After the Stranger Things series finale aired, the internet refused to log off quietly, as fan theories spread that a secret episode had yet to be released. Now, one of the show's stars is talking about the situation.
The theory, nicknamed "Conformity Gate," took over timelines as fans insisted that the Dec 31 series finale hid secret clues, while others waited for a surprise episode that never came.
Still, the theory grew fast as the fandom replayed scenes and found symbolism in the epilogue. They concluded that the finale must be an elaborate trick. Because the final episode included a long, reflective coda, believers argued that Vecna had manipulated reality.
Eventually, plenty of viewers admitted they were reading patterns into nothing.
Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin later addressed the theory after appearing on Saturday Night Live with co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo. The trio mocked the speculation during a four-minute sketch, acting their characters once more, and ending in a climactic scene in front of a waterfall.
SNL skit poked fun at Conformity Gate
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the interviewer asked McLaughlin if the skit was a last-minute addition to the show.
"To be honest with you, I have no idea," McLaughlin said. "Finn reached out and said, 'Can you come in the day before the show?' And I was like, 'Sure.'"
He explained that Wolfhard already wanted the cast there for support. "They asked me to fly out earlier so that I could be a part of the segment," he said. "So I was like, 'Yeah, I’m down. Just let me know what I need to do.'"
He explained that the whole process of filming the segment was pretty chaotic. "I couldn’t even tell you what the timing of it was because I was told all of these things at the last minute," he added.
McLaughlin shared his first reaction to the theory taking off
"At first, I thought the 'Conformity Gate' theory was dumb," McLaughlin said. Although he understood the impulse, he felt the show had clearly ended. "The show is done, guys," he said. "It’s been ten years. We were full-on kids and now we’re full-on adults, and we don’t need any more of us."
However, his view later softened as he began to see the theory as a coping mechanism. Fans, like the characters, struggled with loss. While some hoped Eleven survived, McLaughlin did not agree. Like Sadie Sink, he believed El was gone.
"The Duffers […] wanted to leave everybody with this level of optimism that the show has always given everyone," he said in the interview. Because of that, the ending stayed true to its roots. "We started off season one playing Dungeons & Dragons, and we ended just like that."
He added that fans missed the point while chasing hidden meanings. "That’s just Mike’s imagination," McLaughlin said. "It’s all just storytelling."
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