{"id":705206,"date":"2025-12-26T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T05:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/duffer-brothers-on-major-reveals-series-finale\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T08:00:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T05:00:22","slug":"duffer-brothers-on-major-reveals-series-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/duffer-brothers-on-major-reveals-series-finale\/","title":{"rendered":"Duffer Brothers on Major Reveals, Series Finale"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from Vol. 2 of Stranger Things 5<\/em>: \u201cShock Jock,\u201d \u201cEscape From Camazotz\u201d and \u201cThe Bridge.\u201d]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMatt and Ross Duffer have always known the final scene of Stranger Things<\/em>. But the winding, upside-down road to getting there hasn\u2019t always been as set in stone.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter years of working on the final season, that is Stranger Things 5<\/em>, the writers\/directors\/showrunners of Netflix\u2018s megahit series<\/a> are finally sharing with the world how they\u2019ve set up the series endgame<\/a>, with the supersized three episodes of Vol. 2 now released and delivering some major payoffs in Hawkins lore.<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the return of Eleven\u2019s (Millie Bobby Brown) \u201csister\u201d Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), the Vol. 2 episodes revealed that the Upside Down is actually a wormhole connecting the real world to Vecna\u2019s Abyss, which, if exploded, will cause it to collapse. Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) has taken up Dr. Brenner\u2019s (Matthew Modine) work and is testing Kali\u2019s blood on pregnant women. Meanwhile, the abduction of Will (Noah Schnapp<\/a>), which kick-started the series, circles back in a major reveal that he has powers similar to those held by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). And Max (Sadie Sink) has finally escaped Vecna\u2019s clutches and woken up in the real world, only to have left Holly (Nell Fisher) behind with a roadmap as to how to plot her own escape.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe third episode of Vol. 2, \u201cThe Bridge,\u201d ends with a scene where Will comes out as gay to his family and friends, and then decides that he will reenter the Upside Down with Eleven to carry out their plan to collapse the wormhole. The Duffers said they spent the longest amount of time of the series writing that pivotal scene, which they also co-directed (they shared duties with executive producer Shawn Levy on the 66-minute episode). <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe just wanted to get it right,\u201d says Ross Duffer. Matt Duffer adds, \u201cWe worked on that for a while with just Joyce [Winona Ryder], and it never felt right. Once we involved the friends, it started to click more into place. I remember \u2026 being nervous when we showed it to Noah. Because so much of it is close to what he\u2019s been through. It had to be truthful for him on two fronts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, the Duffer Brothers dive into Vol. 2 with The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>, revealing how they plotted the second part\u2019s biggest moments, including when they let Sink in on her fate and how they handled the pressure around Will\u2019s coming out scene (\u201cWe sobbed in the close-up,\u201d says Ross). They also reveal the steps they took to keep the series finale secret before it releases on Netflix and in theaters on New Year\u2019s Eve, where the Stranger Things <\/em>franchise goes next, and why the series finale shouldn\u2019t be compared to Game of Thrones<\/em>. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s not going to be a Red Wedding situation,\u201d says Matt Duffer. \u201cWe\u2019re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there\u2019s something inevitable about what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tShows have gone to insane lengths to keep endings a secret. I want to know what you guys did for the Stranger Things<\/em> series finale.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: To keep it secret? Well, we didn\u2019t shoot multiple endings.\u00a0I don\u2019t know how anyone has the time to do something like that just to trick people. But we had a really good security team, and they did their best to keep the paparazzi away. The finale script was printed on red paper, but just the finale, because it\u2019s annoying to get red scripts.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/a><\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to read.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER: <\/strong>And then we just really limited the distribution, all of which makes it more difficult in some ways, but we just had to take extra precautions.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: What we really wanted to protect was the finale. I\u2019m impressed with our team for protecting the Kali reveal because Linnea [Berthelsen] was on set with us for months. So that was impressive.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: We were trying to protect Matthew Modine all the way back in season four, and then he drove up on the first day in a convertible and got snapped [by paparazzi]. Like within 48 hours, he blew the secret. So I told Linnea: \u201cNo convertibles.