Stranger Things creator Matt Duffer is ‘fried’ after finale backlash: ‘I'm not in a good place, cut me some slack'

If Stranger Things taught us anything, it’s this: no monster causes chaos quite like a series finale.

After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, synths and supernatural trauma, Netflix dropped the two-hour Stranger Things series finale on December 31 — and the internet promptly went upside down. Unfortunately, the much-expected victory lap for one of streaming’s biggest shows instead became a full-blown fandom war.

Some fans sobbed through the final goodbyes, especially the last Mike and Eleven scene (really, how did everyone else get a happy ending except the main couple, the heartbeat of the show) Others stared at their screens wondering if they had missed an episode and identified half-a-dozen plot holes.

And now, co-creator Matt Duffer is admitting he may have made things worse by giving interviews just after the finale aired. His statements about Eleven's fate, mentioning that they had never really planned a scenario where she could just stay alive and hang out with her friends. In short, she had to die for others to find peace? Fans just couldn't accept such a storyline for the girl who had been abused and tortured throughout the show, and had just a few moments of happiness.

Moreover, other fans pointed out raging inconsistencies: Where were the demogorgons in the final battle with Vecna? And did the military just...back off after half their battalion had been killed?

Questions, questions, and more questions. It didn't help much, when the Duffers insisted that the ending was 'ambiguous' and left up to interpretation. On cue fans reacted further to his statements.

Premiering in 2016, Stranger Things grew into one of Netflix’s most successful originals, blending ’80s nostalgia with sci-fi horror as a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana battled monsters from the Upside Down — and, occasionally, each other. So expectations for the finale were sky-high. Possibly impossibly high.

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Duffer brothers addressed the backlash head-on. Matt Duffer revealed he regrets doing post-finale interviews at all — especially given his condition at the time.

“I really shouldn't have done any of these postmortem interviews. I am not in a good place. Like, why the hell did we do any of them yesterday is beyond me. I'm, like, fried. I was getting over the flu. So, anyone mad at any answers we gave you yesterday, just cut me some slack.”

Fair — but the fandom was already on fire.

On paper, the finale had everything: emotional resolutions, symbolic callbacks, tearful farewells and an epilogue meant to close the Hawkins chapter for good. In practice? Viewers couldn’t agree on whether it was cathartic or catastrophic.

Reddit threads quickly filled with clashing takes. One popular sentiment: the finale felt “emotionally right but structurally rushed.” Another camp argued the opposite — that it was “all plot, no breathing room.”

One Reddit user summed it up bluntly: “They wrapped up the story, but not the characters. I know what happened, but I don’t know how anyone feels anymore.”

Reddit reactions ranged from heartfelt to furious:

As debates escalated, things got… very online.

A petition demanding the release of alleged “unseen footage” from the final season has racked up more than 300,000 signatures, despite cast members repeatedly confirming there are no secret cuts or hidden endings waiting in a vault.

For some viewers, the frustration wasn’t about unanswered plot points but missed emotional beats. Many felt the final episodes leaned too heavily on moving the story forward, sidelining quieter character moments that once defined the show.

Still, not everyone was unhappy. Plenty of fans defended the finale, saying it delivered satisfying conclusions for beloved characters and honoured the spirit of the series — even if it didn’t please everyone.

As one Redditor put it: “It wasn’t perfect, but neither was growing up. And that’s kind of the point.”

Whether the finale was flawed, bold, rushed or just emotionally overwhelming, one thing is undeniable: Stranger Things didn’t go quietly. And judging by the reaction, Hawkins may be closed — but the arguments are very much alive.