There have been several theories going around surrounding Stranger Things, especially the finale, varying from whether what characters really died to if there will be a future episode after the “finale.”
There is one specific theory that has broken social media: Conformity Gate. Fans made the theory because of their disappointment with the season finale. Some fans don’t believe it was the end because it was simply too safe of an ending. The idea is put together by a bunch of spin offs and potential clues that the show gave in the finale.
One of the main theories is that Vecna, the villain of the story, has taken over many of the main characters’ minds. Many believe that Mike is under Vecna’s control, and all the “final” episode is Mike’s ideal ending and how Vecna thinks things would play out in the end.
One of the parts inside of this theory is how everyone, including the main characters, are sitting like Henry, have their hands placed like Henry, and many of the characters have the same haircut as Vecna’s human form, Henry Creel. This is because it is in Vecna’s mind and what he thinks will happen years after.
Another example of Vecna making a guess of what happens is when Steve turns out to be a baseball coach. Steve’s character has no connection to baseball in the show, as we only see him as a basketball player. But the only memory Vecna has of Steve, is when Steve is using a baseball bat with nails in it to fight monsters off in the upside down.
This theory is so believable because when the main characters are graduating, Mike recognizes something and has a flashback. He sees all the speakers and thinks back to when Eleven went into his mind to say goodbye, the military and the frequency boosters pointed at Eleven, but when that happens Eleven can’t use her powers. That’s one thing that’s off about this scene. Also, when Eleven uses her powers, her nose bleeds after, but it never did in this scene.
Lastly, what leads fans into believing this episode will be released January 7 is all of the clues in the season that use the number seven. For example, during Steve’s near death experience, the screen cuts to black for a total of seven seconds before Jonathan catches him from falling. Also, when Eleven and Hopper are doing a crawl in the upside down, there is a lightning strike every seven seconds. But the number seven isn’t just an important part of season five; it’s been an important part of the show entirely. In season one, Will goes missing for exactly seven days, and in the first DND campaign we see them lose after Will rolls a seven, leading the demogorgon to get him in the game.
There are also small things that prove that there could very well be a new episode on January 7. One of which being at the end of every season, they show an end screen saying “Stranger Things” then the number, which in this case would be five. But we never see that. In a show where the whole thing is having consistency, something like that isn’t an accident.
One more small thing is that Stranger Things released a replica of the flashlights that the characters use. On this flashlight there’s a black light filter, and when you point it at a specific side of the box it says “Vecna Lives!” This could be just a little quote that Eddie says in season four, or this could be reality.
The Conformity Gate theory has spread across social media, and many fans believe it’s proof of a new, final episode. This theory was generally made to help fans cope with the idea that one of their favorite shows came to an end, and a boring one at that.
