By Mrs. McHugh

HHS Librarian & The Hawk advisor

Spoilers Ahead!

An estimated 3.7 million households viewed the series finale of Stranger Things within a week of its New Year’s Eve release. Another million people watched it in movie theaters, an epic event for a television show. As the conclusion of the Netflix series becomes one of the streaming service’s hottest creations, one thing is clear: the only thing more popular than watching it is debating it.

Within minutes of the finale’s end, social media lit up with reviews and rehashes from TV critics and fans alike. Some praised the episode for bringing the team back together for the final battle, choosing awesome music in key moments, and ending with the next generation of players around the Dungeons & Dragons table. Others, though, expressed disappointment with what they felt were plot holes and lazy writing in a show they had spent a decade of their life watching. It felt like a betrayal to fans already upset with the three-year wait between seasons four and five, and the drawn-out release of the series’ final eight episodes. Some viewers went so far as to speculate that the finale was really a mind trick by the villain, Vecna, and a hidden episode with a more satisfying ending would be released (there was not). The Duffer Brothers, who created the show, gave countless interviews trying to explain their choices, and Netflix released a two-hour “making of” documentary in an effort to appease fans (it did not).

Since its 2016 premiere, I’ve loved the science fiction adventure show about a group of friends who discover a girl with special powers. Steeped in 1980s nostalgia, the show brought alive memories of my adolescence, and I felt the mythology was complex but not convoluted. Watching the cast grow up reminded me of the years I spent following the transformation of Harry Potter and friends from Sorcerer’s Stone to Deathly Hallows, something rare and special in entertainment.

After watching the finale, I was content with the ending. I was emotionally invested throughout the two hours, gasping – and then cheering – when Steve fell and was rescued, tearing up during Hopper’s heart to hearts with El, laughing at Murray and Robin’s one-liners, and ugly crying when Mike and El were forced to say goodbye. I liked the long epilogue which revealed that the characters we loved would be okay. I didn’t even mind the ambiguity around El’s fate; I was happy to believe. But as I started hearing the criticism, I felt some of it was valid. Where the demodogs when the gang fought Vecna in the abyss? Why was Vecna/Henry Creel’s backstory shortchanged for a play most fans wouldn’t have the chance to see? How did the gang get away with killing all those soldiers? And what was the deal with the terrible wig worn by Nancy in the epilogue?

I’ve watched several shows where a disappointing ending threatened to sour me on the whole series – Lost, the original Dexter (although the latest incarnation was a bit redemptive). But I don’t count Stranger Things among them. Maybe the creators were rushed, or got lazy, or tried to milk the series for too long. Maybe they could have made better choices for the final episodes. But TV for me is entertainment and escape, and despite any flaws, the Stranger Things finale provided that. It is a series I’ve rewatched several times in anticipation of new seasons, and can envision returning to in the future.

Even at Hanover High School, debate about the show raged for weeks after the finale. You couldn’t mention it and not get a passionate earful about what worked and what didn’t. Some longtime fans from our school community share their reactions below.

Mr. Henderson, HHS English teacher (who dressed up as Eddie Munson last Halloween): “The ending was exactly what it needed to be. It was one that honored the ’80s nostalgia that it so carefully created, while also giving a compelling story. In the end, it was one that did something rare in a phone-in-hand watching environment: it made the viewer think. Do you believe? Do you not? There’s no simple answer, spelled out for viewers over and over. What’ll we remember? I think we’ll remember a few things. Friends don’t lie. Hellfire lives. Keep running up that hill. And, I don’t think we’re done with the world of Hawkins. Call it a suspicion that it could be . . . a never-ending story.”

Gianna Steber, freshman: “Before I watched the finale, I’d heard some of the criticisms and started feeling negatively about it. But then I loved it. I thought it was a very good ending that replayed what happened at the beginning and started a new chapter with Mike’s sister and her friends. I believe the rumor that the finale script wasn’t finished and the writers used AI, but It didn’t bother me.”

Jameson Bryan, senior: “I thought it was kind of disappointing. The kids spent years fighting Vecna and they killed him in like 10 minutes; that was a major letdown. Everyone was nervous about a big death, like Steve, but then the only one who died was Kali and that wasn’t much of a shock. I think Mike and El’s relationship was undeveloped; there could’ve been a better ending for them. The epilogue was too long; they could have made that 20 minutes and made the fight scene longer. I liked how, at the end, the show had a full-circle moment and ended with Holly and her friends as the little kids playing D&D. Despite these complaints, I thought season 5 was good overall and I still think the show was great. It was just one bad episode out of like 40.”

Mr. Wade, HHS music teacher: “I think with a show that big, that’s gone on for so long, it’s hard to close in a way that’s satisfying for everybody. But I personally enjoyed it. I loved Will’s storyline, and how the show came full circle by starting and ending in the basement.”

Whether you liked the Stranger Things finale or not, there’s no ignoring that it was a phenomenon not often repeated: a pop culture event that brought millions of people together in anticipation and left most of them talking about it afterward. Fans can argue endlessly about whether the finale was good, but the fact that so many people cared is one undeniable measure of its success.

By Emily Davis, ’27

Entertainment Editor

For more than two decades, Wicked has soared over Broadway as one of the most beloved musicals of all time. The $1.2 billion grossing musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, reimagines the land of Oz long before Dorothy’s farmhouse ever fell from the sky. Now, with Wicked making a leap from stage to screen in a two-part film adaptation, longtime fans and first-time viewers alike are noticing key differences between the Broadway production and the movies – differences that reflect both the demands and possibilities of cinema. 

