The Stranger Things Finale Officially Repeated A Huge Season 4 Mistake

Although the Stranger Things season 5 finale might have wrapped up a lot of the show’s unfinished storylines, the Netflix hit did repeat one major season 4 mistake with its ending. The ending of Stranger Things season 5 has arrived, and it is fair to say that the finale received a mixed reception.

Some fans vociferously rejected any criticism of the finale, while others were so displeased with the ending that they began to theorize the existence of an entirely new, secret second ending that was supposedly set to be released soon. While Eleven’s fate in the finale was a big part of this divisive reception, the broader storyline also earned some criticism.

The ending of Stranger Things season 5 was criticized for feeling too sunny, straightforward, and hopeful, with most of the show’s heroes receiving surprisingly idealized happy endings. However, this popular criticism failed to note one issue with season 5’s storyline, and it is a problem that season 4 also ran into earlier in the show’s long run.

Stranger Things Completely Forgot About Dustin’s Bullies

Since the series began, Stranger Things has always featured bullying as a prominent plot point. In season 1, Eleven saving Mike, Dustin, and Lucas from a violent bully was one of the most important moments in their friendship. In season 2, Billy was established as a major villain via his brutal bullying of Max and Steve.

Similarly, Steve’s entire Stranger Things character arc followed his journey from a thoughtless bully to a surprisingly sweet, reformed jock. As such, it is hardly shocking that Stranger Things season 5 saw Dustin attacked by violent bullies in its early episodes. These bullies were among those who persecuted Eddie Munson during his life, so they hated Dustin’s close friendship with Eddie.

One bully assaulted Dustin by his lockers for wearing a Hellfire Club T-shirt, while another three viciously attacked him later when Dustin visited Eddie’s desecrated grave. These villains were violent, unstable, and convinced that they were standing against Satanism, much like the jocks who pursued Eddie throughout Hawkins in season 4.

However, those bullies met violent fates in season 4 when Vecna tore one of them to pieces, and another was split in half by the Upside-Down’s invasion of Hawkins. In contrast, the bullies who beat Dustin senseless in season 5, part 1, never faced any repercussions and were promptly forgotten by the series as the show began to focus on Vecna.

The Stranger Things Season 5 Finale’s Missing Scene Ruined Dustin’s Speech

It goes without saying that Vecna and The Mind Flayer posed a bigger threat to the show’s heroes and the town of Hakwins than a couple of high school bullies. However, those jocks attacking Dustin almost derailed the entire crawl at the start of season 5, thus putting Dustin on the back foot for the rest of the season.

Symbolically speaking, this was made incredibly obvious by Dustin’s prominent facial scarring, a constant reminder that he was brutally beaten up only a few hours before season 5 volume 2’s adventure began. As such, it was jarring and bizarre when the finale featured no consequences for these bullies, who presumably still operate with impunity.

Furthermore, Dustin’s grandstanding, rollicking valedictorian speech would have been much more effective in its anti-school, anti-authority messaging if he, or anyone, had gotten back at his tormentors before graduation. Instead, the commentary felt tin-eared and hollow, since the people who made high school hell for Dustin never faced any consequences.

To be fair, Stranger Things season 5’s massive cast means that it was always going to be a tall order for the show to give everyone a fitting ending. Indeed, Dustin’s Stranger Things girlfriend, Suzie, was never even mentioned in season 5, despite playing pivotal roles in both seasons 3 and 4.

However, an earlier mistake from season 4 makes the handling of Dustin’s bullying subplot less excusable. One of the show’s weakest storylines ever tread similar territory, so it was shocking to see the series stumble on the same block two seasons in a row.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Forgotten Bullies Mirrored A Season 4 Mistake

In season 4, part 1, the high school bully Angela is introduced as one of the show’s nastiest villains ever, then completely forgotten in part 2. Angela isolated and mocked El during her time in a California high school, making her life a living Hell. This culminated in an incident at a roller rink that was arguably worse than Carrie’s prom night humiliation.

After all this elaborate setup and endless torturous scenes of traumatic bullying, Eleven eventually ended up smacking Angela in the face with a skate and smashing her nose. It was an underwhelming fate for the Stranger Things season 4 villain, and it soon became the last that viewers ever saw of her.

When El was whisked away to the secret lab that Dr. Owens and Dr. Brenner built in the desert, season 4 proceeded to forget about her tormentor completely. Similarly, Stranger Things season 5 tried to give Dustin a triumphant ending, but the show completely forgot about the people who assaulted him only a few episodes earlier.