\u201d (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tI spoke with Jamie Campbell Bower and I know he was on-boarded with a lot of information when he joined the show last season, and that this season he, like everyone else, was kept more in the dark and received the scripts episode to episode. He said he was texting you guys novels of questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: Yes. And a lot of that is because we were still writing it, especially the finale. It took a long time to write that script. And on top of that, we were directing, so everyone got it that much later in the production.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are major payoffs in these Vol. 2 episodes. Top of mind is of course Max waking up. Has Sadie Sink been wondering since season four if she was going to wake up, or did you guys clue her in earlier?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We told her that obviously, she was going to be part of season five. We told her before we gave her the finale script for season four, because we were like, \u201cShe\u2019s going to read this and think she\u2019s off the show and be upset.\u201d So we gave her the heads up, but I don\u2019t think we explained exactly how.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: We gave her a hint. At that point, I don\u2019t think Holly [Nell Fisher] was a really big part of the season. We knew [Max] was going to be trapped in Vecna\u2019s mind, but her story really evolved a lot as we worked on it with the writers.<\/p>\n

\n\tI wanted to ask about how expanding Holly came about and what it was like casting Nell Fisher. She is such a big part of this final season, and in Vol. 2, it really is a passing of the torch moment from Max to Holly, where we as viewers are now desperately rooting for Holly\u2019s survival.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER: <\/strong>Exactly. She reminds me a lot of Sadie. For her age, she\u2019s insanely intelligent and precocious and on top of it. Nobody\u2019s on their mark but Nell, and all of those things were true of Sadie when she was a kid. So it was cool to see them work together and to see Nell have someone to look up to like Sadie and learn from her. That was one of the most fun parts of the season.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou had seen Nell acting in something else, and you immedia<\/a>tely wanted her for the role of Holly?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: I saw her in just the trailer for Evil Dead Rise<\/em>. She looked like our Holly. She was younger, but I remember showing the trailer to Ross and going, \u201cCould Nell be Holly?\u201d And then she was in the group of kids with [casting director] Carmen Cuba.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: Right, I forgot about it actually. We didn\u2019t bring it up with Carmen, and then Nell was in the group and she just blew us away. It was instantly clear. And then Matt had a brag that he had spotted this early.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: It made no difference!<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER: <\/strong> We would have found her. But take credit if you want. (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tSadie Sink as Max with Nell Fisher as Holly in Stranger Things 5 <\/em>Vol. 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tI also spoke with Noah Schnapp, and he said that he read up to episode six, and he was thinking, \u201cOkay, so Will\u2019s coming out scene isn\u2019t here yet, it must be in seven or the finale\u2026\u201d So you guys didn\u2019t give him much of a heads-up about when that was coming?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: If he says so, I don\u2019t remember! We weren\u2019t purposely withholding from him. That was probably the longest we ever spent on a scene ever<\/em> in Stranger Things<\/em>. We just wanted to get it right. Seven itself didn\u2019t take extraordinarily long to write but that scene did, because we felt a responsibility to Will and to Noah, too; we wanted to be as truthful as it could be.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m sure he told you, but he said it was perfect. What was that process like of writing it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: I just know it took forever. Originally, it was just going to be him coming out his mom, and then we felt it needed to be more than that and that it needed to involve his friends. We worked on that for a while with just Joyce [Winona Ryder], and it just never felt right. So, once we involved the friends, it started to click a little bit more into place. I don\u2019t recall exactly how long it took. I just remember it taking quite a long time, and then being nervous when we showed it to Noah. Because so much of it is close to what he\u2019s been through, but, also he knows Will so well. So it had to be truthful for him on two fronts. And so the fact that it resonated with him was great, and then we felt so much relief, and the pressure kind of went onto Noah.