Season 5 episode featuring character's 'coming out' becomes lowest-rated in Stranger Things history on IMDb

An episode from the final season of Stranger Things has become the lowest-rated installment in the series, according to IMDb data, as Netflix continues rolling out the show’s conclusion in stages.

“Chapter Seven: The Bridge,” from Season 5, currently holds a 5.7 rating on IMDb based on approximately 50,000 user reviews, making it the lowest-rated episode across the show’s five-season run. The previous low point was Season 2’s “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister,” which has a 6.0 rating from about 46,000 reviews.

The rating for “The Bridge” sits well below the rest of the series. The next lowest-rated episode is Season 3’s premiere, “Suzie, Do You Copy,” which has a 7.8 rating from roughly 33,000 reviews. The highest-rated episode remains Season 4’s “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” which holds a 9.6 rating based on around 58,000 certified user reviews.

Despite its low score, “The Bridge” has received one of the highest volumes of user ratings in the franchise. IMDb data shows it has the second-most reviews of any episode in the series, behind only the Season 5 finale, “Chapter Four: The Sorcerer.”

Netflix opted to release the final season of Stranger Things in multiple blocks. The first four episodes debuted on Nov. 26, followed by three additional episodes on Dec. 25. The final episode is scheduled for release on New Year’s Eve and will run at feature length.

Season 5 has drawn criticism over its writing and structure since its release, with viewers pointing to issues related to pacing and continuity. “The Bridge” includes a scene involving Will Byers, portrayed by Noah Schnapp, in which the character comes out as gay. The character’s ‘coming out’ moment comes during a time in the show where the world is in literal danger of being destroyed, making it seem out of place.

The Christmas Day episodes featured the return of Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, along with new information about the Upside Down, which is revealed to be a wormhole connecting Hawkins to a hostile realm referred to as the Abyss. 

Both “The Bridge” and the previously lowest-rated episode, “The Lost Sister,” include appearances by Kali, also known as Eight, a character introduced in Season 2.

With one episode remaining, audience attention is now focused on the series finale, titled “The Rightside Up,” which will close out Netflix’s most successful original series.