Ratings on the latest episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things took a downturn this week after the character Will Byers came out gay to his friends in a dramatic reveal.
Released on Christmas, the Season 5 Vol. 2 episode of the hit sci-fi show has been getting review bombed on various platforms, per Variety.
“The recent episodes have dragged the season’s fan-driven Rotten Tomatoes score from the 70s down to 56 percent, a stark decline from the show’s previous seasons,” noted the outlet. “For reference, the Season 4 Popcornmeter sits at 89 percent, Season 3 at 86 percent, Season 2 at 90 percent and Season 1 at 96 percent.”
“A backlash campaign seemed to ignite after the Netflix series’ penultimate episode, ‘The Bridge,’ which features a scene in which Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) comes out as gay to his friends,” it continued. “The lengthy monologue came as the Hawkins gang geared up to face Vecna, the big bad from the Upside Down.”
On IMDB, the episode now has a 5.4 rating out of 10 – the only episode below a 7.8 – with more than 100,000 user reviews. Most episodes received fewer than 50,000 user reviews.
To be fair, the negative reviews mostly picked at the plot.
This has definitely been the weakest season.
“I hate when shows become all fluffy. Like Wills whole power thing comes from self-acceptance. It’s important sure, but like they’re gonna beat Vecna with the power of love,” said one review.
“This season just doesn’t feel like the show I fell in love with. Worse acting, worse dialogue, yet people will still say how good it is. The only interesting storyline this entire season was Max’s and Holly’s. The rest of the time, I found myself nowhere near as engaged with what the other characters were doing compared to previous seasons,” said another.
More politically-minded accounts on social media, like Elon Musk and Jon Root, were pointed and blunt in their distaste for the episode.
“It’s completely unnecessary and forced on audiences who just want to enjoy some basic sci-fi,” Musk wrote.
While the episode had more than its share of critics, others defended it for showing how the characters have grown into adulthood.
“This, a pivotal character opening up about being queer on a show as massive as ‘Stranger Things,’ feels seismic — and, oddly, like the culmination of a very long journey,” wrote Daniel D’Addario, Variety‘s chief correspondent.
Actor Noah Schnapp, who has played Will Byers since the show debuted in 2016, said he burst into tears upon reading the scene.
“The cast was so gracious. I’ll never forget how supportive they were on that day and how respectful and giving they were to me,” he said.
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