The popular show Stranger Things, has recently released its finale. This ending has brought up a debate throughout the viewers, “Did Eleven actually die?” Well, based on the events happening during the final episode I believe that Eleven did in fact die.
At the end of the final episode of Stranger Things season five, the last scene with Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max all in the Wheeler basement playing a final game of Dungeons and Dragons (DND). Mike being the Dungeon Master, retails some of the events that happened in the season and how they were conquered. He then opens up and shares the ‘futures’ of the friend group. When it comes to the survival of Eleven he leaves it up to the audience’s opinion. He suggests that she escapes by turning herself invisible and using the holographic power from her sister Kallie. She then is traveling the world and isolating herself in order to save those who are around her.
One main piece of evidence that leads me to believe that Eleven died is the fact that Kallie had been shown dead on screen earlier in the episode. It’s one thing if Kallie was wounded but still alive and decided to help save Eleven, but for her to openly die on screen and then she magically comes back to life in the end makes very little sense. If Kallie was actively dying, I don’t believe that Eleven would just leave her sister instantly. Also the building that Kallie died/ was dying in exploded. If the gunshot didn’t kill her the explosion definitely would have. This would leave me to believe that Eleven did not survive the last episode.
Touching back on the end table scene, the group was asking if this was a theory and Mike’s response was, “Yes, but I chose to believe that it is”. They only made the ending from the viewers perspective to make everyone ‘feel good’ about the ending. It is not very probable for Mike’s Theory to be true. Is it what the majority watching wishes would happen? Yes. But in the end it is still just a theory.
This also could be done from the directors point of view in case they ever try to restart the series. If they flat out told the people Eleven died, it would be difficult to draw audience members back in. But if she could be alive then it gives an easy route to form another season if they so chose to in the future.
I believe the Eleven did not survive season five episode eight, the final episode, because Kallie died earlier in the episode, it is stated multiple times that it is “just a theory”,and it gives the directors flexibility when it comes to the decision to ever make another season.
