Stranger Things: One Last Adventure Documentary Review

One Final Adventure//Crying emotionally, sophomore Natalia Arieli finishes watching Stranger Things: One Last Adventure on January 7th, 2026. Fans everywhere get to see the behind-the-scenes of making the final season of Stranger Things with the newly released documentary, including script writing, cast interviews, and intricate sets in the making (Photo by Natalia Arieli).

The final season of our beloved Stranger Things is out, and although everyone is sad and has mixed feelings after the finale, Netflix announced that there would be a documentary showcasing the behind-the-scenes of the cast and the writing behind their final season on January 7th, 2026. Well, that day has finally come, and our final look at Stranger Things is out. Although fans might’ve thought they cried all their tears they could during the Stranger Things finale, they were “dead wrong.” The documentary generated even more tears all around, as it was incredibly emotional to see our cast that we’ve grown up with be together one last time, and the show officially coming to an end. It covered questions that were asked after watching the finale, like why there weren’t any demogorgons in Dimension X, and delved into the behind-the-scenes of making incredible props, like the melting Hawkins Lab. So, let’s go over all the highlights, struggles, and goodbyes that were portrayed in making the Stranger Things final series.

Eleven’s Fate & Plot Decisions

In writing the finale, it was clear from the start that the Duffer Brothers and writers were questioning Eleven’s fate and making the audience question it as well, as it was a key component that had been building up in Volume 2. Ross Duffer states, “The whole episode has to be building towards ‘Eleven is going to kill herself.’” In the documentary, the Duffer Brothers and the writers actually do argue about how they play it out in the sense that they don’t know if they should tell the audience that she’s confirmed she’s going to sacrifice herself or not. Ultimately, it ended up being ambiguous, with us not knowing what she’s decided until she is shown standing at the gate. While deciding Eleven’s fate, they also had other plot decisions to be made. Additionally, in the documentary, they talk about how they want to play out the final battle with all of the characters. They debated whether to have the entire group inside of the Mindflayer’s ribcage, which ended up not being the case, as only El was fighting Vecna in the Mindflayer, and the rest were fighting from the outside. 

Another question that was asked after the finale from many fans and reviewers was why there weren't any demogorgons or any type of monster in the Abyss while the final battle was taking place. One writer argued that there must be some kind of monsters there, as that’s where they originated from. He stated, “There has to be Demogorgon, bat, dog, like something. It’s crazy if there’s nothing there, I think.” At first, it seemed the Duffer Brothers agreed, yet they changed their mind because they thought that there would be “demo fatigue,” due to them always being used in battles and fighting, and they didn’t want them in the finale. Because of all of these plot decisions to be made and a time crunch from Netflix, the writers actually didn’t have a completed script by the time they started filming the final episode, which was difficult because the actors and directors had nothing to go off of because they didn’t know what scene they just did or are going to do.

Karen V. Demogorgon

One of the most important scenes for Mrs. Wheeler in Volume 1 of Stranger Things involved a face-off between a demogorgon and Karen Wheeler. That scene was an intense shoot, with several things needing to be taken into account, like destroying the house, the wine bottle hitting the demogorgon, and the incredible prosthetics that had to be put on Karen. According to the crew, there was an intention to make Karen Wheeler a more defensive mom this season, and to show really where Nancy got her strength in a way. “The evolution to being an action hero is the natural progression for me,” Cara Buono states, “I think maybe that’s all I ever wanted to do.” The Duffer Brothers explained how they’d always wanted to have a Wheeler house attack sequence, but they also wanted to show how Karen shares a lot of qualities with Nancy and to see her ferocity unleashed. This scene surprised and shocked many, and overall, it was an incredible way to build up Mrs. Wheeler’s character and exemplify Nancy’s traits.

The MAC-Z

As is known, the most incredible shot and scene that happened in Volume 1 was the final sequence involving the military, demogorgons, and the group in the MAC-Z at the end of episode four. As many fans have noted, it was physically and emotionally insane watching the intensity of the action scene and then Will’s final moment in the end, and there’s a lot that went into creating that. The Duffer Brothers stated that the MAC-Z was actually their first backlot they shot at, and they’ve always wanted to film something cool there. For this scene, they recreated downtown Hawkins and the MAC-Z, and, according to the Duffer Brothers and crew, it took “forever” to build. They also explain how they wanted it to build up to an insane climax because they knew the audience had to wait for the next episodes, and so they wanted them to be excited about it. The Duffers state, “There’s no question, the MAC-Z action sequence is the biggest and most challenging sequence we’ve ever done.” However, they absolutely killed it.

