Rating the latest episodes on Netflix Stranger Things
This week, the show faced backlash at the box office after Will Byers, a central character, came out as gay to his friends in a striking moment. Season 5 Volume 1 is set to launch on Christmas. According to various sources, the second episode of the series has garnered negative reviews across platforms.
“Recent episodes led the Rotten Tomatoes score to plummet from the 70s to 56 percent, which is quite a drop compared to the previous season,” noted an analysis. “To give you some context, season 4 had a score of 89 percent, season 3 was at 86 percent, season 2 stood at 90 percent, and season 1 was 96 percent.”
“There has been some backlash following the penultimate episode, ‘The Bridge,’ where Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) reveals his sexuality to his friends during a tense moment, as they prepare to face Vecna, the supreme villain of the Upside Down.”
On IMDB, this episode is rated 5.4 out of 10, marking it as the only episode to fall below a 7.8 rating, and it has received over 100,000 user reviews—most other episodes had under 50,000.
To be honest, many critiques centered on the storyline itself.
This season has definitely been the weakest so far.
“I dislike when the show becomes overly sentimental. Like, sure, self-acceptance is important, but really, defeating Vecna with the ‘power of love’?” one review expressed.
“This season felt entirely different from the ones I used to enjoy. The acting is subpar, the dialogue is cringe-worthy, yet people are still praising it. The only arc I found engaging was with Max and Holly, while I felt less connected to the other characters than before,” commented another viewer.
More politically inclined voices on social media, like Elon Musk and John Root, have been notably critical of the episode.
“It’s unnecessary and feels forced on an audience looking for simple sci-fi entertainment,” Musk tweeted.
The episode drew a fair share of criticism, but there were also defenders who argued it showcased the characters’ growth.
“For a show as significant as Stranger Things to depict a key character coming out as queer is astonishing and, in a way, feels like the result of a long journey,” remarked Daniel Daddario from Variety.
Actor Noah Schnapp, who has portrayed Will Byers since 2016, shared that he was emotional while reading that scene. “The cast was incredibly supportive. I’ll always remember their kindness and respect towards me,” he said.
