'Stranger Things' star teases season 5 finale as the 'the best episode they've ever done'

Jim Hopper (David Harbour, left) standing behind Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in Netflix's "Stranger Things" season 4
(Image credit: Netflix)

Worried that the long-awaited final season of "Stranger Things" won't stick the landing? The Netflix original has already earned the seal of approval from Jim Hopper (David Harbour).

During a live recording of the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Harbour praised the "Stranger Things" season 5 finale as "the best episode they've ever done."

While Harbour pointed out that he "can be very critical of this show," he said: "They land the plane, and it is the best episode they've ever done.

"The end of this episode when we were reading it — just us reading it — about halfway through, people started crying. Then about the last 20 minutes, it was just uncontrollably crying, waves of different people. Noah Schnapp being my favorite," he said.

"They started the show when they were 11 and 12, and here we are reading [the finale]. It’s 10 years later, and we examine that idea, and it's so well done and so beautiful. It's such a great episode, and it's such a great season. You guys will love it," Harbour added, (quotes via Deadline).

(L to R) Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair are lined up in Stranger Things 4

(Image credit: Netflix)

"Stranger Things" season 5 does not yet have an official release date, but the final chapter is expected to air at some point in 2025, three years on from our last trip to Hawkins.

The last major update we got about the show came in July, when Netflix dropped a new behind-the-scenes clip from the set of "Stranger Things." At that time, we learned the series was halfway through shooting, and members of the core crew echoed similar sentiments to Harbour's.

We don't know too much about the plot of season 5, either, save for the fact it involves several new castmates — Linda Hamilton, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly and Alex Breaux — and will presumably involve seeing Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and co. finally taking Vecna down for good and discovering more about the mysterious Upside Down.

Looking for something new to binge while you wait for the show to return? Check out our guide to the best Netflix shows you can stream right now. We also recently saw the first trailer for "The Electric State", a new sci-fi movie from the Russo brothers starring Millie Bobby Brown and Christ Pratt.

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Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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