Millie Bobby Brown’s Raw Reaction to the ‘Stranger Things’ Finale Is Heartbreaking
Millie Bobby Brown couldn’t hold back her emotions while watching the final episode of Stranger Things.
The actress, who plays Eleven, shared a video on Instagram showing her reaction to the farewell scenes for her character. In the clip, Brown is in a recording booth working on ADR, a standard part of TV production where actors re-record lines to improve sound. Even in the booth, she breaks down as she watches the intense goodbye moments with Mike, played by Finn Wolfhard.
In the video, Brown thanks the crew quietly, saying, “Thank you for all the years. I appreciate it.” She then whispers, “F***. This damn show!” She captioned her post, “Watching THAT scene for the first time.”
The finale gave Eleven two major goodbyes. In one, she stays behind in the Upside Down as it collapses, connecting with Mike one last time using her powers.
Later, after she appears to die, Mike reflects on the events while playing one final Dungeons & Dragons session with his friends. He suggests that Eleven may have faked her death, possibly with help from her sister Kali, who can create illusions. This leaves her fate uncertain.
Showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly why they left Eleven’s ending ambiguous. Matt said, “The ending, we wanted it to be from Mike’s point of view and the kids’ point of view. So they don’t know, and because they don’t know, the audience doesn’t know.”
He added that whether she lived or died, Eleven’s choice was brave. “Either she’s dead or she’s left her friends behind for a different life. But I think that sacrifice is ultimately very courageous and heroic. She’s choosing to do that to prevent other kids from experiencing what she’s experienced.”
Ross Duffer also stressed that leaving it unclear was intentional. “Our goal, our hope is to leave it up to the fans, ultimately, and the audience in terms of what they believe, just as we leave it up to our characters in that basement to decide what they believe or not,” he said.
Not everyone sees the ending as ambiguous. Sadie Sink, who played Max, told Jimmy Fallon that she thinks Eleven is gone for good. “What do I think? I think she’s dead. Is that a hot take or something?”
The final season of Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix, and fans continue to react to the emotional ending.
From my perspective, it’s clear the finale hit everyone hard, even the cast. Millie Bobby Brown’s reaction shows just how emotional saying goodbye to a character like Eleven can be. The Duffer brothers did a good job leaving the ending open to interpretation, which keeps fans talking and debating. What do you think happened to Eleven? Share your thoughts in the comments.
