Is there a new episode of Stranger Things on January 7? What is Conformity Gate? Fan theories explained

What started in 2016 with kids on BMXs, a throwback drama with 1980s vibes, developed into a battle for the world itself and a terrifying adventure into and against the Upside Down and the villain Vecna.

The most recent, fifth, series, has been widely promoted as the finale, with the finale dropping on Netflix on the last day of last year. But internet sleuths have been making a case that actually, more may be on the way. If true, then as one excitable commenter has posted, “this plot twist would be GENERATIONAL”. It comes after many people reported the ending as underwhelming - although a disappointing conclusion does not inevitably lead to a new instalment.

So what’s fuelling the rumours?

Netflix advertising

Netflix has said nothing about a January 7 episode, let’s be clear. But a promo video released on Christmas Day has a strangely vague air to it.

Some of the cut scenes used in this look like they could be from Stranger Things - but that doesn’t add up to anywhere near enough proof. But it’s a starting point - and either which way, by Wednesday we should know what this refers to.

The Stranger Things documentary

There is an official Stranger Things documentary called One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5 due to be available from January 12 but that’s advertised as a behind-the-scenes feature, not part of the story. Has this added fuel to the fire?

The date

Stranger Things season 5 has been released on major holidays (in the US). Previous parts came out on Thanksgiving, Christmas and then the New Year’s Eve finale. January 7 marks Orthodox Christmas, as this is based on the Julian, not Gregorian calendar. A stretch? Maybe.

Conformity Gate - 🚨 big spoiler alert 🚨

“Conformity Gate” is a fan theory to try to explain the ending. It hasn’t been acknowledged by Netflix or the makers of the show, the Duffer Brothers.

The basic gist of Conformity Gate is that epilogue of the finale shows characters living “normal” lives after final, dramatic battle - the kids graduate high school, the older ones are at college, Nancy gets a job at The Boston Herald and Hawkins is returned to peace. Some people believe this is too neat and inconsistent with the show’s themes of resistance, individuality, and disruption.

And this leads them to posit that the epilogue in fact shows a false reality or illusion created by Vecna. A few things have been cited

• At the graduation scene at Hawkins High, several students appear to have their hands in the same position Henry Creel - who becomes Vecna - often does.
• Members of the Wheeler family, including Nancy, Mike, and Karen, have shorter hairstyles that start to look like Henry’s
• Some of the details in the background of the epilogue look like bad AI - a blank poster in particular
• Dungeons and Dragons books shown on a shelf spell out X A LIE - which refers to how nothing seen in Dimension X can be trusted
• Recurring numerical or visual motifs (like the number seven)

Confirmation bias

Let’s not rule it out. It would be an inspired move if true, but reality and experience teaches us that it is unlikely, although this won’t stop many people booting up Netflix after midnight (and then the equivalent local time when it is US midnight) to double check. Roland Barthes, who all the way back in 1967 argued about the death of the author and instead the now-primary importance of the reader/viewer’s reaction to art would be proud.

While it’s far more likely that this is fan reaction to a “disappointing” ending - although I stress again, we just don’t know at this point - as one poster wrote on X: “This Conformity Gate theory is INSANEEE, if it doesn’t happen we truly are better writers than the Duffers.”