One ‘Stranger Things‘ episode got outright review-bombed. Within hours of airing, IMDb ratings flooded in and dragged the episode to the very bottom of the show’s history, making it the worst-rated chapter the series has ever had.
The backlash eventually spread across the season and zeroed in on one specific plot choice involving Will Byers, which turned his coming-out episode into a lightning rod for fan anger and debate. And the numbers on IMDb tell that story loud and clear!
The ‘Stranger Things’ Episode That Set Off The IMDb Backlash
The episode in question is the penultimate one, “The Bridge.” Story-wise, this was supposed to be the best one. The Hawkins group was getting ready for their final fight with Vecna, and everything felt like it was building toward the perfect moment. Instead, the show hit pause. The plot slowed right down and shifted focus to Will Byers.
Right before the big showdown, the episode spent a long stretch on one emotional conversation. That conversation was Will coming out as gay to his friends. Sure, it was important, but placing it here, at this exact point in the story, turned out to be explosive.
Almost as soon as the episode dropped, IMDb lit up. “The Bridge” slid to a 5.4 out of 10, making it the lowest-rated episode in Stranger Things history. To put that into perspective, no other episode has ever gone below a 7.8, and most usually sit comfortably between 8.6 and 9.2. And viewers seemed quite unified as more than 96,000 people rated this single episode. Most other Season 5 episodes didn’t even reach 50,000 ratings.
Why Viewers Were So Split Over This Plot Choice
As you’d expect, opinions flew everywhere. Even Elon Musk jumped into the discussion after posts claimed fans were upset about a character coming out. He said the scene felt forced and unnecessary, adding that viewers just wanted to enjoy simple sci-fi without interruptions. But plenty of fans pushed back on that take.
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They said the issue wasn’t Will being gay, especially since the show has hinted at it since Season 1. Their problem was where and how the scene happened. Many felt the speech dragged on too long and killed the momentum right before a major confrontation. Critics were split, too.
One TV critic argued the show hasn’t really let its characters grow up and leans too heavily on nostalgia. Another critic defended the scene, saying it landed emotionally and felt like a payoff to years of quiet buildup.
The ratings won’t change, and neither will the reaction it sparked. Love the scene or hate it, Will’s coming-out episode will now always be remembered as the one that got hit the hardest by fans and became the most review-bombed chapter of the entire series.
