Stranger Things 5’s finale has brought fans the ConformityGate social media conspiracy theory and it just keeps picking up steam. Let’s go back to the beginning. On New Year’s Eve, Netflix finally released the last episode of Stranger Things. Now, there’s another episode coming. But, not the one the fans thought it was going to be.
With a show that’s running for this long, of course fans piled onto the streaming service to see what will become of the Hawkins children. Well, as most things on the Internet, the response was split. Some fans wanted to see the cathartic ending that the Duffer brothers intended. But, there is a faction that wants their pound of flesh (literally.) And they now believe that on January 7th, the real finale will air.
Soon after the finale’s airing, conspiracy theories started to swirl on social media. Fans started talking about something called “ConformityGate.” It was created by an X user named Jess and then, we were off to the races in short order. Apparently, there is a faction of fans online that think a secret final episode of Stranger Things is on the way. (They actually ended up being right, just not in the way they intended!) At the crux of this conspiracy, is the belief that the finale that viewers locked in for was really a vision projected by Vecna.
Following this logic, surely there is a real secret episode not controlled by the series villain. It’s farcical, and immediately shareable, two things that social media can never resist. #ConformityGate spread like wildfire in the ensuing days. Fans latched on to examples like small inconsistencies in the storytelling, and peculiar choices among Stranger Things’ final scenes.
#ConformityGate will not die
The end of Stranger Things was always gonna carry a ton of emotion. Matt and Ross Duffer just thought that it would be happy tears from the fans. And, for some of them it was! Now, this new word of an extra documentary special has reignited the conspiracy theory speculation. One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 has that shiny new trailer from Netflix.
Both Ross and Matt Duffer talk about the process of trying to land this massive plane during the clip. Each of these creators felt the weight of how much the fans cared about each of the Hawkins kids. You get the sense that there was no possible way to please the entire fandom at once. A big topic of conversation is Eleven’s future. And, you can at least see that their creative team had just as much turmoil over it as the fans arguing at home. In these circumstances, I would put a lot of money down on the fandom assuming this is all a ruse.
New Stranger Things 5 Special isn’t ConformityGate
“I’m endlessly grateful to the Duffer Brothers for trusting me with a front-row seat to this incredible journey,” documentary director Martina Radwan wrote. “Spending a full year on set with them was a true privilege — and an absolute thrill. Being able to get close and watching them bring this beloved show to life in real time, was pure joy. I only wish I could travel back and document Seasons 1 through 4.
“From the cast to their long-time collaborators, everyone welcomed me with remarkable generosity, openly sharing their personal and collective experiences from a decade of creative filmmaking, always pushing the boundaries,” the statement continues. “The Duffers inspire everyone to be better, including myself, their process and the show represents everything I love about filmmaking.”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
