Stranger Things’ penultimate episode has become the series’ lowest-rated entry due to review bombers.
Since November, the TV viewers worldwide have been engrossed in the final season of the hit supernatural Netflix series.
Picking up after the action-packed events of the season four finale, the new batch of episodes follows our heroes as they deal with the aftermath of the Rift’s opening.
The official synopsis reads: “The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown.
“Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread.
“The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”
Since its release, which is split into three drops, the final season of Stranger Things has received generally positive reviews, with fans and critics praising its direction, plot twists, acting performances and lore expansion.
However, the show’s nearly perfect record took a massive blow following the release of part two.
While episodes five and six were received relatively well, the penultimate episode, titled ‘The Bridge,’ became the victim of review bombing.
Taking place before the gang gets ready for the final showdown, Will confided in his family and friends – Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Max (Sadie Sink), Robin (Maya Hawke), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Steve (Joe Keery) – about his sexuality in a lengthy and emotional monologue.
While the scene was embraced by many LGBTQIA+ viewers and allies, who lauded the moment as “beautiful” and “emotional,” it wasn’t a universal hit with the Stranger Things fandom.
Following its release, the episode earned a 5.4 out of 10 rating based on 128k reviews, making it the lowest-rated episode in the series.
Unsurprisingly, many negative reviews were left by viewers upset about the episode’s inclusion of Will’s (Noah Schnapp) coming-out scene, with Elon Musk among the critics.
The conservative billionaire, who consistently pushes back on LGBTQIA+ inclusion in media, shared his reaction while responding to a tweet reposting Will’s coming-out scene.
In the original tweet, the user wrote: “Stranger Things fans are criticising a character for coming out as homosexual in the season finale, calling it was completely unnecessary for the plot. The culture is changing.”
Elon then responded: “It’s completely unnecessary and forced on audiences who just want to enjoy some basic sci-fi.”
It’s completely unnecessary and forced on audiences who just want to enjoy some basic sci-fi
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 28, 2025
Of course, it didn’t take long for other anti-LGBTQIA+ users to piggyback off of Elon’s tweet, with their own unwanted and bigoted reviews about the episode.
One conservative user even brought up the recent success of Heated Rivalry, making false claims that the MA-rated series is “being blatantly pushed to young audiences. It’s an agenda.”
While the anti-LGBTQIA+ internet trolls have had a field day on social media, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, not all of the episodes’ less-than-stellar reviews were homophobic.
Some viewers and critics had no problem with Will being gay or his long-awaited coming out moment, but took issue with the scene’s dialogue and the inclusion of so many characters.
One person on IMDb wrote: ” While the scene did resonate with me and make me feel some real emotion, I couldn’t help but be frustrated that all of the side characters were a part of the scene.”
“It would have been so much more impactful if the scene was between Will and the original friend group, or even just Joyce and Mike. Instead, the scene is tarnished by the fact that characters like Murray and Mr Clark are in it.”
Another viewer on X/Twitter wrote: “Is this a safe space to say that I just rewatched the coming out scene and it’s not as bad as I remember on first watch. Undoubtedly, it should not have been in that room full of people, and it should have been done way better, but it’s honestly still making me cry.”
A third viewer added: “The episode itself, whilst disappointing for the penultimate episode, is not all bad, as there are some sweet character moments throughout. The pros: -The final five minutes and the cliffhanger are very engaging -The plan developed throughout the episode is interesting.
“The cons: -There are a few pacing issues and plot holes (likely caused by scenes being cut in the final edit) -An important character moment, unfortunately, falls flat due to poor dialogue (the main cause of the heated debate between fans).”
The series finale of Stranger Things will be released on 31 December at 5 pm PT.
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