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Beware of the Mind Flayer; spoilers Onward to the “Stranger Things” series finale.
This was how “Stranger Things” was always going to end, right? No, I’m not talking about the unflattering optics of The heroic but heavily telegraphed death of Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) in the series finale. I’m not even referring to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) who may or may not sacrifice herself in the episode and the problematic implications of his fate in either of these scenarios. No, I mean the giant spider.
In the final hour of the hit streaming series, aptly titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightide Up,” we learn that Henry “Vecna” Creel’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) fortress in the Abyss – which (probably not coincidentally) bears an uncanny resemblance to the Skeksis castle from Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s 1982 cult fantasy film “The Dark Crystal” – is really the Mind Flayer in the flesh. (This explains its slimy interiors and beating heart.) Thus, it falls to Hawkins’ various heroes to do battle with this arachnid-like Kaiju, reminiscent of how the climax of Stephen King’s 1986 novel “It” culminates with the plucky Losers Club attacking him (aka Pennywise) in the form of a massive spider-like creature.
Again, in hindsight, this might have been inevitable. The Duffer brothers will not be able to direct a film adaptation of “It” led them to create “Stranger Things” instead, so why don’t they bring their small-screen pastiche about Stephen King (plus plenty of John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg and other 1980s pop culture; again, see “The Dark Crystal”) full circle with an unqualified homage to perhaps the craziest ending of King’s infamous work with bizarre endings? Besides, it’s not like that’s the only way that King’s fantasy-horror tome has clearly shaped and informed the Duffers’ Netflix sensation.
Stranger Things was inspired by Stephen King’s It All the Way
Good artists copy, but great artists steal, right? To their credit, the Duffers never even tried to deny that “It” heavily influenced their own story of small-town outcasts terrorized by inter-dimensional monsters (making it a singular monster). So why should they change course now?
Take Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), who is to “Stranger Things” what Bill Denbrough is to “It.” Just as Bill grows up to become a novelist and leaves behind any romantic feelings for fellow loser Beverly Marsh, “Stranger Things” ends with Mike pursuing his vocation as a storyteller and accepting that he and Eleven can’t be together. Likewise, like Beverly, the redheaded heroine of the series with an abusive family member, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), ultimately finds herself in a loving relationship and happier than ever.
This doesn’t mean that the “Stranger Things” and “It” properties also have the same overall strengths and flaws. Say what you will about the former’s coming-out arc for Mike’s buddy Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), but it works better than the way “Chapter Two” of the “It” film adaptation presents wise-cracking loser Richie Tozier (played by Bill Hader and, amusingly, Wolfhard at different ages) as a closeted gay man. And while “Stranger Things” has become more inclusive than “It” over time, the latter franchise continues to be more thoughtful with its critiques of America’s historical societal failures and small-town white Americans’ habit of ignoring the evil in their backyard (as seen recently with the prequel series “It: Welcome to Derry”).
But when push comes to shove, “Stranger Things” has always carved out its own identity, distinct from “It”… even with a giant spider that would make Jon Peters squeal.
“Stranger Things” is streaming on Netflix.