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe does put a lot of pressure on himself. But he did have the script several months in advance, and he spent a lot of time by himself working and prepping the scene. Most of what you see in the show is the first close-up shot that we did. We actually did hardly any directing. The main direction was a question, which was, \u201cWhat do you want to shoot first? Do you want us to start with the reaction shots and build up to you, or do you want to go first?\u201d He said, \u201cLet\u2019s just do the wide [shot]; let me warm up and then I just want to get it over with. I want to do the close-up.\u201d So we did the wide, he warmed up, we did the close-up. Most of it is from take one. He just killed it. Killed it. And he felt such immense relief, I think, when he did.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER: <\/strong>And then we\u2019re like, \u201cWe have 20 more reaction shots to get. Sorry, you gotta keep going!\u201d (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: And Noah can\u2019t not go 100 percent, even when he\u2019s off camera, which is wonderful for the other actors. But by the end of the day, he looked like he was gonna collapse.<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you guys cry when you were directing that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We sobbed in the close up.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: But also, you\u2019re so nervous about the technical aspects \u2014 just praying it doesn\u2019t go out of focus. So often, and sometimes I have to explain this to the actors, something technically goes wrong like the dolly\u2019s off or the focus is out and it\u2019s so frustrating. So when you\u2019re having a moment like that that\u2019s so magical, part of your brain is just praying nothing goes wrong in the technical instant that you capture it.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: It\u2019s rare, but sometimes there are moments where you\u2019re like, \u201cWe just won\u2019t capture that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: It\u2019s come and gone. Some things aren\u2019t repeatable. And he gave so many good reads that day, but none that were on that level of that first read. He just tapped into something so real. It just felt real and completely vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe scene runs parallel to Will\u2019s self-actualization this season. I know you have always known your final scene of the series, and the North Star you were working towards. But did you always know how Will\u2019s abduction from the start would play out in the end, and how pivotal he would be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We\u2019ve always known that Will was going to be key. And obviously, we\u2019ve kept this connection to the Upside Down going, even at the end of season two when they got the Mind Flayer out of him. But it was one of the first ideas, probably the first idea we had as we sat down to break season five \u2014 that the story began with Will\u2019s kidnapping, and so it felt right to end with the need to center a lot of the season around Will one more time as we come to a conclusion.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\tJamie Campbell Bower as Mr. Whatsit in Vol. 2.<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s been a lot of speculation about that line you included in the trailer from Steve (Joe Keery) to Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), about being ready to die.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: People are always worried about Steve.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: It doesn\u2019t matter. We could have put nothing in the trailer and people would still be freaked out about Steve.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut between that line and the plot with Hopper (David Harbour) also being ready to die to save Eleven, you have been foreshadowing more than one character being ready to die for the larger cause. How worried should we be about their survival?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: It\u2019s not Game of Throne<\/em>s. We\u2019re not in Westeros. I love Game of Thrones<\/em>, but it\u2019s just a very different type of show than that. There\u2019s not going to be a Red Wedding situation. I think some things happen in the finale that are very surprising, but we\u2019re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there\u2019s something inevitable about what happens, and that it doesn\u2019t feel painful but feels satisfying. We\u2019ll see. But as for Steve\u2019s fate. I don\u2019t know. I can\u2019t say. It would be the next logical step. He keeps getting beaten up more and more. The only way we could take it further is death. (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tWe\u2019re worried about so many people that we almost forget Eleven is our main worry. This season brought her and Hopper back together again in a touching way. Why did you want to bring them full circle before we find out what\u2019s going to happen to her in the end?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: Part of it is that we\u2019re always looking for interesting dynamics or character dynamics that we either haven\u2019t yet explored or are looking for new ways to explore, and those two actors in particular are so incredible, and we hadn\u2019t really exploited that dynamic since season two, and we wanted to reexamine that. It is a coming-of-age story, and this final chapter is about them transitioning to adulthood, and part of transitioning into adulthood is breaking from your parents. Hopper has such a strong grip on her because of his tragic past. We wanted to dive into that, and that conflict, and that certainly continues all the way through the finale.