Stranger Things 5 is arguably the most uneven the Netflix megahit has ever looked, because, like other epic shows before it, it simply has too much to accomplish in too short a time. The show’s ever-expanding cast and ever-raising stakes in previous seasons made sure of that. There’s just so much there that the final season had no choice but to run down a massive checklist to make sure everyone had some kind of resolution or at least sense of direction. That’s left the show feeling crowded and, at times, overreliant on constantly explaining itself just to get to the finish line.

Now the finish line is here. On New Year’s Eve, audiences around the world got to see how The Duffer Brothers chose to end their runaway, career-making opus, and just like the rest of the season...