Watching the ‘Stranger Things’ Finale in a Theater: 11 Moments That Got the Biggest Reactions

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for the series finale of “Stranger Things,” now streaming on Netflix.

After five seasons and nearly a decade of anticipation, the “Stranger Things” finale has arrived. Unlike the 41 episodes preceding it, the finale was not exclusive to the small screen, as Netflix decided to event-ize the pop culture phenomenon’s send off with a limited theatrical release on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 across 500 theaters.

The earliest screenings took place at 5 p.m. PT, coinciding with the moment that the episode dropped on the streamer. While there was no formal red carpet premiere, the most sensational screening may have been at Netflix’s very own Egyptian Theater in the heart of Hollywood. Audiences donning Hellfire Club t-shirts, WSQK shirts, bowl cuts and other 1980s apparel from the show packed the historic theater, eager to experience their favorite show on the big screen for the first time.

The audience was a sea of nerds. Considering that “Stranger Things” began in 2016, the youngest fans in the crowd very well may not have been born when the show first debuted. Similarly, the adolescents in the theater were probably in kindergarten when the first season came out. Personally, I was in college in 2016, and have been watching the show for most of my twenties. To see the finale in theaters, surrounded by fans on the day of its premiere was thus akin to seeing “Avengers: Endgame” or “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in the cinema on their respective opening weekends. It was the conclusion to a decade-long journey of fandom, and it made for moments that simply couldn’t be replicated in a watch party.

From cheering on the Netflix logo at the top of the episode to singing along with David Bowie in the closing credits, these are the 11 moments from the “Stranger Things” finale that received the biggest reactions in the theater.

• 11. Hopper Goes Back For Kali

  Hopper (David Harbour) and Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) have been at odds with one another for the entirety of Season 5, arguing over their respective approaches to how Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) should use her powers. When both Kali and Eleven are paralyzed during a tense chase from the military, Hopper at first just rescues Eleven, but when he goes back for Kali, it affirms his heroism, warranting strong applause from the audience.

• 10. Eleven Pulls Lt. Akers’ Trigger

  Shortly after Hopper rescues Kali, both are captured and held hostage by the season’s side-antagonist Lt. Robert Akers (Alex Breaux). Akers has proven a nasty force throughout the season, so when Eleven liberates them by forcing Akers to turn his gun on himself, it received a cathartic response. Credit is also due to Murray (Brett Gelman) for disrupting the situation by blowing up the helicopter outside, adding to the climactic sequence.

• 9. Hopper Proposes To Joyce

  Because the “Stranger Things” finale wraps up the stories of its enormous ensemble, it suffers from a bit of “Return of the King” syndrome (i.e. it seems to have several final farewell scenes taking place in sequence). Luckily, all of the farewells are heartfelt, but the one that got the biggest reaction was Hopper and Joyce’s (Winona Ryder) final scene together. After the kids all graduate from high school, Hopper takes Joyce out to a fancy restaurant and floats the idea of them leaving Hawkins for Montauk (a nod to the show’s original proposed setting). However, the reaction came not from this subtle Easter Egg, but from the moment that Hopper gets down on one knee, presents Joyce with a ring and asks her to spend the rest of her life with him.

• 8. Eleven Releases Hopper

  Audiences weren’t cheering during this scene, but sniffles were audible in the theater. Hopper has long been protective of Eleven, and his refusal to let her sacrifice herself for the world stems from the pain he felt at the loss of his daughter, Sara. In this emotional scene, Eleven tenderly explains that even though Hopper has proven a loving father figure to her, she isn’t Sara. She then returns to him a hair tie that once belonged to Sara, relieving him of his guilt. There was hardly a dry eye in the house.

• 7. Eleven Says Goodbye To Mike

  If Eleven’s emotional moment with Hopper made for some dewy eyes and sniffles, her final scene with Mike created audible sobs. When Eleven makes the decision to stay in the Upside Down when the bomb goes off, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) rushes in to try and save her, but she takes him into her mind and explains what must be done. All the while, they share tearful embraces over Prince’s “Purple Rain.” It’s beautiful and tragic all at once, and the audience was breaking down with the characters.

• 6. Joyce Decapitates Vecna

  There are several cathartic moments in the ensemble’s defeat of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), but Joyce delivers the final blow to the archvillain, decapitating him with an ax after he’s impaled against a spike in the heart of the Mind Flayer. Before she starts hacking away at his neck, she says, with fire in her eyes, “You fucked with the wrong family.” It was the finale’s “I am Iron Man” moment, and the audience absolutely ate it up.

• 5. Eleven Reenters the Abyss

  When Vecna gives into the Mind Flayer and it starts attacking the heroes in the Abyss, there are several moments of heroism. The audience clapped when Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) saves Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) from getting smushed and then again when Nancy (Natalia Dyer) volunteers herself as bait. However, the largest applause came when its revealed that Eleven has successfully reentered Abyss via her shortcut and distracts the Flayer with a boulder to the head. She then charges towards it head on, rips a hole in its chest and dives in like a superhero, receiving a superheroic ovation.  

• 4. Derek Saves Holly

  Jake Connelly’s Derek Turnbow is one of the best additions to “Stranger Things 5” and perhaps the funniest character in the entire series. It’s therefore no surprise that he solicited some of the biggest laughs in the theater— from his unexpected hug with Steve (Joe Keery) to his awkward wave to Mike. However, his most shining moment in the finale comes when he helps Holly (Nell Fisher) escape Vecna’s clutches while entering the Cave. He saves her by pulling her in and once they’re both safe, flips off Vecna and utters his signature line: “Suck my fat one.” Dipshit Derek certainly Delighted the crowd with that one.

• 3. Hopper Shoots Eleven

  Audiences audibly gasped in this scene, where Hopper, tricked by Vecna, fires his gun at an apparition only for the bullets to go right into the water tank where Eleven is submerged. When he pulls back the metal to reveal the blood pouring from Eleven’s body, the theater’s shock was audible. One person behind me even blurted, “Shut the fuck up!” in surprise. Fortunately, Eleven’s wounds ended up being as fabricated as the apparition itself, but Hopper’s panicked decision to free her from the tank veered the plot in an unexpected direction. Also, when Vecna plays with Hopper’s mind, it’s the first time that his villainous voice is heard in the finale. Its vibrations rumbled the theater, sounding superbly spooky over the Egyptian’s cinematic sound system.

• 2. Jonathan Saves Steve

  The entire scene where Eleven is trying to align the falling Abyss with the radio tower in the Upside Down was thrilling to watch on the big screen. With the seconds counting down and characters facing odds across three different realms, everyone was on the edge of their seats. However, the audience cried and screamed when the screen cut to black as it appears that Steve will fall to his death. Those cries of despair turned into cheers of triumph when it’s revealed that Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) — a rival of Steve’s throughout the series — saves him. It’s an early moment in the episode that tests the audience’s fears for all of the characters’ fates. Fortunately, this one ended with catharsis. Also, as a bonus, Joe Keery’s name received the loudest applause during the closing credits.

• 1. Will Becomes Vecna to Save Eleven

  If Joyce telling Vecna that he “fucked with the wrong family” was the finale’s “I am Iron Man” moment, then Will (Noah Schnapp) embodying Vecna to save Eleven and make way for his defeat was Captain America wielding Mjölnir. Just when Vecna appears to have the upper hand in the final battle against Eleven, Will taking control gives the heroes the upper hand for the final time. It is the satisfying moment that affirms the villain’s fate and everything the heroes are capable of.