Be warned, major spoilers follow for the final season of Stranger Things! The creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, have responded to the negative reviews episode 7 received. This episode, which featured the main characters preparing for a final battle with Vecna, is currently the lowest-rated episode of the entire series on IMDb, leading to accusations of review bombing.
The recent criticism of the second-to-last episode of Stranger Things season 5 centers around a scene where Will Byers comes out as gay. He reveals this hoping to remove a vulnerability Vecna might exploit during their final confrontation. Unfortunately, this led to homophobic reactions and caused the episode’s rating to drop to a 5.6 out of 10.
In a recent interview with Variety, the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, discussed the negative reviews episode 7 of season 5 received. They were surprised by the strong negative reaction, but still feel good about how the scene played out. They also highlighted how important the scene was for actor Noah Schnapp, who identifies as gay in real life.
To be honest, no. We’ve been planning this for a long time, as Ross mentioned. Ross and I aren’t known for being subtle, so it’s not a surprise!
We’re really pleased with how the episode and this particular scene turned out, especially Noah’s performance. He was incredibly brave and showed a lot of vulnerability in his acting.
Ross and I were especially careful with Noah because the storyline resonated with him personally. We wanted to ensure he felt comfortable with the scene, and we were relieved when he was happy with it. I’ve been texting with him a lot, especially after the scene aired, and he’s doing well. He’s proud of his work, and we are too.
In a touching scene before the climactic fight, the characters of Stranger Things fully embrace and accept Will for who he is. The creators, the Duffer Brothers, see this moment as crucial to the final season, having spent a significant amount of time carefully crafting Will’s emotional speech to ensure its message resonated powerfully.
The final episode of Stranger Things hinted at Will’s story several times, including Mike affirming their friendship and a future scene of Will meeting someone at a New York City gay bar. However, the episode where Will came out was met with strong negative reactions, and many viewers expressed anger over the reveal.
The show subtly suggested Will might be gay back in season 4, with hints of a crush on Mike. This led to a supportive conversation with Jonathan, who assured Will he’d accept him regardless. Some viewers have compared Will’s storyline to Robin’s coming out in season 3, feeling Will’s reveal wasn’t as impactful.
Even though some people have criticized season 5, episode 7 of Stranger Things, Will’s coming out felt natural within the story and was a crucial moment for his growth as a character. The positive reception of other similar episodes suggests that the negative reaction to this one was likely fueled by prejudice, despite its importance to the overall plot.
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2026-01-02 16:18