Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes dropped sharply following the release, falling into the high-70s range, with Episode 7 (\u201cThe Bridge\u201d) quickly becoming one of the lowest-rated episodes of the entire series.<\/p>\n
![\"will](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/will-stranger-things-5-vol-2-1500x1146.jpg\" "\\"will")
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Will Byers\u2019 Coming-Out Scene Sparks Outrage<\/p>\n
The biggest flashpoint comes in the final minutes of Episode 7, where Will Byers finally comes out to his family and friends. <\/p>\n
While the show avoids using the word \u201cgay,\u201d the message is unmistakable. Framed as a secret Vecna could exploit, Will admits he doesn\u2019t like girls, tying the moment to his long-teased feelings for Mike.<\/p>\n
Trust Netflix to do what Netflix does best, push the gay agenda no matter the cost. They’ve just ruined Stranger Things, what does him being gay have anything to do with actually defeating Vecna pic.twitter.com\/TskNvzWRqJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \ud835\udc7b\ud835\udc89\ud835\udc86 \ud835\udc7a\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc8d\ud835\udc95 \ud835\udc76\ud835\udc87 \ud835\udc7b\ud835\udc89\ud835\udc86 \ud835\udc6c\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc93\ud835\udc95\ud835\udc89 (@Shadaya_Knight) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Instead of landing as emotional payoff, the scene has triggered widespread criticism. Many viewers say it completely derails the momentum right before the final battle, stopping the apocalypse storyline cold for a lengthy monologue that feels disconnected from defeating Vecna.<\/p>\n On X, users describe the moment as forced, cringey, and agenda-driven. Others question why Will would choose to come out to a room full of people \u2014 roughly 15 characters \u2014 in the middle of a world-ending crisis. The timing, execution, and writing are being called tone-deaf at best.<\/p>\n the corniest shit i have ever seen in my life pic.twitter.com\/egpnpTFQ2D<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 david | st5 spoilers (@dancintilldead) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Even LGBTQ Viewers Push Back<\/p>\n Not all of the criticism is coming from the same place. Some LGBTQ viewers have also taken issue with how the scene was handled, arguing it comes far too late in the series and reduces Will\u2019s identity to vulnerability and emotional weakness.<\/p>\n Others accuse the show of queerbaiting before rushing a resolution at the last possible moment.<\/p>\n Several fans argue that forcing Will to come out under supernatural pressure comes off as clumsy and uncomfortable, undermining what could have been a more natural character moment earlier in the series.<\/p>\n Stranger Things fans are criticizing a character for coming out as homosexual in the season finale, calling it was completely unnecessary for the plot. <\/p>\n The culture is changing. pic.twitter.com\/xY1hT6jTN4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc13\ud835\udc14\ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc12 (@Antunes1) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Pacing, Writing, and Stakes Continue to Be Slammed<\/p>\n Beyond the Will controversy, Volume 2 continues the same problems fans complained about in Volume 1. <\/p>\n Viewers say the pacing drags, emotional beats feel unearned, and the plotting grows more convoluted instead of clearer as the series approaches its end.<\/p>\n While some praise bits of mythology expansion involving the Upside Down, many feel the show has lost its balance. Vecna is no longer scary. The mystery is gone. The tension is replaced by speeches and overextended scenes that exist more to send messages than move the story forward.<\/p>\n Finding out Will coming out as gay scene took the longest to write out of any scene in Season 5 of Stranger Things explains everything. The writing of this season has been nothing short of ass cheeks. <\/p>\n Whole ass 10 minute scene in the penultimate episode for this guy to go I\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/0PtlMTW6eF<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Endymion (@EndymionYT) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Comparisons to Game of Thrones Grow Louder<\/p>\n As backlash builds, comparisons to Game of Thrones are becoming unavoidable.<\/p>\n Fans see the same pattern: a beloved series losing focus, stretching its runtime, and prioritizing spectacle and messaging over tight storytelling.<\/p>\n Instead of building toward a satisfying conclusion, Volume 2 has left many viewers frustrated, exhausted, and worried about how the finale will land.<\/p>\n Stranger things using 10 minutes in the final episodes to have a character come out as gay is probably the stupidest fucking thing I\u2019ve ever watched. Way to ruin the whole series. \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f<\/p>\n \u2014 Night (@Xisntfeespeech) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n The Damage Before the Finale<\/p>\n With the supersized series finale set to arrive on New Year\u2019s Eve, Stranger Things now enters its final chapter under a cloud of negativity. <\/p>\n Social media sentiment has shifted from debate to disappointment, and the phrase \u201cworst season yet\u201d is trending for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n Netflix wanted a victory lap. Instead, Volume 2 has poured gasoline on an already growing fire.<\/p>\n After last season, I had hope in Stanger Things. I was wrong. I want all the characters to just die\u2026.they’re all former shells of themselves\u2026hollow\u2026no depth\u2026and I hate them. Even my favs. Just die and go away.<\/p>\n its so sad<\/p>\n \u2014 Adrianne Curry (@AdrianneCurry) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Zachary Levi is right<\/p>\n While not specifically addressing Stranger Things, while appearing recently on YouTube, actor Zachary Levi nailed why the woke agenda is destroying Hollywood<\/a>, which applies here:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026Ram rodding. Lots of agenda that even, by the way, people on the left and in the center are kind of like, I\u2019m f-cking over this. Why do we have to have this as a plot point in the story? It makes no sense. It doesn\u2019t move anything forward. I\u2019m being preached to within the setting of what should be escapism.\u201d<\/p>\n Exactly explains Stranger Things https:\/\/t.co\/Q324vBoUJD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cosmic Book News (@cosmicbooknews) December 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n \t\t\t