment as one of the season’s most emotionally honest scenes. The speech, in particular, has been described as resonant because it mirrors Noah Schnapp’s own real-life coming-out journey, giving the scene an added layer of authenticity.
Schnapp himself revealed that he was emotional while reading the script and filmed the scene over nearly 24 hours. He also credited his co-stars for their support and sensitivity during the shoot.
The Final Chapter Is Almost Here
Despite the backlash, anticipation remains sky-high. The final episode of Stranger Things is set to release December 31, launching simultaneously on Netflix and in select theaters, turning the goodbye into a global event.
Whether the finale reunites fans or deepens the divide remains to be seen — but one thing is clear: Stranger Things is ending the way it lived, right at the centre of pop culture conversation.
Final Words
The reaction to Season 5 Vol. 2 reflects a broader tension in modern fandoms, where storytelling, representation, nostalgia, and expectations often collide. Review bombing may skew numbers, but it rarely tells the full story.
As Hawkins prepares to fade into history, the legacy of Stranger Things will likely be debated long after the Upside Down finally closes.
