Stranger Things Finale: Inside the 'Very Large-Scale' 2-Hour Conclusion That 'Starts at a Sprint'

There's no time for a slow goodbye. Netflix's flagship series, Stranger Things, is set to conclude its epic run with a series finale on December 31st. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creators The Duffer Brothers revealed that the final chapter won't build to a climax—it will begin with one, starting "at a sprint."

Balancing Scale and Character

The final episode, titled "The Rightside Up," clocks in at a massive 2 hours and 8 minutes. Co-creator Matt Duffer stated, "It's very large in scale, but I think it's more character-focused than any of the other episodes in the season." He explained that the extended runtime allows them to deliver on both the massive spectacle and intimate character moments. Because the penultimate episode already set the stage for the final confrontation, the finale can dive straight into the action.

"What we really wanted to make sure we did... was get the plan in motion so that episode 8 can start at a sprint," Ross Duffer added. This approach, he noted, gave them more time "on the backend to spend with these characters and wrap this up properly because we didn't wanna feel rushed at the end."

The Cast on the 'Big Moment'

Ahead of the premiere, key cast members screened the finale for the first time on December 19th in New York. Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, recalled the pressure of filming. "Just at that point in the year being like, 'Oh my God, there's three months left!'... And that pressure," he said. "Making sure to be ultra present... and giving the best work that you can do 'cause that's what you owe the Duffers and Netflix."

Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) felt the immensity of the finale from the sets alone. "I realized, this is a really big moment," he remembered. Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrays Vecna, teased that in the final episode, "the wheels fully come off... it's a trip."