The screen faded to black, the credits rolled, and a hollow feeling settled in. Was that really it? After years of investment, countless hours theorizing with friends, the Hawkins crew had closed their final chapter. But even as the story concluded, a new one began—the making of the epic finale, now streaming on Netflix in One Last Adventure.
The documentary, directed by Martina Radwan, chronicles the creation of the final season, weaving in flashbacks to earlier seasons to illustrate the show’s massive scope. It shines a spotlight on the unsung heroes—the artists, designers, and builders who crafted the tangible world of Stranger Things. But it also peeks behind the curtain at the intense writing process that birthed episode eight, “The Rightside Up.”
If you found yourself wanting more from the finale, those writers’ room scenes might be particularly compelling. Seeing the sheer amount of effort poured into every frame could even spark a newfound appreciation for the series’ closing act.
Keep in mind, though, that One Last Adventure prioritizes the production process. While the documentary does capture the emotional weight of table reads and the final day of filming, don’t expect extensive interviews with the cast (sorry, Winona Ryder fans). Instead, prepare yourself for a two-hour journey into the heart of how the magic happened.
Here are 11 things I learned from One Last Adventure, which, clocking in at just over two hours, fits right in with Stranger Things’ fondness for extended viewing experiences.
The Scale of Season Five Was Ridiculously Huge
Think about the most elaborate film set you’ve ever seen. Now, imagine building that for a single episode of television. Early in the documentary, an assistant director makes the claim that “most films are half the size of a single Stranger Things episode” and notes that Stranger Things episodes also come together with far less prep time.
The documentary highlights the monumental effort required from every department, from set decorators and production designers to the VFX artists. The “biggest and most challenging sequence” was the battle in the Military Access Control Zone (MAC-Z) at the end of episode four, “Sorcerer.”
This sequence led to the show’s first-ever backlot set: a recreation of downtown Hawkins around the gate to the Upside Down. This required six weeks of preparation. The “oner,” which took viewers through the Demogorgon attack without a break, wasn’t one continuous shot. It was five shots meticulously edited together.
Writing the Finale Was an Ordeal
Ever been stuck on a problem, twisting it this way and that, unable to find a satisfying solution? One Last Adventure reveals that the writers really wrestled with “The Rightside Up.” The documentary captures the team debating Eleven’s fate—her state of mind, whether to keep her decision ambiguous, and even misdirect the audience. Ultimately, they landed on the idea that Eleven had to leave so the rest of the kids could leave childhood behind.
Why weren’t there any monsters in the Abyss in Stranger Things?
It wasn’t just fan theories filling the writer’s room. The documentary also reveals the writers debating the absence of monsters in the Abyss. (The phrase “Demo-fatigue” does indeed get used.)
The Duffers admitted that episode eight put the team in “the most difficult writing circumstances we ever found ourselves in,” especially as Netflix and the production teams became increasingly eager for progress. “The Rightside Up” required the most time the Duffers spent with the other writers on any other episode.
The pressure was enormous. The Duffers explained: “It’s terrifying because you see these shows that people love and adore, and the ending falters. And they just discard the rest of the show. You can’t leave anything dangling. You have to wrap everything up.”
They went into production without a finished script for the finale, which was scary because they wanted to get it right. The most important script of the season.
The writers were aware of audience expectations. They weren’t going to kill off a bunch of beloved characters. But they also knew they had to meet those expectations while holding back some surprises. This segment provides a fascinating view into their process and their awareness of the scrutiny they’d be under, especially since “The Rightside Up” proved controversial among some fans.
Time Was a Precious Resource
Remember that feeling of racing against the clock, juggling deadlines, and hoping everything comes together? That’s what the production teams faced as they prepared for season five. They had a huge undertaking and didn’t know exactly what was going to happen in the grand finale while the script was still being written.
One Last Adventure captures the quiet horror of various departments trying to figure out how they’d get everything done in time—we see them literally counting days, doing the math, and looking worried. However, it’s also clearly conveyed that everyone is up to the task, and at one point we’re told the show attracts people who want to work at the very highest level, despite the challenges involved.
