Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin has offered a blunt assessment for those who believed in "Conformity Gate." Thought up by fans who were disappointed or confused by the ending of the series, "Conformity Gate" was a social media theory that suggested the Season 5 finale wasn't the real ending of the series. Those who subscribed to the theory believed there was a secret ninth episode that would be released at a later date, revealing the real true ending.
That, of course, proved to be completely false. There was no ninth episode. The series is officially over.
Speaking ot the Hollywood Reporter ahead of the release of his new film GOAT, McLaughlin was asked his thoughts on the whole theory taking off.
"At first, I thought the 'Conformity Gate' theory was dumb," McLaughlin said. "I get that people want to live in this optimistic place of, 'Oh, we want more Stranger Things,' but the show is done, guys. I was like, 'Guys, it’s over. It’s been ten years. We were full-on kids and now we’re full-on adults, and we don’t need any more of us.'"
"The Duffers, our wonderful, amazing creators, wanted to leave everybody with this level of optimism that the show has always given everyone," he continued. The optimism he's referring to is, of course, the story Mike told to his friends in the basement while playing D&D, which suggested Eleven may still be alive and served as the catalyst of Conformity Gate. "So if they left the show without that, we would have left Stranger Things without the true essence of what we’ve been representing forever."
"We started off season one playing Dungeons & Dragons, and we ended just like that," McLaughlin explained. "And Mike’s storytelling and writing ability [that’s rooted in D&D] is how the show should have ended. I think people missed the concept of what the show is when they were like 'Oh, there’s going to be more.' No, that’s just Mike’s imagination. That’s who he’s always been, even in season one. It’s all just storytelling."
Even though Conformity Gate is now officially debunked, the ending of Stranger Things is still unresolved, something series creators Matt and Ross Duffer have said is intentional. Viewers can now choose what they believe happened, and McLaughling was asked what he believed happened to Eleven.
"Yeah, she’s gone," he said, agreeing with fellow cast member Sadie Sink. "I’m so sorry. I think she evaporated."
Were you satisfied with the ending of Stranger Things?