Stranger Things Fans are Furious with Netflix

Oh, Stranger Things, how the mighty have fallen. What was once Netflix's crown jewel of 80s nostalgia, synth-wave vibes, and interdimensional monster-mashing has now plummeted into the abyss of audience apathy. Season 5 Volume 2, the grand finale's second half, hit screens like a wet Eggo waffle, and boy, are the fans flipping tables. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score has tanked to a measly 66%, a far cry from the glory days of Seasons 1-4's 96%, 90%, 86%, and 89% raves. Even IMDB ratings are collapsing like the Hawkins Lab under Vecna's wrath.

But why, you ask? Why has this beloved show gone from "strange" to "straight-up strange in a bad way"? Let's rewind to the good ol' days. Remember when Stranger Things was all about kids on bikes battling shadow monsters, with a side of Winona Ryder screaming into Christmas lights? Pure, unadulterated fun. But Season 5 Vol. 2? It's like the Duffer Brothers decided to swap the Mind Flayer for a mandatory diversity seminar. Fans are review-bombing the heck out of it, zeroing in on what they're calling "LGBTQ+ nonsense," particularly those "cringey" coming-out scenes for characters like Will Byers and Robin.

On X (formerly Twitter), the pitchforks are out: "Woke ruins everything!"

Picture this: You're hyped for epic battles against Vecna, but instead, you get heartfelt monologues about identity that feel shoehorned in. Critics and fans alike are dubbing it "comically bad," with one Daily Mail commenter quipping, "Here we can see Wokeness literally jammed down the throats of children."

Harsh? Maybe. Hilarious in a tragic way? Absolutely. It's as if the showrunners thought, "Hey, let's take our monster-slaying saga and turn it into a PSA for tolerance: what could go wrong?" Answer: Everything. The plot's pacing drags slower than a Demodog on a leash, and the "woke" elements have fans yelling "Netflix decided to RUIN their most popular show!"

And the backlash? It's gone viral faster than the Upside Down's vines. YouTube videos scream "AUDIENCES REJECT! Stranger Things Fans Revolt," while Facebook posts lament the "divided" fandom. Even Yahoo's jumping in, calling the penultimate episode a review-bombed disaster.

In the end, Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 2 feels like that awkward high school reunion where everyone shows up changed and not for the better. From interdimensional thrills to ideological spills, it's a reminder that sometimes, less "message" means more magic.

Will Netflix learn? Probably not.

After all, in April 2022, their stock cratered 35% in a single day—the worst drop in nearly 20 years—wiping out about $54 billion in market value. This followed the company's first quarterly subscriber loss in over a decade (200,000 net losses), which some analysts and commentators blamed partly on a slate of underperforming "woke" shows that alienated audiences. Titles like the LGBTQ+ animated series Q-Force and other diversity-focused content were cited as examples of programming that "no one liked," contributing to the broader perception that Netflix's push for inclusive but polarizing stories was costing them dearly.

And then came October 2025, when Netflix shed over $15 billion (with some reports citing up to $25 billion) in market value over just a few days amid a viral #CancelNetflix campaign spearheaded by Elon Musk. The trigger? Outrage over animated kids' shows accused of pushing "radical trans ideology" and other "woke" elements, leading to mass subscription cancellations. The stock snapped a five-day losing streak by October 6, but the damage highlighted ongoing sensitivities around such content.

So why does Netflix insist on adding LGBTQ+ content where it doesn't belong? Why???