How 'Stranger Things' fans crashed Netflix over an imaginary episode
What's the story
A fan theory suggesting that a secret ninth episode of Stranger Things Season 5 would drop on January 7 (Wednesday, US time) went viral enough to crash the streaming platform Netflix. The "conformity gate" theory claimed that the series finale, titled The Rightside Up, was a false ending and a hidden final chapter, "Episode 9," would be released on Wednesday. However, as expected, it turned out to be a hoax as no such episode exists.
Confirmation
Netflix had already debunked 'Stranger Things 5' Episode 9 theory
While the series creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, have not directly addressed the theory, Netflix's social media profiles appeared to confirm that no additional new episode exists. They posted a clear message saying, "ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING." However, this failed to stop people from searching for the "secret" episode on the platform. Fans were primarily dissatisfied with series leads Eleven and Mike's endings, and started listing errors, theorizing, we were being misled by the villain Vecna.
Fan reactions
Fans reacted to hoax: 'At least we went crazy together'
The revelation sparked a wave of online reactions, with fans flooding social media platforms with memes and jokes. One user wrote, "LMFAO Netflix crashing and Episode 9 doesn't even exist," while another said, "At least we went crazy together. #ConformityGate." Another tweet read: "This theory was great either way, because now its gonna haunt the duffer brothers knowing their finale was so bad we had to theorize and crash netflix for an alternate ending that didn't exist."
Viewership success
'Stranger Things' Season 5 became Netflix's biggest New Year hit
Despite the online backlash and hoax, Stranger Things delivered Netflix its biggest New Year's Day viewership ever. Season 5 racked in an estimated 31.5 million views in the week of December 29 alone. The season has now amassed a total of 105.7 million views, placing it ninth on the list of most-watched English-language series of all time.