Gaten Matarazzo opens up about Dustin’s fate in the Stranger Things finale
This article contains SPOILERS for the Stranger Things finale
One of the most divisive topics getting discussed on social media since the new year is the quality (or lack thereof) of Netflix‘s Stranger Things series finale. While some feel the conclusion to the Duffer Brothers’ epic coming-of-age tale was a pitch-perfect, no notes affair, others, like myself, think it was a heartening if not clunky stumble to the finish line. Before this post devolves into me griping about Season 5’s inconsistencies, ludicrous lack of consequences, plethora of awkward performances, or unearned character development, let’s discuss something that did work, all the way through: Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin Henderson, the MVP of Stranger Things.
Matarazzo snuck into a Stranger Things screening
Speaking with Variety, Matarazzo opened up to the outlet about the conclusion of Dustin’s Stranger Things journey, a role he’s played for 9 1/2 years and five seasons. Ahead of the interview, Matarazzo says he attended a screening of the finale on New Year’s Eve while visiting family in Jacksonville, Florida. Initially, he dressed as the Grinch to avoid attracting too much attention, but after seeing the size of the theater, he removed his mask, revealing his true identity.
While Stranger Things takes many questionable liberties with its extensive cast of characters, Dustin remains one of the show’s most consistent and interesting subjects. When the series begins, Dustin is an inventive, dorky pre-teen, obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and various science fiction works. As the series evolves, so does his character, especially after Dustin meets Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the standout character of Season 4 that captured the hearts of Stranger Things fans everywhere. Through his friendship with Eddie (and, by extension, Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington), Dustin transforms into a vastly intelligent, if slightly disaffected, teen with the world at his fingertips. Dustin’s journey is gratifying, earned, and complex in ways that bring out the best of what Stranger Things has to offer. Now, Matarazzo is opening up about the end of Dustin’s journey.
“A lot of shows don’t really give characters the opportunity to kind of just, for lack of a better word, talk shit and air everything out and speak unapologetically about the way they feel,” Matarazzo says of the experience. “I didn’t take for granted how special that opportunity was.”
Matarazzon reflects on Dustin’s journey
While discussing his reaction to Dustin’s achievements by the end of the series, Matarrazo said, “It’s such a relief. They’ve all been through so much, so to see him going forward and taking a breath and finally having a shred of normalcy — it’s all he really could have asked for. And that’s what’s so tragic about the end of Eleven’s story. Normalcy would never be guaranteed for the people that she loves if she was there. She didn’t see it as fair, and I think it was a beautiful choice to end her story the way that they did.”
Matarazzo shares his thoughts on Eleven’s fate
Matarozzo also spoke about whether or not he has ideas about Eleven being alive by the end of the series, saying, “I do, but I want to keep that private. I don’t know if others will, but I think that whatever works for you and makes the show wrap up better for you is correct. You have the right to debate it, but whatever you want it to be for you is great. I think they teeter that line very well, because I’ve already noticed a kind of 50/50 split amongst fans about whether they believe.”
What did you think about Netflix’s Stranger Things finale? Who’s your favorite character from the series? Let us know in the comments section below.
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