The creators of Stranger Things defend Will’s confession after online backlash: “It’s a ‘fuck you’ to Vecna”

Episode seven of season five of Stranger Things was crucial for the popular Netflix series in many ways. It set the stage for the spectacular finale of the last episode, as well as establishing the personalities of many of its characters. This final development particularly affected Will (Noah Schnapp), who decided to come out to his loved ones, his companions in life and adventures in the Duffer brothers’ fiction, resulting in one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes in Stranger Things. However, it seems that many viewers did not like it and did not hesitate to criticize it openly; now, the Duffer brothers have sought to defend what is, by far, the most criticized episode of the season.

Harsh criticism for Will Byers’ most personal confession

In the final stretch of the seventh episode of season five of Stranger Things, Will, before the final confrontation with Vecna and the Mind Flayer, starred in a memorable scene in which he opens up completely to his family and friends. It was a deeply emotional sequence that surely moved a large part of the audience; however, many others did not take kindly to it, harshly criticizing the scene and giving the episode the worst ratings of the series so far. Come on, the usual suspects.

Now, the Duffer brothers have sought to defend their idea in the face of criticism: “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now. It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view,” Ross Duffer told Variety. “This show has always been about our characters overcoming evil, and in order to overcome this evil, Vecna, in so many ways, represents all the dark thoughts and the evil of society. And for our characters to overcome that, it really becomes about embracing themselves, and then also embracing one another and coming together,” the series co-creator continued.

“[The scene was] the final step in Will’s journey, and Will is, in so many ways, the key to defeating Vecna,” adds Matt Duffer. “Volume 1 is really about self-acceptance, right? I mean, that’s sort of step one. And then step two is Will is talking to Robin — it’s something that he wants to do. He’s trying to figure out how to come out, and he knows that he needs to do that, and that that’s the final step for him. And he finds the courage to be able to do it. And it’s really the ultimate fuck you to Vecna. That was the intention,” concludes the other co-creator of Stranger Things.

And despite the fact that this episode has been the worst-rated of all, solely due to the intolerance of many, the Duffers stand by their ideas and their true intention with the Will scene: “We’re proud of the episode, and we’re proud of the scene, and proud of Noah, who gave a really brave, very vulnerable performance. I think that’s where Ross and I were most sensitive, was Noah — because of how close to home this hit for him,” explains Matt Duffer.

“And our goal was to make sure that he was comfortable and happy with the scene. And when he was, we felt good about it. I’ve been texting with him a lot, but texting with him specifically after that scene and after that episode aired. And he’s in a really good place. He’s very proud of the scene, and we’re proud of the scene.” Not surprisingly, this is a scene that has been in the works for nine years and took 12 hours to shoot. Regarding the homophobic reaction from a certain sector of the audience, the Duffers respond:

“We were so concerned about getting it right. There were a lot of things that went into it. I mean, we’re definitely nervous about how it’s going to go over with everyone. But not as nervous as we were handing it over to Noah. Because ultimately, it needed to resonate and be truthful for him. We really were writing it to and for Noah. He wrote us sobbing after he read it. So it really worked and resonated for him, which was great. I know he did a lot of work himself… And most of what’s in there is the first take," conclude the Duffers.

All five seasons of Stranger Things are available exclusively on Netflix.

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