SPOILERS AHEAD for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 1 (and a little of Season 2)
As everyone who has seen the series by this point knows, the first season of ‘Stranger Things’ ends with Eleven heroically sacrificing herself for her friends by taking down the Demogorgon, after which she disappears and all the boys think she is dead. However, in Season 2 we learn she survived and things go on from there. yet that was not always going to be the case for the show.
According to Ross Duffer while speaking to Chapman University during a Q&A session at a Master Class, Eleven was originally supposed to die to save the world and her friends, because the plan was for the show to be a limited series. In his words:
“Maybe I shouldn’t say this because I like to pretend that it was all planned out, but it was originally pitched as a limited series. So it was like, Eleven was gonna sacrifice herself and save the world and then that was gonna be it, because there was a moment where limited series were a big deal.”
Ross Duffer went on to explain how a business conversation with Netflix ultimately helped shape the course of the show and the actual fate of Eleven, as Netflix saw more profit potential from a show that kept going than from a limited series:
“This is where the business side comes in. When we started pitching it it was like ‘we don’t make money off of limited series.’ And I remember when we went into Netflix and we pitched this they were like ‘well, we like this but how could it keep going?’ And you’re just sort of riffing in the moment and we were like ‘well Will’s back from this other dimension and he’s not doing very well.’ And they were like ‘great!'”
Indeed, it would have been an epic ending had Eleven actually died and the series would have ended, and a tragic one at that since she had just learned about friendship and self-sacrifice, and love, but I personally am happy we get to spend more time with Eleven in the series as Millie Bobby Brown is excellent in the role and I think there is a lot of cool ideas to explore in the world of ‘Stranger Things,’ well worth giving it a few more seasons. What are your thoughts here? Would you have preferred it if the Duffer Bros went with their original plan? Or are you happy Netflix convinced them to keep the show going? Share your opinions in the comments below!