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, do you guys feel like you stuck the landing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER: <\/strong>No one has put it that bluntly! (Laughs<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We feel really happy with how the show ended up. I think in the finale, in particular, the last scene, which again, we\u2019ve had an idea of what that scene was going to be like for years, and when we sat down to break season five, it\u2019s the first thing we broke. Everything is really building to that moment and making sure that works. Because we knew that no matter what we did, we could do eight hours of entertainment that people love, and then if you slip in the last five minutes, it\u2019s all anyone\u2019s going to talk about! So you just want to make sure you get those five minutes right, and then hopefully everything falls into place. We\u2019re so proud of that scene and the performances from our cast in that scene, so we\u2019re feeling good about it. But it\u2019s always nerve-racking to put it out there for the audience.<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: It\u2019s challenging, especially because of the demographics, in terms of who\u2019s watching this show. It\u2019s really broad. When you read about people reacting to the show, sometimes I feel like they\u2019re watching very different shows. And in a way, they are, right? They\u2019re fixated on different aspects of the show that are more important to some people than others. It just gets confusing. So you can\u2019t really work towards satisfying [everyone], because who are you choosing to satisfy?<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the end of the day, you do kind of have to shut out all the noise and just listen to your gut and the other writers with whom we\u2019ve been working with for so long, and hope that what we feel is right resonates with everybody else. The only thing that gives me some more confidence is the fact that the actors are as happy as they are, because they are so connected to those characters. That was honestly the most nerve-racking thing. I think what made me more nervous than the upcoming New Year\u2019s Eve screening [of the series finale]was reading it with the actors for the first time.<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, you guys are not ending this franchise. You have [the upcoming animated series] Stranger Things: Tales from \u201985<\/em>. Is there anything else you can say?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We\u2019re very early days on a live-action spinoff. But this is the end of the story for these characters of Hawkins, for the Upside Down. It\u2019s a different decade and different characters, but of course, still connected to the Stranger Things <\/em>universe. It\u2019s an idea we\u2019ve had for years and something we\u2019re just really excited and passionate about. We won\u2019t be showrunning that show, but we\u2019ll be heavily involved. So, as the new year comes around, we\u2019re going to start spending more time on that. Hopefully it\u2019s something announced soon-ish.<\/p>\n

\n\tDo you think that will be coming before you start making movies for Paramount [with their new deal]?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER<\/strong>: I think conceivably it could.<\/p>\n

\n\tROSS DUFFER<\/strong>: We\u2019re definitely further along with that idea than a movie idea!<\/p>\n

\n\tMATT DUFFER: <\/strong>The Paramount deal hasn\u2019t kicked in, and we\u2019ve just been so focused on Stranger Things<\/em>, and we\u2019re still focused on the Stranger Things<\/em> spinoff. But it has been so fun to work on, frankly, because even though it is Stranger Things<\/em>, it\u2019s really more of the style of storytelling. It\u2019s very fun to start to develop a new mythology and new characters. It\u2019s been a blast.<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tVolumes 1 and 2 of <\/em>Stranger Things 5 are now streaming on Netflix \u2014 the series finale releases on Netflix and in 500 theaters across the country on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. PT.\/ 8 p.m. ET.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from Vol. 2 of Stranger Things 5: \u201cShock Jock,\u201d \u201cEscape From Camazotz\u201d and \u201cThe Bridge.\u201d] Matt and Ross Duffer have always known the final scene of Stranger Things. But the winding, upside-down road to getting there hasn\u2019t always been as set in stone. After years of working on the final…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":705207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Screenshot-2025-12-25-at-7.26.31\u202fPM.png?w=1440&h=810&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[71336,139697,131019,27684,1377,129580,131018,24970,152056,96459],"class_list":["post-705206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-david-harbour","tag-jamie-campbell-bower","tag-matt-duffer","tag-millie-bobby-brown","tag-netflix","tag-noah-schnapp","tag-ross-duffer","tag-stranger-things","tag-stranger-things-5","tag-the-duffer-brothers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}