The Stranger Things Series Finale May Have Sneakily Teased The Spin-Off
by Debopriyaa Dutta · /FilmThis post contains major spoilers for the "Stranger Things" series finale.
"Stranger Things" has come to an end, but a particular scene in the finale's epilogue might be hinting at a potential spin-off. You might've heard of "Montauk," the sci-fi horror concept that the Duffer Brothers created before honing it into "Stranger Things." This early concept had thematic overlaps with the show in question, but took place in the town of Montauk instead of Hawkins. In the show's series finale, we see Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) go on a date at Enzo's, where the former proposes and suggests they move to Montauk. This sudden name-drop is a deliberate shout-out, which the Duffers explain in an interview with Netflix Tudum:
"That final scene with them [Hopper and Joyce] had been planned for quite some time. It's very difficult what Hopper went through, especially with Eleven, and we liked the idea of him and Joyce having an opportunity to start a new chapter in their lives [...] And, of course, we did the Montauk shout-out [where Hopper has a job offer] because the show was originally going to be set in Montauk. It felt like a nice little wink to the superfans of the show who were aware of that nugget."
This, of course, could just be a neat little Easter egg for those in the know, but Montauk could also be the focal point for a future spin-off. "Montauk" seems to be very close to the showrunners' hearts, as it later became the foundation for "Stranger Things" and the specific '80s nostalgia tied to it. Given that we're already getting an animated spin-off series (titled "Stranger Things: Tales from '85") sometime this year, a Montauk-centered offshoot story doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Montauk could resolve unanswered questions about the Stranger Things universe
The "Stranger Things" finale ended on a bittersweet note. Even though the final season is packed with reveals, not every question is answered, including the mechanics of Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) plan and the true motivations of the Mind Flayer. Similarly, we aren't privy to the finer details of the military's interest in the Abyss, some of which are answered in the stage play, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" (which also etches a nuanced origin story for Henry/Vecna). A possible "Montauk" spin-off could peer into another small town hiding secrets, and explore the government conspiracy angle from a fresh perspective.
The term "Montauk" draws from the real-life conspiracy theory surrounding the Montauk Project, which alleges that the U.S. government conducted experiments to develop weapons for psychological warfare in Montauk, New York. This theory also claims that those military experiments included research into extraterrestrial lifeforms, time travel, mind control, and teleportation. While most of these aspects have been fictionalized in "Stranger Things," there has been an increasing lack of cohesion between subplots over time, until the focus shifted completely to Vecna. A Montauk-centered story has the opportunity to be darker and grittier in tone than the original show. The original concept for "Montauk" was supposed to be a found-footage story with grisly horror elements, which might be a refreshing re-entry point for the franchise.
On the other hand, maybe it's better to let a 10-year old franchise end on its own terms, considering how uneven (though wildly eventful) the journey has been. Hawkins has always felt half-baked as a town, despite being the sole focal point of five whole seasons. It's perhaps for the best that Montauk doesn't undergo the same treatment.