Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, Millie Bobby Brown, Entertainment, TV And Film, Social Media
Warning: this article contains major spoilers for the Stranger Things finale
Stranger Things fans are in mourning as the beloved sci-fi show has finally come to an end after five seasons and almost a decade - or has it?
The grand finale, starring the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and Finn Wolfhard, dropped onto Netflix on New Year's Eve, airing an epic blockbuster-length finale to bring the story to a close.
Tears were shed as fans got an emotional epilogue showing the fate of every character, who, aside from Eleven, got somewhat of a happy ending.
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The dramatic final showdown saw Eleven and the gang take on Vecna and the Mind Flayer, while Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) set up a bomb to wipe out the entire Upside Down.
But, Millie's character performed the ultimate sacrifice by staying behind as the Upside Down collapsed, in an effort to make sure the military can't use her blood to make more 'numbers'.
However, the Duffer Brothers did leave her ending quite open as Mike speculated that Eleven may have faked her death to escape the military using Kali’s powers of illusion.
It's simply up to the viewers what they want to believe happened to Eleven.
However, a viral social media theory has since emerged suggesting that there is still one more episode to go, dubbed 'Conformity Gate'.
The theory hinges on the belief that the ending viewers saw a week ago wasn't actually the real one and the alleged 'real one' is set to come out tomorrow (7 January) instead.
To summarise, fans think the entire epilogue was actually one of Vecna's visions because of small details like the Squark handle changing colour and the way everyone was sitting in exactly the same position during graduation.
Not to mention the number seven being rolled on the dice in the final shot, which is a significant number in the show and also happens to be tomorrow's date.
And now, adding fuel to the fire, eagle-eyed fans have noticed another wild detail that occurs.
When you type in 'fake ending' on Netflix, Stranger Things bizarrely pops up - and yes, we tested it ourselves, it's true.
As you can imagine, this has only made fans more convinced that a secret ninth episode is coming tomorrow.
One Twitter user penned: "I searched fake ending AND conformity gate on Netflix and this popped up. BROOOOO #conformitygate I’m SPIRALLING."
While a second added: "I think everything was fake, especially the final episode. Even though I’ve already watched the finale, it still says “new episode” on Netflix. That makes it feel really suspicious and fake to me."
And a third agreed: "They are sick, why would only stranger things show up when you search ‘fake ending’ on Netflix #conformitygate."
"If u look up fake ending on Netflix this shows up #confirmitygate IS REAL," quipped a fourth.
As much as we'd love this to be true - and we have to admit it's all a bit strange - it's most likely just a fanbase desperate for more of their favourite show. Never say never, though. I guess we'll have to wait and see tomorrow.
