‘Stranger Things’ Is Dealt Another Blow After Conformity Gate Is Debunked

4 days ago 11

Britta DeVore is a Senior Author for Collider who has been known to dabble with Reality News as well.

Have you seen stories about 'Chucky,' 'Scream,' 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'The Boys,' 'Vanderpump Rules,' or any of 'The Real Housewives' franchises? That's probably a Britta DeVore-curated piece of art, and it sounds like you have great taste.

When she isn't sitting behind her laptop bringing readers her hot takes on upcoming projects or keeping the dream alive in the Senior News team, Britta can usually be found outside hiking or inside behind her drum set. She currently plays in two bands, Kid Midnight and Watergate, both based in Brooklyn. An obsessive traveler, Britta loves long road trips to the South West and has a soft spot in her heart for canyons, rivers, and forests.

She also has a tiny cat named Athena that she loves more than anything else in the world and is always happy for new brewery recs.

Yesterday, many members of the Stranger Things community were dealt what was to them a shocking and massive blow when what they believed to be the “real” series finale wasn’t released. After bowing out on December 31 following a five-season run that lasted nearly a decade, numerous folks in the following had followed what they believed were clues and leaned into untrue theories that the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, would drop a ninth episode to truly tie things up. But, alas, the rabbit hole was nothing more than a lesson for the world about how conspiracy theories often take off as truth, even when they’re nothing more than a collective suspicion. Now, with those connected to what became dubbed as #ConformityGate forced to accept that last week’s series finale was the one and only ending they’re getting, Stranger Things has taken another gut punch as it loses its number one spot on Netflix’s global Top 10.

That’s right. After all the blood, sweat, tears, and prolonged waiting that went into Season 5 of Stranger Things, the series is already on the outs at the streamer, with the brand-new miniseries, Run Away dethroning it from the top position. While there was never any chance that Stranger Things would hang onto the bragging rights of most-watched series around the world forever, it is absolutely shocking to see it knocked to second place after just one week. The shock hits harder when you compare it to HBO Max’s breakaway fall favorite, IT: Welcome to Derry, which bowed out with its first season on December 14. Despite being nearly one month away, the title is still managing to fight off its competition and rake in viewership numbers from audiences around the world.

What Is ‘Run Away’ About?

As for Stranger Things’ dethroner, Run Away is the latest pairing to come from the streamer and best-selling novelist, Harlan Coben, following other fan favorites like Safe, The Innocent, and Stay Close. The story tags along with Simon Greene (James Nesbitt), a father desperately searching for his missing daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange). What was meant to be a joyous time in their lives, with Paige heading off to college, quickly becomes a nightmare when Paige mysteriously vanishes into thin air. After the main suspect ends up six feet underground, the intrigue grows, putting Simon and the detectives involved in the case in a potentially deadly game of cat-and-mouse. At eight episodes in length and with a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ approval rating of 82%, it’s easy to see why audiences are turning up in droves to binge Run Away.