Stranger Things finale lacked a finished script (and other tidbits we learned from the new documentary One Last Adventure)

Stranger Things: Season 5- Courtesy of Netflix

There's a moment in the documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 in which the Duffer Brothers address the challenge of crafting a finale for a show as big as theirs. They admit that a bad finale could erase the love fans have for a show that's been around for nearly a decade. It doesn't matter how good previous seasons were. The beginning of One Last Adventure also highlights the intense fandom of the Netflix series. No matter what, it's likely that the finale would have always polarized some fans. You just can't please everyone.

However, it is baffling, when you consider the huge budget Netflix gifted the show for its last season, with some estimates at half a billion dollars, that the Duffer Brothers finished the finale's script so late. They didn't have the ending as mapped out as it should have been.

Here's a breakdown of all the interesting tidbits we learned about Stranger Things after watching One Last Adventure.

The Duffer Brothers struggled to finish the script for the Stranger Things finale

It's not as surprising that the Duffer Brothers didn't have a script written for the finale prior to production, but it is startling that they were deep into filming Season 5 before they finished that last script. Episodes were shot for Volume 2 before they decided how everything would end. This even caused them to shoot some sequences out of order, without fully knowing how everything would end.

Though I'm not someone who disliked the finale as much as some other critics, I do think it felt uneven and rushed, especially the boss battle. That said, I believe they stuck the landing, concluding the show with the friends playing D & D, before closing the book on their childhoods. The documentary has plenty of behind-the-scenes footage of the season's last few scenes, and One Last Adventure is worth a watch just for that footage and the emotional goodbyes on set.

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Linnea Berthelsen as Kali, David Harbour as Jim Hopper- Courtesy of Netflix

The Duffer Brothers agonized over Eleven's fate

Part of what makes the Stranger Things finale so polarizing is that it gave Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) an ambiguous ending. Initially, we're led to believe that she sacrificed herself to save her friends and prevent dimensions from colliding and the military from capturing her to continue experiments regarding the Upside Down.

However, her sacrifice is undercut in the finale's waning minutes after her boyfriend Mike (Finn Wolfhard) tells his friends during their last D & D game that he imagines another scenario for Eleven. In Mike's version, she worked with her sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) to create an illusion. This allowed her to escape from the military, with everyone thinking she died.

These two different scenarios reflect the discussions the Duffer Brothers have in One Last Adventure about what to do with the character. Should she have died or not? Ultimately, it now appears they couldn't decide, so they left it up to the viewer. Do we believe Mike's happier version, or a world in which Eleven died?

Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna and Noah Schnapp as Will- Courtesy of Netflix

Vecna went through various designs

Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna was one menacing villain in Seasons 4 and 5. He's nightmare fuel. Inspired by the likes of Freddy Krueger, he had the ability to snap limbs, kidnap children, and conjure illusions. Bower will likely have a long career now that Stranger Things has concluded. He's one heck of an actor.

However, the creators went through a few different potential designs for Vecna. One version imagined him fully clothed with a cape. Another depicted him looking diseased. Eventually, they decided on the long fingers and a body ensnared by vines. It's best that they went with that. He would have looked rather silly as a clothed and caped bad guy.

Stranger Things: Season 5 still used lots of practical effects

Over the years, the Duffer Brothers always acknowledged their influences. They love Steven Spielberg movies, and they also love 80s horror movies. So, it's no surprise that for the final season, they utilized the massive budget to create as many practical effects and actual sets as possible. For anyone who loves film and the process of filmmaking especially, it's pretty awesome to see the production crews build massive sets to bring other dimensions to life. In the age of A.I., it's nice to know that a show as successful as Stranger Things used practical effects as much as possible in its final season.

There's even a moment in the doc when one of the Duffer Brothers bemoans the fact they had to use some CGI to enhance the look of one of the sets, specifically the dripping goo location where Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) break up. Hopefully, we see more large productions use practical effects as much as possible. For one, it employs a lot of people. In some cases, it also looks better than what A.I. can currently generate.

Overall, One Last Aventure was certainly eye-opening and explains some of the more uneven moments in the finale. It also provides additional closure to Stranger Things, showcasing teary farewells on set. Yet, as some of the actors say in front of the documentary crew, it's good to move on.

One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, along with every season of Stranger Things, is streaming on Netflix.