One of the most amazing parts of the sequence was doing the whole thing with one shot and camera, so it could really feel like the audience was there along the ride and was caught up in the anxiety and intensity of the scene. “We wanted to feel like you’re truly with these characters and there’s no escape,” Ross Duffer states, “Don’t give the audience any edits to give them any room to breathe.” It worked tremendously well. Fans were on the edge of their seats, screaming and being caught in the action. The whole sequence was incredibly difficult too, because there were an insane number of stunt actors as the military, along with the whole crew and kids following. The one camera shot was difficult, as well as fitting the right place for the demogorgons and stunts so that it would all work perfectly.

Crafting Sets

The props and sets in Season 5 were some of the coolest and most difficult sets they’ve ever had to build and come up with, especially with a time crunch. According to the crew, they were extremely close on time, even wondering if to say something about it, as they all thought they weren’t going to get the sets done in time for shooting. The Pain Tree, which turned out to be the Mindflayer, was one of the most tight schedules to build before filming. They had only 16 weeks to account for all of the details of the Pain Tree, plus build it. The set was huge too, being 130 feet long and 80 feet wide. One crew member, when explaining all of the details they must add, stated, “We got the meaty, gutty kind of stuff. Bones protruding out of that. Sinewy connective tissue. Vines. Thick, black veins.” The crew had to make sure all of those details were shown on the set, including more tiny details. However, even though it was very challenging, it turned out to be an incredible set, and the whole crew worked incredibly hard and spent a lot of time on it.

The melting building where Jonathan, Steve, Nancy, and Dustin are at was also a very detailed and difficult set to build. The walls were created from a sculpted foam underneath three different densities of pour foam, unified with a rubber spray, and painted. It took about 12 steps total for just one sliver of the wall, and they had to do it for a lot more as well, which was difficult. While showing the idea of the room and the melting building, the Duffer Brothers explain, “That idea came about because of the Jonathan and Nancy talk. We need to put them in a situation where they feel that they’re going to die, and it forces them to have this emotional talk.” Even though there were some setbacks to the set while creating it, it ended up being incredible in the end.

“That’s a Wrap”

When talking about this incredible show, the actors can’t be ignored. After working for about a decade on the series, hearing the words “that’s a wrap” can be hard and emotional for the actors who have built up the series in the first place. When reading the final script, the whole cast stayed and read in a room set with comfortable chairs and couches in order to make their final read more relaxing and different than others before. By the end of it, all of the actors were crying, and even more so when they each finished their scenes. In Jamie Campbell Bower’s final scene in the Mindflayer, Millie Bobby Brown and the cast give him a hug as he ends his time on the series, which was, as stated, very emotional.

In the final scenes of the main characters, it’s heartbreaking and emotional for the cast to finally play their characters one last time. “When you come back to this show, and you’re with these people, it’s like you’re 14 again," Sadie Sink stated, “Yeah, that never really goes away.” Millie Bobby Brown, who plays one of the main characters of the show, tears up and gets incredibly emotional on her wrap day. Brown states, “I have found it really hard to fit in in the past. But here, I’m welcomed and loved.” As a final statement, as her wrap is called, Millie says, “I’m not ready to let go.” In the basement scene, the final scene to end the whole series, Finn Wolfhard looks back one more time, as his character, but also as himself, at his childhood, and leaves it behind.  As the Duffer Brothers call out the final wraps, the cast and crew exchange hugs, tears, and emotional speeches as the confetti goes off, signaling the end of the series.

Now, the end of the show has come to a close, which is especially clear now after watching the documentary. You might not know what to do with yourself–I know I sure had a tough time with the ending–but the show will never be forgotten, nor will the incredible cast, crew, writers, and the effort that they put into the show. To end the incredible moments that we’ve all felt and witnessed, the Duffer Brothers say one final thing to close off this chapter: “It was important to all of us to close the book on this story, these characters, and this period of our lives. But all the experiences we’ve had over the past decade, all the crazy ups and downs, the chaos of it all, the friends we made, will always, always be with us. It really was the adventure of a lifetime.”