‘Stranger Things’ Fans React to Documentary’s Demogorgon Finale Debate

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Be warned, the following contains spoilers for Season 5 of Stranger Things. When Netflix released One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, it dashed the hopes of fans who believed the “Conformity Gate” theory—that it was a cover for a hidden ninth episode—and revealed some surprising information. The documentary shows how the final season of the Duffer Brothers’ popular series came together, with behind-the-scenes footage of the writers at work. One conversation in particular shocked viewers, explaining why a well-known monster didn’t appear in the Season 5 finale.

The Stranger Things finale, Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, proved divisive, as some fans took umbrage with its ambiguous ending, while others quizzed the choices that were made by the creative team – such as the glaring omission of Demogorgons in the final battle scene, which left people scratching their heads over how the Duffers landed on that decision. The documentary shows clips of the Demogorgon debate in real time, as writer Paul Dichter asserts, “There have to be some monsters in the Abyss,” to which Matt Duffer responds, “I agree.” Dichter continues, “There has to be [a] Demogorgon, bat, dog, something. It’s crazy if there’s nothing there.” However, Matt then expresses concerns over retreading the territory of Volume One’s climactic capper, prompting writer and co-executive producer Kate Trefry to concur, “I guess I maybe feel… wonder about Demo fatigue.” Ross Duffer acknowledges it is a “fair” point, adding, “How exhausting, right? It’s a lot.”

Viewers reacted strongly to the way a recent documentary concluded, with many taking to social media to voice their disappointment. Some were particularly upset by specific choices made by the creators, with one viewer calling a key decision – leaving out Demogorgons in the final showdown – “the biggest mistake of the entire series.”

In a recent interview with Variety, Martina Radwan, director of the Stranger Things documentary, discussed the debate about the Demogorgon shown in a writers’ room scene. She explained, “I really enjoyed that moment and the conversation it sparked, especially because their ideas evolved. Seeing the writers actively thinking through things in the writers’ room is incredibly interesting to me.” She then went on to share more details.

It was interesting how confident everyone seemed about the Demogorgons being in the final Abyss, except Ross, who suggested people might be losing interest in the Demogorgon storyline. Kate Trefry agreed with him. This signaled to us that the debate wasn’t over and they’d likely come to a resolution later. We intentionally left it ambiguous in the documentary because, by the time it was released, everyone knew the Demogorgons weren’t actually in the Pain Tree.

More to come…

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2026-01-13 14:47