At its core, Wicked tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two young women at Shiz University: Elphaba, a brilliant but misunderstood green-skinned social outcast, and Glinda, a popular and ambitious socialite. As they go through university, they are pulled into the turmoil of Oz, and their paths diverge. Elphaba becomes known as the so-called “Wicked Witch of the West” while Glinda rises as a symbol of goodness. The story challenges the audience to question who gets labeled as wicked and why, emphasizing the themes of friendship, power, prejudice, and truth versus propaganda. The central plot remains intact in both the Broadway show and film versions. However, the way the story is told, and how deeply it is explored, changes significantly on screen. 

One of the most noticeable differences between the Broadway production and the movie is the scale of which it can be physically executed. The stage version relies on imaginative sets, lighting, and choreography to suggest the world of Oz, asking the audience to fill in parts with their imaginations. The films, in contrast, fully realize Oz through picturesque landscapes, cityscapes, and elaborate visual effects. Locations that are briefly suggested on stage, such as Shiz University or the Emerald City, are expanded into realistic environments in the movies, giving the story a more cinematic feel. 

The Broadway musical runs just under three hours, including intermission. To avoid rushing the story, the film adaptation is split into two parts, Wicked and Wicked: For Good. This allows for the movie to spend more time developing characters and relationships. Elphaba’s isolation and moral awakening, for example, are explored with greater attention to detail, while Glinda’s transformation from self-centered student to public figure feels more gradual and complex. Secondary characters and political tensions also receive more attention and build up than they do on stage. 

While the iconic songs such as “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” remain central, their presentations differ. On stage, these numbers are designed for live performances, often emphasizing big vocals and theatrical technique. In the movies, songs are more closely integrated into the narrative, sometimes feeling more realistic, with close-ups and quieter moments that are unable to be executed in a large theater. Additionally, the films make small but noticeable adjustments to dialogue and pacing to align with a movie audience, while the Broadway version maintains a faster rhythm driven by live performance energy. 

Despite these differences, both versions of Wicked share the same story. Whether experienced under Broadway lights or on the big screen, the story asks the audience to reconsider the labels of good and evil. The movies do not replace stage production; instead, they reinterpret it, using film’s unique tools to deepen and broaden a story that has already proved its power. 

By Dynaziah Hampton, ’27

Staff Writer

The movie Sinners, directed and produced by Ryan Coogler, became an instant hit after its 2025 release. It won multiple awards, including four Critics Choice, two Golden Globes, and two Grammys. It has been nominated for a record-breaking 16 Oscars including Best Picture, Director and Actor. The movie blew up for its plot, ambition, and unique blend of horror with history.

Sinners is set in the 1930s in the state of Mississippi, focusing on twin brothers played by Michael B. Jordan who return to their hometown and open a ‘Juke Joint’ with the aim of providing music, happiness, and community to the segregated town. What begins as an opening night of celebration turns into a fight for survival as the supernatural descends on the scene, and the movie dives into the themes of community, cultural identity and resilience.

The movie had the audience speculating about its true meaning, with different opinions surfacing on the Internet. Some viewers thought it was a spooky interpretation of how people of color survived under the Jim Crow laws; others thought it was a play on greed and the hunger for power. I think these are true, but I especially think this movie really matters because it reflects on Black history. This movie is an outline of what we should think about during Black History Month in February.

Celebrated since 1926, Black History Month is a chance to remember the history of people of color in the United States and their contributions to building our country despite oppression and racism. It is also a month to mourn those who were lost in the fight for equality, from the days of slavery to modern times.

Sinners shows scenes of people of color in their everyday lives, working mostly as sharecroppers, formerly enslaved Black farmers working the land for a share of what they grew, and often staying trapped in cycles of debt. Despite the end of slavery 60 years earlier, it was very hard to be free as a Black person at this time. The movie shows a time when laws aimed to restrict Black Americans’ freedom, known as Jim Crow laws, enforced racial segregation and kept Black communities apart from white society in nearly every part of daily life. It was a system that was totally unfair and made to keep Blacks from success.

The ‘Juke Joint’ is an important part in the movie. It represents more than just having fun, because it was a place where blues music – a genre created by Black Americans – allowed them to express their pain, hope, and struggle. In the Joint, they could share their stories and keep their culture alive. Through music and celebration, the ‘Juke Joint’ became a unique space where they could be their true selves and feel a sense of freedom, even if it was only for a night.

Another part of the movie that reflects history was the tension between Stack and a white woman named Mary. In the movie, there was an important scene where they were together, and Mary finally opened up to Stack that she never wanted to be married to a white man, and how she wanted to be with Stack. “I didn’t want no white man, I didn’t wanna be white, I wanted to be with you,” she said. This scene especially shows how hard it was for whites and Blacks to connect without judgement, and even harder to fall in love while you were different races.

Sinners connects past to present, and films like these definitely matter during Black History Month. It’s more than a horror film; it’s a reminder of what real people endured during the 1930s. Were the movie’s real villains the vampires that attacked the ‘Juke Joint’ or the injustices set by mostly white Americans to uphold their image while destroying lives of innocent people? These are things to remember not only during the month of February, but for everyday life.