Stranger Things finale spoilers follow!
The final moments of Stranger Things season 5 deliver a full-circle moment for the main characters in the Wheeler's basement, with the Duffer brothers revealing that that was the plan from the very beginning.
In the last scene of the show, set 18 months after the events in the Upside Down (you can read all about it in our Stranger Things season 5 finale ending explained guide), the gang plays Dungeons & Dragons one last time, just like in the very first scene of the show, back in season 1. "It was always going to end with the kids in the basement. That’s been planned for eight years," Ross Duffer told Deadline.
It's a perfect parallel too, with a shot-by-shot comparison shared on Twitter showing the same images a few years apart, from the water sprinkler in front of the house to Mrs. Wheeler calling Mike from the top of the stairs:
The beginning and the end. — Stranger Things S01E01 | S05E08 pic.twitter.com/Ohf1eFUH9XJanuary 2, 2026
"Once we figured out this, 'I believe,' line from Mike, that's when everything sort of crystallized. And of course, that was very early on, like week two or three of the writers room this [season]. Once Holly became a bigger figure, sort of the passing of the torch, those were some of the first ideas we had when we were talking about what we wanted this basement scene to be, before we even started writing the season. So it was always headed towards that goal post," the showrunner continued.
"At the end of the day, we see it as a big coming of age story. This scene is about one last moment of being kids before they leave that childhood behind. Them going up the stairs is them leaving it, and then Holly and her friends are the new generation who are going to live that out. So, that's why that last shot of Mike, you see him go from feeling sad about leaving his childhood behind to feeling happy and knowing the happy memories he had with his friends are going to be with him forever."
In an interview with Variety, Matt Duffer explained that introducing Holly, Derek and the rest of preteens this season was very important for the ending they had in mind, as it would feel like a "passing of the torch moment" for the show. He also revealed that ET was an inspiration for the ending: "I also love the idea that the original ending of ET was them going to be them playing D&D again. So I like the idea of doing that."
Finally, in case you were wondering, Eleven was "never going to be there" in the basement with her friends, according to Ross Duffer. For her, there was never a happy ending in Hawkins, but maybe her sacrifice brought her happiness somewhere else.
For more, check out our Stranger Things season 5 finale review, and see our lists for the best Netflix shows.
