The ending of Eleven explained by the showrunners

The following message contains heavy spoilers for the “Stranger Things” series finale, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up.”

After nearly a decade, “Stranger Things” has come to an end and everyone has strong opinions on how the show concluded its story. Even within the /Film team, opinions are divided, because some believe The series finale was perfectly satisfying until its epilogue deflated the tension and emotions of the episode.

A big point of contention is the character of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), whose fate remains ambiguous in the series. The last time we see her, she sacrifices herself and stays put as the Upside Down collapses in on itself, dying in order to ensure that the US military cannot continue to replicate Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) powers using different children. And yet, at the very end of the series finaleMike (Finn Wolfhard) tells the rest of the gang his theory that Eleven might actually be alive and living in a remote location – finally at peace.

Talk with Netflix Tumdu“Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer explained why they left the ending of Eleven’s story ambiguous. “There are two roads that Eleven could take. There’s the darker, more pessimistic one, or the optimistic, hopeful one,” Matt Duffer observed. “Mike is the optimist of the group and has chosen to believe in this story.”

Just in case you were wondering if there was a chance we could have seen Eleven show up for Mike and the gang’s latest “Dungeons & Dragons” game, Ross Duffer has some bad news. “There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end,” he admitted.

“[Eleven] represents magic in many ways and the magic of childhood,” Ross Duffer continued. “In order for our characters to move forward and the story of Hawkins and the Upside Down to end, Eleven had to leave. We thought it would be nice if our characters continued to believe in this happier ending, even if we didn’t give them a clear answer as to whether it was true or not. »

Unsurprisingly, this ambiguity was not a big hit with fans. As soon as the episode ended, there was a flood of complaints on social media from people furious with Eleven either die to save a world that treated her absolutely horribly, or survive to find herself completely alone and isolated from her loved ones again. It’s a horrible way to end this character’s story, and without a doubt the worst decision of the finale. The idea that the “happy” ending for Eleven, at least the one where she doesn’t die a gruesome death in an imploding alternate universe, is one where she is forever alone and unable to make any human connection for fear of being discovered, feels like a betrayal of the character.

Continuing, Matt Duffer added: “If Eleven is out there, all they can hope for is to believe that it’s true because they can’t be in contact with her. Everything falls apart if that were the case. So if that’s the narrative, that’s really the best way to keep her alive.” That doesn’t really sound like a heartwarming ending, does it?

You can stream the entire “Stranger Things” on Netflix.