The media is often perceived as being negative. If you’re on Instagram, YouTube, or just anything on social media, you’re bound to find hateful comments and posts. In fact, 80% of youth have encountered hate speech online. Sometimes hate speech is directed at people; however, that’s not always the case. Hate speech is directed at other media, like shows.

Stranger Things is a show about a group of people trying to escape the paranormal, and it has recently finished its fifth and final season. Unfortunately, Stranger Things has received a massive downpour of hate and criticism.

The most hated scene is Will Byers’s coming-out. Many said it was unnecessary, random, and excruciatingly long, and while there is a point to be made about it being cheesy, I believe that these complaints are not right.

Vecna uses people’s fears against them. The scene was necessary to the plot, as Will says that Vecna will use his fear of everyone knowing of him being gay against him. Will’s fear is also valid, as this takes place in a small town in the 80’s. Homosexuality was often weaponized and demonized during this time.

The scene was also a break between tense scenes, which made it feel very long for many. The scene was only five minutes long in a 66-minute-long episode, which isn’t long at all. 

Many were also upset because they felt the ending was anticlimactic, given how much the Duffer Brothers and actors hyped it up. While this is reasonable, it’s redundant to blame the actors and directors. They are expected to hype their own show; it would be odd for them to say that their show is terrible.

Season five may not have been the best season of all of Stranger Things, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I find it important for others to stop hating on something just to hate on it and actually open up to what they are viewing.