Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for the Stranger Things series finale!The Duffer Brothers have addressed Stranger Things season 5’s review bombing after episode 7 became the show’s lowest-rated entry in its history. Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 ended with the core group of the show gearing up to fight Vecna. However, the episode was review-bombed on IMDb, where it sits as the lowest-rated episode of the whole series.
This ire against Stranger Things season 5’s penultimate episode stems from a scene in which Will Byers comes out to the rest of the group as gay. He does this so Vecna can’t use it against him in their final battle with him. This drew homophobic backlash that saw the episode’s rating sink to a 5.6 out of 10.
Speaking with Variety, the Duffer Brothers unpacked the review-bombing campaign against Stranger Things season 5, episode 7. The pair explained how they never anticipated such a harsh reaction toward the episode, reiterating their happiness as to how the scene turned out. They also emphasized the importance of the scene to actor Noah Schnapp, who is gay in real life:
Matt Duffer: No. I mean, no is the honest truth. Because it is, as Ross said, something we’ve been building for a really long time. I always say, Ross and I are many things, but subtle is not one of those things!
Ross Duffer: We’re proud of the episode, and we’re proud of the scene, and proud of Noah, who gave a really brave, very vulnerable performance.
Matt Duffer: I think that’s where Ross and I were most sensitive, was Noah — because of how close to home this hit for him. And our goal was to make sure that he was comfortable and happy with the scene. And when he was, we felt good about it. I’ve been texting with him a lot, but texting with him specifically after that scene and after that episode aired. And he’s in a really good place. He’s very proud of the scene, and we’re proud of the scene.
The characters in Stranger Thingsaccept Will for who he is in an emotional sequence that brings everyone together before the final battle. The Duffer Brothers also consider the speech a key part of the final season: they previously stated how on edge Will’s monologue made them, spending a lengthy amount of time writing it to ensure it got the point across correctly.
The scene was briefly mentioned multiple times in Stranger Things‘ final episode, from Mike reassuring Will they’d always be best friends, to a flash-forward of Will meeting someone at a gay bar in New York City. However, the episode where he came out was reviled by audiences, with a large portion of them angry because of the revelation.
However, Will being gay was previously hinted at during season 4, where it was implied he had a crush on Mike. This led to a heart-to-heart with Jonathan, who said he’d always accept his brother, no matter what. In fact, some criticisms for the episode draw contrasts with Robin’s coming out scene in season 3, criticizing Will’s for not being as strong.
Despite the critiques aimed at Stranger Things season 5, episode 7, Will’s coming out was justified in the story, as well as an important step for his character development. The fact other episodes including these attributes have high scores indicate the homophobic campaign against the episode, despite how important it was for the overarching narrative.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
- Directors
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
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Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
