While fans and critics alike are frothing the final season of Stranger Things, there was one episode that got review bombed so hard, it became the lowest-rated episode of the entire series. The ep in question is the second last episode of the series, titled ‘The Bridge’, and its criticism largely centred on the mixed reactions to Will’s (Noah Schnapp) coming out scene.
The show’s ratings have taken a nosedive following the drop of season five’s second batch of episodes, hitting a series-low 57 per cent.
The backlash isn’t entirely surprising given Vol. 1, released in November, also sparked complaints, with audience scores hovering in the 70s — well below previous seasons, which usually scored 86 per cent or higher. Viewers have been critical of the writing, saying the new season leans too heavily on characters repeating the same lines, bickering, questionable acting choices and overstuffed special effects.
Fan complaints hit a new high with last week’s release of Vol. 2, thanks in large part to the scene where Will comes out to his friends in a long monologue, just as the Hawkins kids gear up to face the villainous Vecna.
Why is Stranger Things getting review bombed?
Although there are plenty of folks — including one Elon Musk — who took issue with the show becoming ~woke~, the backlash isn’t just about Will being gay, or even that he came out. That’s where things get a bit more nuanced.
Fans have long known about Will’s sexuality, dating back to the first season, and the Duffer Brothers confirmed in an interview with PEDESTRIAN.TV that the plan was always to make his character gay.
The real gripe? How the moment played out: a big, show-stopping speech dropped right as the action was heating up toward the climax, which some viewers found cringey and jarring.
“The forcing of everyone into a room to sit and be quiet then listen to every awkward word that came out of Will’s mouth when most already knew and didn’t give a fuck because they are trying to save the world,” one person wrote on X.
Some opined that the issue was more so about the “pacing” of the episode: “This isn’t about Will being gay. Nobody is offended by that … You don’t need to pause the apocalypse to spell out character traits everyone already understands,” The Liberty Line wrote.
“You don’t need to sacrifice pacing, tension and logic to make a statement that adds nothing to the plot. These kids have stared down literal hell and lived to tell the story. Somehow, through all of that chaos, Will’s sexuality was the one big secret nobody noticed?”
Meanwhile, USA Today’s reviewer wrote: “Something was off about the scene. For five seasons, Stranger has struggled with how to deal with Will, who started out as the show’s almost personality-less kidnap victim back in season one and never developed much from there. While his coming out moment could have been triumphant and inspirational, it ends up being underwhelming and awkward.”
Although there was undoubtedly a great deal of homophobia behind the review bombing, sadly we can’t blame it all on that as a lot of the backlash was more so directed towards how the coming out scene played out, rather than the fact Will was gay.
What have the Duffer Brothers said about the backlash?
In an interview with Variety, the Duffer Brothers responded to the hate campaign against the episode, fiercely defending their choices as well as Schnapp’s acting.
“The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now,” Ross Duffer said.
“It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view. This show has always been about our characters overcoming evil, and in order to overcome this evil, Vecna, in so many ways, represents all the dark thoughts and the evil of society.”
When asked if they were anticipating all the hate, Matt Duffer said: “No. I mean, no is the honest truth. Because it is, as Ross said, something we’ve been building for a really long time. I always say, Ross and I are many things, but subtle is not one of those things!”
Ross added: “We’re proud of the episode, and we’re proud of the scene, and proud of Noah, who gave a really brave, very vulnerable performance.”
Matt went on to say that they were most “sensitive” about Noah and how he would respond to the backlash “because of how close to home this hit for him”.
“I’ve been texting with him a lot, but texting with him specifically after that scene and after that episode aired and he’s in a really good place,” Matt assured.
“He’s very proud of the scene, and we’re proud of the scene.”
The final season of Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix, if you’re ready to bid a tearful farewell to the cast.
The post Duffer Bros & Noah Schnapp React To Stranger Things Coming Out Ep Being Review-Bombed appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
