When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

David Harbour as Hopper in Stranger Things.

Credit: Netflix

Filming for Season 5 of Stranger Things began in January, which was undoubtedly a relief to many considering filming for the Netflix series was postponed due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strike. Now that filming is near its end, David Harbour brings us a mind-boggling tease of Stranger Things 5 but refuses to say whether its conclusion will be “happy or sad.”

David Harbour has been pumped about Stranger Things’ fifth season since before filming even started. When it was announced that one of Netflix’s best shows would end after five seasons, the American actor’s thoughts on the show’s conclusion were that he was excited to wrap up the show and see the “payoff” for all beloved characters. It’s no wonder that Harbour was “depressed as hell” during the Hollywood strikes when filming was put on pause and was waiting for news.

Now that filming is ending soon, David Harbour continues to give audiences his two cents on what to expect from Stranger Things’ final chapter. In his interview with Screen Rant, the Primetime Emmy nominee refused to say whether Season 5 would be “happy or sad,” but there are other teases from Harbour that make me look forward to the 2025 Netflix TV release:

It’s good, it’s been a very long push. We’ve been shooting for a long time, and it’s big, really big. And we’re getting to the end, so we’re getting into a lot of that meaty end stuff, which ties up a lot of these relationships. It really gives this very rich, satisfying meal, which I won’t tell you whether it’s happy or sad, [or] what it is at the end of it, but it definitely will be satisfying.

Hearing David Harbour talk about all of the “meaty end stuff” of Season 5 already tells me we’re in for an emotional ending. This could mean we’ll experience happiness, sadness, or a mix of both.

Each season of Stranger Things has done a great job of giving us a blend of emotions. We got heartwarming moments in Season 4 like hearing Mike finally tell Eleven he loved her, a cute sibling bonding scene between Will and Jonathan, and the friendship between Eddie and Dustin. But the Season 4 finale was a lot to take in with Max falling into a coma after her almost-fatal interaction with Vecna and Eddie’s sacrifice. Based on David Harbour’s tease, something tells me Season 5 is going to give us ten times the amount of emotion more than any other season has done.

David Harbour continued to tell Screen Rant that the long-awaited season plans to have a lot of “moving” moments that already make me want to stock up on tissues:

Some of the stuff I shot, even this last week, has been some of the most moving stuff of the show, and there’s been a lot of moving stuff in this show. But I had a scene the other day that I was just like, ‘Wow, this really resonates on such a deep level.’

My curiosity is more piqued than ever! With Stranger Things ending, there’s a good chance that not everyone is going to make it out alive battling Vecna. Noah Schnapp hyped up the final season teasing that the show “started with Will, and will end with Will.” Could that mean Hawkins residents will have to say goodbye to one of the hearts of the series? The Duffer Brothers also shared tidbits that have me worried about comatose Max, saying they filmed a “heartbreaking” scene involving her. We better brace ourselves for what’s to come of the characters we’ve grown to love for the past eight years.

We may not know if Stranger Things will end on a “happy or sad” note, but I’m confident Season 5 will be an easy standout in giving each character a final sendoff. The Golden Globe-nominated series has succeeded in bringing an emotional tone not only through each doomed character’s death, but with all of the hugs, laughter, and chemistry the cast of characters have shared. I know we’ll be in for one last emotional journey with the fan-favorite Hawkins residents. Expect to see Season 5 hit your Netflix subscription in 2025.