'Stranger Things' wraps with open-ended goodbye

After nearly a decade, Stranger Things has officially come to an end.

Netflix released the final installment of season 5 on December 31, wrapping the series with a two-hour finale packed with major battles, emotional losses, and long-awaited answers.

The final season follows Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins crew as they face Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) one last time, trying to stop him from merging the Abyss with the real world.

The plan ultimately hinges on Eleven making the ultimate sacrifice.

During the final battle, several characters come close to death. Steve (Joe Keery) narrowly survives a fall when Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) pulls him to safety.

“S--- I thought you were toast,” Dustin said. Later, Steve admits, “I thought I was a goner back there, I owe you one.”

Hopper (David Harbour) survives intense mind games from Vecna, but tragedy strikes when Eleven’s sister Eight, also known as Kali, is fatally shot. 

Before dying, she tells Eleven, “Don't cry, Jane… My story was always going to end here.”

Eleven later explains her choice to Hopper in an emotional goodbye:

“When I was a kid, and you found me in the woods, I was scared… You became my dad… I need you to believe in me.”

After Vecna is defeated, Eleven vanishes as the Upside Down is destroyed. She shares a final message with Mike: “I will always be with you. I love you.”

Eighteen months later, the group wonders if Eleven survived. Mike explains the ending as a story he chooses to believe, saying, “I chose to believe that it is.”

Netflix confirmed the ending was intentionally left open. According to the Duffer brothers, Eleven’s fate is “up to viewers to decide.”

All three volumes of Stranger Things season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.