The Duffers Realized Early On They’d Have to Share Directing Duties
We all have those childhood dreams that evolve over time. Matt and Ross Duffer grew up wanting to be directors, but writing became their way into Hollywood. When Stranger Things took off, they realized they couldn’t write and direct; it was simply too much.
Shawn Levy (a producer who also directed 10 episodes across the series, including entries in season one and season five) and Frank Darabont, someone the Duffers admired and caught his interest by simply emailing him, are also featured. The documentary highlights how Darabont mapped out that Citizen Kane visual reference during Holly and Max’s journey through Vecna’s mindscape.
Noah Schnapp, who played Will Byers, praises how much trust they put in the cast to help make choices. We see Schnapp coaching the young actor who portrayed Will in the flashback that opens season five’s first episode.
The Duffers’ Real-Life Favorite Teacher Played Holly’s Teacher
Remember that one teacher who made a lasting impact? Hope Hynes Love, the Duffers’ high-school drama teacher, played Holly’s concerned teacher in season five. “She was a big, big inspiration for us and it was really exciting to put her in the show,” the Duffers explain.
She recalls their fearlessness as teenagers, remembering even back then “they were never afraid of failing, so they took big swings.”
The Wheeler House Attack Was a Long-Awaited Sequence
Think back to your childhood home. A place of comfort, safety, and…Demogorgons? “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler” sees Karen Wheeler and her younger daughter confronted by a supernatural horror in one of the show’s most comforting settings: the Wheeler house. Instead of made-up monsters in the basement, though, Dungeons & Dragons comes to life when a Demogoron bursts in.
Stranger Things “wanted to have an attack in the Wheeler house for seven years.” The documentary shows how the scene came together. It was intended to help viewers understand where Nancy Wheeler gets her warrior spirit.
Mike Wanting a Gun in the Abyss Was Inspired by Finn Wolfhard’s Own Request
Ever feel like your voice isn’t being heard? In the writers’ room during the finale discussion, Matt Duffer says that the kids all want to take part in the big, climactic fight against the Mind Flayer. And they wanted to be active participants, one player in particular. “Finn [Wolfhard]’s like, ’Don’t give me a candlestick, please.’ Which is fair. He really wants a gun, and I’m just like ‘I don’t think so.’”
During the finale table read, Finn Wolfhard goes through the scene where his character, Mike, begs Nancy to share her firepower. The cast cackles at the reveal that Nancy hands over… a flare gun, and it’s fun for the audience to see how that moment was taken from a real-life request that was gently denied.
100 Different Looks Were Considered to Get Vecna’s Makeup Right
Transforming into a terrifying villain takes more than just acting. Jamie Campbell Bower wore a bodysuit later enhanced with VFX, his facial prosthetics allowed for a great range of expression.
Even With All That Preparation and Talent, Things Didn’t Always Go as Planned
Remember that time you meticulously planned something, only for it to go sideways? The near-death scene involving Nancy, Jonathan, and a melting building in “Escape From Camazotz” caused a lot of problems because the goo being pumped into the set didn’t look sludgy enough. Shawn Levy, the episode’s director, realizes in the moment that it doesn’t feel right, and there are hushed discussions of how VFX is going to have to be used to pick up the slack.
There’s also an amusing evaluation of just how much melty crud should be caked on the characters, so as not to distract from Nancy and Jonathan’s emotional heart-to-heart amid all the oozing chaos.
The Emotional Heft Was Real
Whether you loved or hated the finale, the table reads and the footage of cast members’ last scenes are tear-jerking. Be prepared to be reduced to a blubbering mess as everyone says goodbye. Have tissues handy.
The Duffers’ Secret Weapon Is… Their Parents
The Duffer Brothers’ parents watched all the dailies and gave feedback. Unfortunately, they don’t appear in the documentary, but we’d love to have heard their notes.
What is the Hi8 camera that the Duffer brother’s parents gave them?
This gesture—giving their nine-year-old sons a Hi8 camera for Christmas—planted the seed for all of this. The Hi8 format was a consumer-level analog video format introduced in 1989 by Sony. It was a successor to Video8 and offered improved video quality.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix, along with Stranger Things seasons 1-5.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.